I want to start sprinting to work my legs, what is the best way to go about it?

[ADDicted2Fit]

i've decided that I want to start sprinting, even tho when I went to the trainer he told me I don't need to start running till august, because I am trying to gain 10 lbs. before I ship to basic training October 1st, I weigh 106 now. I wanted to start now tho, because I'm not lifting yet, or working out, and I've had lack of appetite lately and I think it's due to my metabolism being slow, because I'm inactive right now. So if I start sprinting like once a week, that will get my metabolism up right? and help me to build muscle? If I sprinted on the treadmill for like 5 min intervals, and did this 5 times for a total of 25 minutes would that be a good start, or too much? I know to make sure I get my carbs to replace the calories I burned. So far I've had 3 boiled eggs and a protein shake, do I need to eat something else before I start?

[futurebird]

5 min is too long-- that's more like an endurance thing...

do 3 min at the highest speed you can stand 6 times with a very short jogging break.

And you better EAT or it will be counter productive for your goal of gaining muscle.

[swindled]

5 min is too long-- that's more like an endurance thing...

do 3 min at the highest speed you can stand 6 times with a very short jogging break.

And you better EAT or it will be counter productive for your goal of gaining muscle.

Definitely this. Also, have you thought of doing plyometrics?? I get some of my best leg results from plyometrics, they hurt like hell though

[LilRed03]

Future is right...5 minutes is not a sprint. Think about sprinting events in track: 100m, 200m, 400m...Nowhere near 5 minutes to complete. Sprints are short bursts of energy!

Check out this sprint workout:

http://figureathlete.tmuscle.com/fre...o_great_glutes

Find a track and have at it!

[ADDicted2Fit]

5 min is too long-- that's more like an endurance thing...

do 3 min at the highest speed you can stand 6 times with a very short jogging break.

And you better EAT or it will be counter productive for your goal of gaining muscle.

Ok I just did 1 min sprint at 6 mph, towards the end I did 7mph, and 3 min jog at 4 mph, 5 times, for 17 min, how's that? Now I'm going to go eat a sweet potato and some brown rice, and 1 peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread and glass of milk, is that good enough?

[Mindi912]

If you are trying to gain weight then I wouldn't be looking to sprint start sprints either.

[jersey31]

i've decided that I want to start sprinting, even tho when I went to the trainer he told me I don't need to start running till august, because I am trying to gain 10 lbs. before I ship to basic training October 1st, I weigh 106 now. I wanted to start now tho, because I'm not lifting yet, or working out, and I've had lack of appetite lately and I think it's due to my metabolism being slow, because I'm inactive right now. So if I start sprinting like once a week, that will get my metabolism up right? and help me to build muscle? If I sprinted on the treadmill for like 5 min intervals, and did this 5 times for a total of 25 minutes would that be a good start, or too much? I know to make sure I get my carbs to replace the calories I burned. So far I've had 3 boiled eggs and a protein shake, do I need to eat something else before I start?

By 5 minute intervals, do you mean sprinting for 2 minutes and walking for 3, or do you mean 5 minutes of sprinting? 5 minutes is way too long to sprint. I've heard to do anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 minute as fast as you can go then lower your speed to a slow walk until you're back at your resting heart rate, then repeat. I usually repeat 6-8 times. I could be doing sprints the wrong way, but it's what I've found when I researched about it.

Oh and I'm not so sure sprinting will help you gain muscle but it will aide in your fat loss.

[healthierJ]

Sprinting is not going to aid you if you're trying to gain weight. And you have to eat far more then you've been eating. This is what I use when I sprint.
10 minutes warm up jog
Repeat 3 times - Stride hard for 30 seconds, jog 90 seconds. Repeat with 15 second decreases in recovery jog e.g. 30-90, 30-75, 30-60, 30-45, 30-30, 30-15 and 30-15-30
10 minute cool down jog