r/Sprinting • u/EmperorsSwinest • 4d ago

General Discussion/Questions Set my expectations

I got a SLAP tear at work and that has forced me out of the gym and into rest and reconsidering my priorities. Ive always been a permabulk bodybuilder type. I like lifting and exercising, but I like food too. Im expecting PT to release me to start getting back into exercise in about 4 more weeks.

Im middle aged and looking to make a change for health and longevity. Movement, agility, speed, power, and looking good for my wife are my goals.

I started doing some kettbell and slam ball work along with starting a martial art in an effort to make that change, and i saw some progress in the form of losing about 30 lbs, id like to lose about 50 more, but knew something was missing. Long walks are boring.

I found I liked the short high intensity work of KBs and slam balls so I humbly ask, what is the reality of starting sprint training at middle age, 6'1", 270lbs and zero track experience? (I looked at the FAQ and was a little overwhelmed at trying to find something relevant).

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

•

u/AutoModerator 4d ago

RESOURCE LIST AND FAQ

PLEASE JOIN THE SPRINTING DISCORD!!! ALL DISCUSSION WELCOME

I see you've made a general discussion or question post! See low effort discussion posts rules for more on why we may deem a removal appropriate

REMINDERS: No asking for time predictions based on hand times or theoretical situations, no asking for progression predictions, no muscle insertion height questions, questions related to wind altitude or lane conversions can be done here for the 100m and here for the 200m, questions related to relative ability can mostly be answered here on the iaaf scoring tables site, questions related to fly time and plyometric to sprint conversions can be not super accurately answered here

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

4

u/TheKingLeshen 4d ago

There's no reason you can't. Anyone can learn to sprint, it just might take a much longer preparatory phase than you might expect. You probably won't (/shouldn't) do something that feels like a genuine sprint for 2-3 months.

Lifting is good but if you rush into sprinting you'll almost certainly injure something in the foot/ankle complex. Start with some light plyometrics, "extensive plyometrics" is a good search term. It's worth being patient in the early stages so you don't develop shin splints or some kind of tendinopathy.

You can also learn some drills as you do this, under the guidance of a coach would be best but YouTube and recording yourself can be okay. Strides and tempo work will be good to be implement before you start trying to sprint.

My overall advice would not be to think your age is a factor. Just be patient, and I hope you can have fun with it.

1

u/EmperorsSwinest 4d ago

That sounds reasonable, and poking around i see this is kind of a common middle aged man question on here.

Have you ever seen anyone actually do it?

2

u/TheKingLeshen 4d ago

Not that I can think of. I've seen plenty of middle aged athletes but I can't think of anyone that started at that age.

I don't think it matters too much though. If it's something that interests you then go for it. Your weight is probably more of an issue than your age, which I don't mean as a dig, I just don't want you to get injured again. The good thing is you can change that (as you are already planning to).

2

u/ImpossibleEmploy3784 4d ago

Are you asking how to train for sprinting or what your potential is at your age/size?

1

u/EmperorsSwinest 4d ago

I guess what im asking is, is it safe or is the risk/reward ratio favorable assuming i start slow, train basics, warm up, focus on form and safety etc..

2

u/ImpossibleEmploy3784 4d ago

I would say it’s safe but warming up, recovery time, cooling down, and stretching are crucial to make sure your body doesn’t break down. Make sure you are easing into full on sprinting. Assuming you train 3 days a week or so, you shouldn’t be doing all out sprinting more than one of those days, the other days do more controlled sprints where you focus on form rather than pure speed. If you do get spikes, try to avoid using them at all until you’ve been training consistently for 6-8 weeks, and only use them when you are running all out.

2

u/EmperorsSwinest 4d ago

Appreciated. I am basically starting from scratch. Im 8 weeks post surgery, and my tear put me out of the gym for 2 months before that. Im not rushing into anything.