I used to believe the best way to burn fat was with long, slow aerobic training, but my view began to change when I started to pay attention to other athletes. You see, I ran competitive track and field in college and I was a sprinter. In essence, I never really ran more than 200 meters at a time (the length of 2 football fields). And most of the time, I ran only 100 meters.
My fellow sprinters and I all trained the same way: short bursts of speed and zero distance running. We worked out at a very high intensity and took some rest to recover before we sprinted again. We never did distance running - just sprints with rest (called interval training). And all the 'distance' runners trained similarly: they ran mile upon mile upon mile.So here was the interesting thing... myself and all of my fellow sprinters looked really lean, muscular and athletic. We all had low body and fat had they type of physique most people aim for.
But the distance runners looked different. They had a rail thin appearance. Even their faces had a drawn look. In other words, they just didn't look healthy. Plus, they were always injured with shin splints and other ailments.
Why does this seem to be the opposite of everything we've been told?
It all has to do with the amount of calories you burn after you are done exercising. Studies show higher intensity sprint-training burn calories up to 48 hours after you are done. But aerobic training stops burning calories the moment you stop exercising.
Bottom line - if you are serious about burning fat , start sprinting!
