We all know that in order to gain mass, we need to be eating a calorific surplus. Usually, we achieve the stimulus to create that growth by doing weights. However, if I were to use a program heavily utilising sprint sessions, with weights sessions 2-3 times a week, would it also be possible to gain quality mass this way (provided I’m eating enough)? Will sprinting provide the right kind of stimulus for muscle growth?
[quote]Lucky Number 13 wrote:
We all know that in order to gain mass, we need to be eating a calorific surplus. Usually, we achieve the stimulus to create that growth by doing weights. However, if I were to use a program heavily utilising sprint sessions, with weights sessions 2-3 times a week, would it also be possible to gain quality mass this way (provided I’m eating enough)? Will sprinting provide the right kind of stimulus for muscle growth?[/quote]
No.
I don’t think that sprinting by itself would build tens of pounds of muscle, but a combined approach would be adequate.
Hams, glutes and their tie-in would directly benefit but I wouldnt expect significant hypertrophy on top of newb gains
It’s just that you hear about sprinting releasing a lot of GH, and I’d imagine that in-line with 2-3 sessions of weights a week it couldn’t be a bad thing!
Yeah, I believe that’s true when you start running distances where you reach your lactate threshold ~400m
WHen you said sprinting, I was thinking of shorter distances.
If you’re relatively new to training, I don’t see how doing sprints + weights wouldn’t net at least some extra muscle mass. If you’re a veteran to the iron game, though, I doubt sprinting will add any appreciable amount of muscle compared to hardcore weight training.
Zeb is right.
From years of observation the club sprinters who train at my local track three times a week show no obvious changes in physique and if they are just average sprinters they often do not have particularly impressive bodies.
The idea that transient increases in GH caused by sprinting will lead to increases in muscle mass is fanciful.
A lot of the wilder assertions about the physique benefits of sprinting come simply from the association
with the sport of elite level sprinters with muscular bodies. It is not causative.
Sprinters squat.
So should you.
If you are sprinting for several years (on the track 3-4 days a week for 5-10 years) then you MAY have minutely hypertrophied hamstrings, thats about it. Just look at Christophe Lemaitre, the fastest white dude of all time and his physique is pathetic.
Sprinting will keep you nice and lean though, but it wont build much muscle mass.
progressive overload -->> hypertrophy…Think about sprinting. Once your body adapts, where is the progressive overload? Are you going to start adding a weight vest?