We’ve talked enough about the fat burning, muscle building capabilities of sprinting around here. We haven’t talked about how much mental confidence we can derive from operating at our fastest and most explosive.
Men, very generally speaking, begin losing speed, power and athleticism in their early to mid 20s. Testosterone output in males peaks around 19-20, and concentrations in the blood stay elevated through the mid 20s. Afterwards, however, there is a natural human decline. Men will produce 1-2% less testosterone every year after age 30. From wired.com:
Generally speaking, athletes start to see physical declines at age 26, give or take. (This would seem in line with the long-standing notion in baseball that players tend to hit their peak anywhere from ages 27 to 30.) For swimmers, the news is more sobering, as the mean peak age is 21…For setting world records in a given athletic discipline, the mean age is 26.1…
Fighting our biology is a fruitless endeavor. But this doesn’t mean we’re forced to accept our condition. Most men (and women…but seriously…men) begin to trade in their power for areas in which they feel more equipped to compete, like distance jogging, or they hop on the elliptical trainer and boast of their marathon sessions.
From a primal, animalistic perspective, I’m not certain this approach produces optimal mental strength results.
So what’s our move? We are not cats, but consider the analogy of a fearless cheetah chasing down a gazelle. The cheetah is primed with a burst of speed, sprinting furiously after his prey. He is not running long distances; in fact, he can maintain his speed for only around a minute. That one minute is all he needs to corral his prey and eat.
As hunters, whether of animal flesh or for that promotion at work, we need to be primed to move quickly, in explosive bursts of power. In fact, our bodies are particularly evolved for this, able to supply us with massive amounts of energy, but only for a few seconds, via the ATP-PC system. Immediately following the explosion, just like the cheetah, our bodies rest and replenish these stores for the next time they’re needed.
These high intensity bursts of action flood our systems with hormones. In our hunter gather days, these hormones would be used to be faster, smarter, better while outrunning another predator. Today, we can harness them and gain mental strength and confidence to go after our goal or surmount an obstacle in our way.
I will never again be in the identical physical condition I was in at 20. However, I may be faster and by some metrics, stronger. The confidence one obtains from trusting their ability to stave off natural declines is huge. Personally, I can’t derive the same feeling of power from jogging 15 or 20 miles.
Strong Mind,
Kap
iain says
At 26 I am in the best shape of my life. I spent my early 20’s lifting heavy(ish) but ineffectively, eating badly and partying hard (you are only a university student once though). Hoping the testosterone decline doesn’t ruin all the progress I’ve made in the last couple years 😉
Gabe Kapler says
Nice, brother.
Justin Smith says
Kap,
How do you factor in recovery time from sprints? I do hill sprints on Thursdays and Sundays mixed in with my 5X5. I notice that on my Friday and Monday workouts with about 24 hr recovery time I struggle on my squats. Didn’t know if you have any tips or tricks for recovery since you are doing a squats 24 hrs after your sprints?
Thanks – Justin
Michael says
I’ve experienced this as well since adding sprints to my 5×5 and am curious to here your thoughts, Kap!
Thabks
Gabe Kapler says
I’ll answer this in our open thread, Justin. Stay tuned.
Nathan Wynn says
Great analogy Kap. Just because you age doesn’t mean you should be relinguishing your hunting gear for a gathering basket. If you’re not training to perform at the top of your capabilities, what are you training for? Sprinting is max exertion. Exert yourself!
bill says
In regards to sprints versus distance training, as Tony Stark would say, why not have both? You’ll get no argument from me about the many benefits from sprints, but there are many to be had also from knowing you can run long distances without tiring, both physically and mentally. I live in a pretty run-crazy town, and I can tell you the several designated interval training days are very popular, especially with the folks you see at the 5k, 10k, and up races.
Scott says
Gabe-as a guy who runs and does the eliptical how would you suggest i start switching over to sprints in terms of length and number of sprints?
Bryan says
Using age as a reason for declines in performance is just like any other excuse; worthless. Hard, consistent work, proper nutrition and hydration, recovering properly, and staying in a healthy mindset will get you to those goals.
With the right know-how and motivations, anything can be achieved.
ElBori21 says
5 x 5 days done at above 80-85% are very demanding on the Central Nervous System. Max speed days with at least 3 min rest between sprints are also incredibly taxing on the CNS. If you lift heavy one day and sprint the next day your CNS will always be taxed and your strength gains will be jeopardized. As a track coach we progressively recruit fast twitch muscle fibers and were we do plyometrics (box jumps, ploys etc…) sprint then lift. The next day you rest or do less explosive work.
Gin says
I always felt sprinting was much more difficult for people to jump into on a regular basis due to the fact that it is very intense. You know you are doing it right when you are gasping for air. Especially the first few sessions. There is a reason jogging and marathons are favored over them. I know the benefits of jogging can be justified ad infinitum but the simple matter of the fact is jogging is far easier to jump into. The wear and tear on the joints happens slowly over months and years. Sprinting is more advanced and requires a higher level of conditioning. It’s like Level 2. And an injury can happen in a single session or two if doing too much too soon. What’s interesting is as people are pressed for time nowadays marathons are a lot more time consuming than spending an hour or so around the track doing sprint intervals. Still, not everyone will be blessed with a high degree of fast twitch muscle fibers. So ultimately we should do whichever activity we will enjoy the most and keep those lbs from creeping up on you like espionage. For those of you who without a plethora of fast twitch muscle fibers who nonetheless have decided to explore this dark frontier I congratulate you. You can always preserve the Type II’s you do have. Think a prime Larry Bird.