Sprinting and its effects on the CNS

Does anyone have any articles or knowledge on exactly how taxing doing sprints are on your CNS?

I already push myself pretty hard with the weights, and I am really starting to focus on sprinting, plyometrics designed to help with sprinting and am wondering how much and when I should be doing and laying things out in regards to resistance training.

All I have ever read is how sprinting taxes your CNS pretty good, but just how much? is it comparable to weight training?

Should I be doing sprints/strenuous cardio/plyometrics on non lifting days instead of say lifting heavy and immediately after sprinting up steps/inlcine's like im overloading the CNS all at once. Would spreading it out be more beneficial to me training wise?

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

http://stronglifts.com/...hiit-and-cns-t11431.html

That's a pretty good discussion on it.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

Im only seeing 2 posts, and unfortunately not really saying anything I dont already know about it.

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

I am not sure exactly the answer you are looking for. Sprinting is very taxing on the CNS and PNS due to the tremendous amount of signaling by the nervous system to optimize muscle contraction and do so as quickly as possible. Any time you put the body under that much stress it needs some time to recover because a huge part of recovery happens in the nervous system, and a huge amount of energy is spent repairing it.

As long as you are allowing your body enough time for recovery and are sleeping and eating appropriately for the caliber of training you are doing, the time when you train only depends on when it works best for you and when you can get the best results.

I would start off doing full body 3 times a week with 3 days sprinting on your off days from lifting and 1 day of rest somewhere in the cycle. I would also try and plan your workouts so you have as close to 24 hours between each weight day and sprint day. After a week or two I would adjust the amount of training and days according to your ability to perform at the level you desire. Again, sleep and proper nutrition will be your best friend to ensure enough recovery between workouts (obvious but easy to forget sometimes).

yeah I was looking more for exactly how much/often one can go training with sprints along with resistance training. Or even a study involving exactly how taxing or comparing it to resistance training.

Typically what I have been doing is weight training + incline/step sprinting on the same day. I feel as if I am pushing into over reaching much sooner then I expected and was just leading to I was just doing to much in one day for the CNS to really recover to the point of what I wanted.

So the sprinting in your opinion HIIT, all out sprints flat or incline should be done on non lifting days to allow for maximal gains/less CNS fatigue?

I have gotten quite used to running after my workouts, so with CNS in mind would it be better for me if I choose to keep doing some form of cardio, to keep it basically less intense?

I suppose it would be wise for me to start doing that considering my goals. Some people say sprinting is very taxing, some act like its not that bad. I guess im just learning and trying to figure out how to implement it into my training optimally to get the most out of my training without hindering progress.

Thanks RJ

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

Nm0ney34


yeah I was looking more for exactly how much/often one can go training with sprints along with resistance training. Or even a study involving exactly how taxing or comparing it to resistance training.

Typically what I have been doing is weight training + incline/step sprinting on the same day. I feel as if I am pushing into over reaching much sooner then I expected and was just leading to I was just doing to much in one day for the CNS to really recover to the point of what I wanted.

So the sprinting in your opinion HIIT, all out sprints flat or incline should be done on non lifting days to allow for maximal gains/less CNS fatigue?

I have gotten quite used to running after my workouts, so with CNS in mind would it be better for me if I choose to keep doing some form of cardio, to keep it basically less intense?

I suppose it would be wise for me to start doing that considering my goals. Some people say sprinting is very taxing, some act like its not that bad. I guess im just learning and trying to figure out how to implement it into my training optimally to get the most out of my training without hindering progress.

Thanks RJ

That is exactly what I was trying to get across in my previous post. I actually found this article the other day from BB.com that may help you integrate your weight training with sprinting. It's a pretty hardcore workout schedule so you could modify it to fit into your schedule since I know you are in school now.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/tomgreen.htm

I found another article by him while searching google the other day, this one is great too.

His entire program is brutal, you can tell its much more focused on plyo's and sprinting then doing things in the weight room, but he does get all the important olympic lifts in.

Im in the process of altering what im doing now cardio wise, and once I get done with this madcows, I will be doing trying to put together something of my own. and try to get into a twice a day kind of thing.

Thats again for the link, it was most helpful. Im really going to put his plyo/warm up exercises and techniques to use!

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

cool man. Glad I could help and I learned some stuff as well.