musclephd Staff asked 5 years ago
I want to add some cardio to my program but I hate running and biking. I’ve heard that sprints are a good choice for adding cardio and that they can help build muscle. Is this true?
Dr. Jacob Wilson Staff answered 5 years ago
Yes! That’s one of the reason why sprints are one of my favorite options for cardio. Sprinting creates huge eccentric actions on the glutes, hamstrings, calves, quadriceps, and hip flexors – not to mention the chest, shoulder, and upper back to a slightly lesser extent. This can help induce a ton of mechanical tension on all of these muscles as sprinting forces can be very high. Take one peek at Olympic sprinters – they’re all jacked and shredded and sprint training plays a huge role in that. Sprints can also increase the strength of your glutes and hamstrings which translates to bigger squats and deadlifts and even more gains!
Further Reading:
Ross, A., & Leveritt, M. (2001). Long-term metabolic and skeletal muscle adaptations to short-sprint training. Sports Medicine, 31(15), 1063-1082.