Why Midlife Women Should Sprint
If you’re a woman in your 40s, 50s or beyond, you’ve probably heard plenty about walking, getting your steps and doing more Zone 2 cardio.
I LOVE walking. I do it almost every day.
But there’s another type of training I think deserves a place in a well rounded midlife routine:
SPRINTS.
And before you tell me, “Neelee, I am NOT a runner,” hear me out.
Sprints don't have to mean running.
You can sprint outside like I do, but you can also use a bike, elliptical, rower or jump rope. You could even use an explosive movement such as jump squats if that is appropriate for your body.
The method you choose isn't the most important part.
The intensity is.
We're talking about a very short burst of really hard effort followed by enough recovery that you can do it again with quality.
And when I say hard, I mean HARD.
Why Sprints Matter in Midlife
As estrogen declines through perimenopause and menopause, we can experience changes in body composition, insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular health, muscle mass and where we tend to store body fat.
That's one reason I don't want midlife women to think the answer is simply doing more and more moderate cardio.
We still want to walk.
We absolutely want to strength train.
But I also think there is value in occasionally reminding our bodies how to move FAST.
Research on high intensity and sprint interval training has found benefits that can include improved cardiovascular fitness, insulin sensitivity and metabolic health, while providing a very different training stimulus than steady state cardio.
And yes, there is some interesting research specifically in postmenopausal women.
One randomized study looked at 40 overweight postmenopausal women. After eight weeks of sprint interval training, the women in the sprint group had increased lean mass, decreased fat mass and improved aerobic fitness.
Important context: Their protocol was not the same one I use. They performed repeated 8 second cycling sprints followed by 12 seconds of light pedaling for 20 minutes, three times per week.
Other research in postmenopausal women has found that high intensity interval training can reduce abdominal and visceral fat.
That does NOT mean doing sprints magically burns belly fat or allows us to spot reduce fat from our stomachs.
I wish!
What it does tell us is that higher intensity training can be another useful tool in a complete midlife body composition strategy.
And remember, this is one tool.
Strength training, protein, nutrition, walking, sleep and recovery still matter.
Here's Exactly How I Do My Sprints
My favorite way to sprint is outside.
I find a safe, relatively flat surface with plenty of room.
And first, I warm up.
Please don't go from sitting at your desk to running as hard as you possibly can.
I walk first and get my body warm. You could also add some dynamic movement and gradually pick up your pace before starting your first true sprint.
Then I'm ready.
SPRINT
I set my timer for 21 seconds.
Why 21?
Because it takes me about a second to actually get going.
I'm aiming for approximately 20 seconds of very hard effort.
Then I stop my timer and immediately start my stopwatch.
RECOVER
I give myself two full minutes.
I slowly walk back toward my starting point while watching my stopwatch and letting my heart rate come back down.
And I actually take the recovery.
This is important.
The goal isn't to turn this into another long, breathless cardio workout.
I want enough recovery that when it's time for my next sprint, I can give another really high quality effort.
Think:
Sprint. Recover. Sprint. Recover.
Not:
Sprint. Barely recover. Drag yourself through another mediocre sprint.
More isn't necessarily better here.
I would much rather do six really good sprints with adequate recovery than keep adding sprints while my speed and effort get worse.
How Many Sprints Should You Do?
If you haven't sprinted in years, please don't start with eight.
Beginner: Start with 2
Seriously. Two.
See how your body responds and build from there.
Intermediate: 3 to 5
As your fitness improves and your body adapts, you can gradually add another round.
Advanced: 6 to 8
You do not have to reach eight.
This is one of those situations where quality matters much more to me than quantity.
Once I can't give a really strong effort, I'm done.
Let Me Warn You About Something
Sprints are hard.
They hurt.
They suck.
I literally have to give myself a pep talk sometimes just to make myself do them.
Twenty seconds sounds like absolutely nothing until you're several seconds into a true sprint.
Then twenty seconds feels VERY long.
You will probably hate me while you're doing them.
But you'll love me afterward.
And I think there is something else valuable about doing something physically hard on purpose.
When I'm finished, I feel GOOD.
Not because I burned a certain number of calories.
Not because I punished myself for something I ate.
Because I know I challenged myself.
There's something incredibly satisfying about finishing that last sprint and thinking:
I did something really hard today.
The Best Part? It Doesn't Take Long
This is another reason I love sprints.
You do not need an hour.
Let's say you do six rounds.
That's only about two minutes of actual sprinting.
Add the two minute recoveries, and the entire sprint portion is still well under 20 minutes.
And that's plenty.
You don't need to finish your sprints and then decide you should tack on another 45 minutes of cardio.
You're done.
How Often Should Midlife Women Sprint?
For most women, one or two sprint sessions per week is plenty.
This is not something you need to do every day.
Remember, this is a high intensity stimulus.
Your body needs recovery from challenging exercise in order to adapt to it.
If you're already strength training several days per week, walking regularly and living an active life, you don't need to pile endless intense exercise on top of that.
More isn't always better.
What Time of Day Should You Sprint?
I personally prefer doing my harder training earlier in the day when possible.
But I don't think every woman needs to sprint in the morning.
Cortisol naturally tends to be higher after waking, but that alone isn't enough reason to say morning is the universally best time to sprint.
Choose a time when you feel fueled, alert and physically ready to produce a good effort.
And pay attention to sleep.
If intense exercise late in the day leaves you wired at night, try moving your sprints earlier.
You Don't Have to Run
This is really important.
When I say “sprint,” I'm talking about effort, not necessarily running.
If running isn't appropriate for your joints, fitness level or body right now, choose another modality.
Try a stationary bike.
An elliptical.
A rower.
A jump rope.
You could even use short bursts of explosive bodyweight movement if appropriate for you.
You want something that allows you to safely generate a very hard effort for a short period and then recover.
And if you're new to higher intensity exercise, have cardiovascular concerns, an injury, pelvic floor symptoms or another medical condition that affects exercise, talk with your healthcare provider or a qualified professional before jumping into all out sprint training.
What I Do When I'm Finished
After my last sprint, I don't immediately jump in my car and leave.
I usually take a nice cooldown walk.
I let my breathing and heart rate gradually come down.
Then I'll stretch, move a little and go on with my day.
Simple.
I also make sure I rehydrate.
Especially if you're sprinting outside in the heat or you're someone who sweats a lot, fluids and electrolytes can be helpful after training. Here's the one I drink daily and love:
Don't Sprint to Burn Off Your Food
This may be my favorite part of this entire conversation.
I don't sprint because I ate something I need to burn off.
Exercise shouldn't be punishment for eating.
And I'm definitely not doing sprints because I think I need to burn hundreds of calories.
I sprint because it gives my body a stimulus that walking and strength training don't provide in exactly the same way.
That's the point.
The Bigger Midlife Picture
Sprints aren't magic.
Walking isn't magic.
Strength training isn't magic.
It's how the pieces work together.
I think of them as having different jobs.
Walk for daily movement, cardiovascular health and recovery.
Lift to build and preserve muscle, strength and bone.
Sprint to challenge speed, power and your cardiovascular system at the highest intensities.
Then recover enough to actually benefit from all three.
Because the answer for women in midlife usually isn't simply:
DO MORE.
It's about being intentional with what you're asking your body to do.
So yes, sprints are hard.
They hurt.
They suck.
You may curse my name somewhere around sprint number four.
But then you'll finish.
You'll take your cooldown walk.
You'll stretch.
You'll hydrate.
And you'll go on with your day knowing you just did something really freaking hard.
In less than 20 minutes.
And that feels pretty darn good.