By Mike King August 25, 2026
As we age, we tend to be more tentative about our participation in high intensity training. The fear of injury is real as the road to recovery is often long and has negative implications for the demands of our everyday life. In contrast however, “research shows that a loss of power and agility has a significant effect on our ability to manage simple activities such as climbing stairs, recovering from a loss of balance, preventing falls or other daily movements that we sometimes take for granted” (Henwood, T.R. 2008). High intensity training is safe when it is appropriately structured and supervised. Sprinting can be an excellent training modality for adults over 40 because it targets many of the physical qualities that decline with age like muscle atrophy, bone density, muscle power, neuromuscular function cardiovascular fitness and agility.
Sprint training is also an excellent way to improve aerobic capacity, and it requires less training time than traditional moderate-intensity endurance exercise. A workout that incorporates technical sprinting instruction with, plyometrics, agility work, and power training has significant benefits for mature athletes competing in any wide range of sports from, hockey, basketball, volleyball, soccer, pickleball to CrossFit and martial arts. All of these activities require sprinting, jumping, reactive agility, power and change of direction. An experienced performance coach can help you develop the required skills and athleticism for your sport.
Sprint Training is an excellent way to halt age related physical decline. The key to training safely is to start with a gradual progression of technical drills, agility work, acceleration and hills sprints before advancing to high velocity sprinting. Keeping an open mind by challenging how to approach fitness can be so hard when there is such an overwhelming volume of information available at our fingertips via social and online media, but it is always worthwhile to do the research and check with your physician before starting any fitness training program.
Stay tuned for details on our upcoming Fall Sprinting Fitness for Adults Program.
Sources:
Henwood TR, Riek S, Taaffe DR. Strength versus muscle power-specific resistance training in community-dwelling older adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2008 Jan;63(1):83-91. doi: 10.1093/gerona/63.1.83. PMID: 18245765.
Inertial Load Sprint Training Improves Neuromuscular Power In Older Adults. Jakob R Allen , Remzi Satiroglu , Emre Vardarli , Anthony Laico , Anthony Wolfe , Edward Coyle. Innovation in Aging, Volume 3, Issue Supplement_1, November 2019, Page S171,
Simonsson E, Levik Sandström S, Hedlund M, Holmberg H, Johansson B, Lindelöf N, Boraxbekk CJ, Rosendahl E. Effects of Controlled Supramaximal High-Intensity Interval Training on Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Global Cognitive Function in Older Adults: The Umeå HIT Study-A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2023 Aug 27;78(9):1581-1590. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glad070. PMID: 36972981; PMCID: PMC10460559.
