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Sure, maybe your days of dreaming about becoming a track star are long gone.

It can be an enhancing workout really to anyone.

The one disclaimer: Sprint workouts can betough.

woman sweating in the gym

running coach and founder of Running With Life

And trying to do too much too fast during these sessions can set you up for injury.

So if youre itching to channel your innerShaCarri Richardson, heres what you oughta know before youstart sprint training.

What counts as a sprint workout?

Woman walking on a treadmill at the gym.

Technically, they say the [longest] you could sprint is about 30 seconds, she says.

Step 2: Drills

Do some drills that can help you zero in on proper running form.

Step 3: Get specific

Spend a little time on your personal problem spots.

Full body female athlete in sportswear using rowing machine during fitness workout in gym.

For instance, if your calves often bother you, do somecalf raises.

Or if your IT band is tight, dynamically stretch it in a squattingfigure-four stretch.

With that in mind, here are four sprint workouts Dworecki recommends for different types of runners.

Happy woman dancing and listening to music near a green empty wall outdoor in the city.

running coach and founder of Running With Life

In particular, Dworecki recommends sprinting for 15 seconds, then resting for 60 seconds.

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Hill sprints

Sprints dont have to be done on a track.

To mix things up, take your sprint workouts to a steep incline.

A young black woman doing post-run stretches in the park on the road amidst green grass and trees.

Hill sprints tend to have more muscular recruitment, Dworecki says.

It can help your strength and be really good for injury prevention.

How often you should sprint depends on who you are as an athlete.

For your brain, and your muscles, too, Dworecki says.

Put simply, working on your top speeds can have a trickle-down effect that improves all your other runs.

Your cadence might get quicker

Running as fast as we can naturally encourages us to run better.

Your running form tends to improve when youre moving fast, Dworecki says.

Its like strength training in disguise

Those intense, all-out bursts ofsprinting build muscle.

Although youll still want to dodedicated strength training, too, sprinting can help increase those muscles explosive power.

Whats more, sprinting in particular can also helpcounteract bone aging6.

But its also super fun.

Going all out can make you feel like a kid on the playground again.

The adrenaline really kicks in, Dworecki says.

It gives you a mood boost.

Obviously, you want to sprint somewhere that will keep you away from traffic.

But your running surface can matter, too.

Some run coaches recommend sprinting on grass for the same reason.

Have about a 90-degree bend at the elbow, [keeping] your hands close to your body.

And dont overstride, she says.

Your blood can pool your legs and you might start to get really dizzy, Dworecki says.

Musgjerd, Taylor et al.

Effect of Increasing Running Cadence on Peak Impact Force in an Outdoor Environment.International journal of sports physical therapyvol.

1 Aug. 2021, doi:10.26603/001c.25166

Adams, O Peter.

The impact of brief high-intensity exercise on blood glucose levels.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapyvol.

6 (2013): 113-22. doi:10.2147/DMSO.S29222

Ciolac, Emmanuel Gomes.

High-intensity interval training and hypertension: maximizing the benefits of exercise?.American journal of cardiovascular diseasevol.

2,2 (2012): 102-10.

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