Franz Snideman: Sprinting For A Better Life

On this week’s podcast, Franz Snideman, Senior Strong First Instructor, Primal Move National Instructor, former Collegiate Sprinter and International Lecturer shares the fundamental importance of educating and coaching clients in safe, healthy and holistic athleticism. Today, Franz talks about how we can add sprinting to our fitness routines and what benefits it includes for both body and mind. Franz is a student of nutrition, Neuro-Muscular Therapy, Primal Move Kids and Corrective High Performance Exercise Kinesiology. As the co-owner of Revolution Fitness, in La Jolla, CA and the author of several books including Revolution Kettlebell Fat Loss Program, he draws on his passion for healthy living, athleticism, knowledge and appreciation of human development, anatomy and personal experience, to have co-developed what he calls the Primal Speed System. It can be a strange, new journey to add something to our lives that we are unfamiliar with such as sprinting, but Franz has some great tips for both beginners and born again athletes who are eager to get back into shape. With each new effort, we can change our own behavior and improve ourselves every day. Why Should You Include Sprinting In Your Workouts? Sprinting has many benefits, not just for the body, but for the mind as well.  How many hours did you spend sitting down at your desk today? Most likely you were sitting there for quite some time before you got up and walked around the room. During that time, maybe you got a drink of water, went to a meeting, or stepped outside for some lunch. When you look back on your day, do you think you have had enough physical movement? If you spend many hours each day sitting at a desk, you will not get the fitness that your body and mind are craving. Maybe you don't have enough time for a long run, swimming, or an hour long fitness class. Fortunately, the beauty about adding sprinting to your workout is that it's just as viable as any other cardiovascular activities AND it doesn't take too much time.  The Steady Progression to Becoming a Sprinter So how can you become a sprinter? Sprinting is vital for fitness, but it needs a progression so that your body can adapt to it.  Franz's advice is to do several steps to gear yourself up before adding sprinting to your workout. If you try going to the track without proper preparation and understanding of sprinting mechanics, then you might face a future injury. To learn how to sprint, you need to go back to the basics of crawling. Crawling is the first mode of locomotion you do before you can even stand and walk. Sprinting is a standing crawl and the final progression of locomotion. Once you get the hang of crawling, here are Franz's next 3  steps to prepare yourself for a sprint workout: 1. March while standing in place To connect the brain with the body and get into a rhythm of movement, begin marching while standing in place. By learning the sprinting c