Sprinting/HIIT for a Longtime Jogger

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robingmurphy
robingmurphy Posts: 349 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been a lazy, slow jogger logging 15ish miles a week for many, many years. I love it. However, I'd like to include some sprinting or faster pace periods (is that HIIT?) in my jogs to boost fat burn. I know there are a million resources out there about HIIT. Do you have any advice, or is there a reliable site that has useful info about how to turbo-charge my jogs?

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  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    edited January 2016
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    robingmurphy wrote: »
    to boost fat burn.

    Just run for longer, you'll get more effect.

    Or do hills
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Any reputable, reasonable, running training program will have you do "speed work" once or twice a week. This usually consists of running a slower mile for warm up, then running something like 400-meters or 800-meters fast and catching your breath, a few times over, for a few miles, and then finishing with a mile-long cool-down.
    I'd just google: Running, training, speed work. You should find something. Or go to the Runner's World website and search: speed work.
    Those searches should lead you somewhere.
    Good luck!
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Sprinting or jogging hills is absolutely excellent too. I love running hills.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Do it for training, not for "fat burn" (that way, you're more likely to accomplish both). And you don't have to do sprints at first--longer intervals or tempo training will work just fine.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
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    I found hiit workout did wonders for improving my pace. I googled 30 min hiit treadmill workouts and got a plethora of ideas.

    I think the key is really trying to hit your max speed for a short interval then walking to recover. When I first started my max speed was 7.5mph on the treadmill, now it's 8/8.5.

    Also everything I read says to really warm up before starting any intervals.
  • kuroshii
    kuroshii Posts: 168 Member
    edited January 2016
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    You could also try the "Zombies, run!" app on your smartphone, if you have a smartphone that you carry with you on your runs. It turns a normal jog into a game that's also HIIT (sort of) as you have bursts of sprinting to outrun the undead.
  • smilezishere
    smilezishere Posts: 106 Member
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    For increasing pace, what works for me is getting comfortable running a 5 mile distance at a quicker pace then I'm used to. I usually start the training at a 9 1/2 min/mile pace until I can run up to 5 miles comfortably. Once I'm at that level I push myself and start running at 8:45 min/mile. I most likely can only run about 3 miles total at that pace initially but within 2 more runs at that pace I can hit the 5 mile marker. Then the proceeding runs I'll increase the pace to 8:15 min/mile and so on. Once I'm comfortable running at a 7 1/2 min pace for 5 miles is when I start increasing my distance. So by then my benchmark training is at a 7 1/2 min/mile pace.

    To mix things up though I throw in the sprint drills (HIITs). I'll do a light jog for 1/2 mile following by a 1/8 mile sprint and repeat until I feel completely drained. Also, hill sprints and/or stair sprints also help for getting that pace faster. It's all about increasing that VO2 max =)

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