Does Sprinting Make You Skinny?

Does Sprinting Make You Skinny?
Photo Credit Polka Dot Images/Polka Dot/Getty Images

Sprinting blasts calories and is a total body workout. However, sprinting alone does not guarantee that you will lose weight and become skinny. Adding sprints to your workouts and choosing to eat healthy foods will promote weight loss. Sprinting places a great demand on the body, and the after effects of sprinting increase your calorie expenditure far more than traditional cardio exercise.

EPOC

Sprinting takes your body to the point of physical exertion in which EPOC, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, is experienced. The process of EPOC takes a considerable amount of energy because it is responsible for bringing your body back to its resting point after a hard effort. The more intense your sprint is, the harder your body has to work to come back down to a sustained level. During EPOC, your body uses fat stores as energy, allowing you to lose weight.

Interval Training

HITT, or high-intensity interval training, is a type of training that can ramp up your caloric burn during your sprinting workouts. Interval training can help you burn more fat than traditional cardio or running. Interval training requires short bursts of intensity followed by a recovery period. For example, sprint for 30 seconds and recover for two minutes. This kind of training will burn more calories and improve your aerobic capacity.

Muscle Mass

Sprinting places a greater demand on the body than traditional cardio exercise. Such an intense activity increases your lean body weight and even your muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the greater your body can excel at burning calories. Muscle can burn more calories at rest than fat, which allows your caloric expenditure to continue far after your exercise is completed. Sprinting emphasizes the major muscles of the body and allows them to gain strength.

Good Eats

If you eat empty calories in excessive amounts, you may not see the weight loss you are looking for from sprinting. In order to see weight loss, you must burn more calories than you consume. It is important that you choose to eat foods that will fuel your body. Choose to eat lean meats, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products to help you lose inches. These foods keep you feeling full and prevent overeating.

References

Article reviewed by Lauren Fritsky Last updated on: Jun 2, 2011

Must see: Photo Galleries

Member Comments