The Need for Speed

A few weeks ago, I did a playlist of just sprints. Now, most people do sprints incorrectly. It is very easy to go like a bat out of hell on a spinning bike. Usually this involves little resistance and out of control cadence. On the contrary, a true sprint is very controlled, short, and has resistance. The point of sprinting, even on a flat surface, is to move your bike as far as possible as fast as possible. That means you would want your bike in a high gear so that every pedal stroke is moving that bike as far as it can go. You can spin and spin your wheels in a low gear and get no where. A true sprint is also about 10-20 seconds and no more than 30. The muscles and energy system that your body uses to go "all out" can only last that long. Anything else isn't at your max for the entire time. If done correctly, doing a true sprint workout is extremely difficult and you may find yourself needing more recovery time than usual. Studies have shown you can even have a slightly raised metabolism for 24-48 hours afterwards.
Make sure resistance is heavy, not the most you can move, but you may need a little jump at the beginning to get over the gear. Too little and you will bounce in the saddle which can be bad for your joints. Each sprint song is designed for you to go fast when the music speeds up. In between is a song of recovery, so your heart rate can fall just a bit and you can gather strength for the next sprint.

Get ready to rev up those engines....

Sprints (50 minutes)

1.When Love Takes Over- David Guetta (warm up)
2. Every Little Thing She Does is Magic- The Police (sprints)
3. Hot N Cold- Katy Perry (recovery)
4. Check Yes Juliet- We the Kings (sprints)
5. My Life Would Suck Without You- Kelly Clarkson (recovery)
6. Face Down- The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (sprints)
7. You Can't Always Get What You Want...-The Rolling Stones (climb)
8. Pump It Up- Elvis Costello (sprints)
9. When Did Your Heart Go Missing?- Rooney (recovery)
10. Ocean Avenue- Yellowcard (sprints)
11. Simply Irresistible- Robert Palmer (recovery)
12. 99 Red Balloons- Goldfinger (sprints)
13. Come On Get Higher- Matt Nathanson (cool down)

Portia