I have often said that sprinting (not on a treadmill) is the most effective movement for HIIT because the human body was designed for running. An intersting article in Sports Illustrated this week confirms that:
"WE ARE BECAUSE WE RUN. IN OUR GENES we are all distance runners."
WHO HAS THE SPEED GENE, AND WHO DOESN'T? HOW MUCH OF - 05.17.10 - SI Vault
For those of you in a hurry:
"But with the help of our upright stance (which exposes less of our bodies to the sun) and our profuse sweating, we can outrun just about any other animal on the planet if the race extends over hours in searing midday heat.
Sound far-fetched? Consider that humans have beaten horses in the 22-mile Man Versus Horse Marathon in Wales, and humans routinely win the 50-mile Man Against Horse Race in Prescott, Ariz. And note that in Southern Africa a small number of San Bushmen, the world's oldest community of modern humans, still hunt by separating an antelope from its pack and chasing it for hours in 105° heat, until the animal simply stops running and waits to be killed. Or note that any Tom, **** or Oprah can complete a marathon with proper training and sensible pacing.
Granted, most of us are a bit out of practice, but even you who walked the mile in high school gym class have the genetic stuff of an endurance hero. Lieberman suggests that our love of sports is partly an outgrowth of our running past. "Animals play at things that are important to them," he says, "and we play at running."
"WE ARE BECAUSE WE RUN. IN OUR GENES we are all distance runners."
WHO HAS THE SPEED GENE, AND WHO DOESN'T? HOW MUCH OF - 05.17.10 - SI Vault
For those of you in a hurry:
"But with the help of our upright stance (which exposes less of our bodies to the sun) and our profuse sweating, we can outrun just about any other animal on the planet if the race extends over hours in searing midday heat.
Sound far-fetched? Consider that humans have beaten horses in the 22-mile Man Versus Horse Marathon in Wales, and humans routinely win the 50-mile Man Against Horse Race in Prescott, Ariz. And note that in Southern Africa a small number of San Bushmen, the world's oldest community of modern humans, still hunt by separating an antelope from its pack and chasing it for hours in 105° heat, until the animal simply stops running and waits to be killed. Or note that any Tom, **** or Oprah can complete a marathon with proper training and sensible pacing.
Granted, most of us are a bit out of practice, but even you who walked the mile in high school gym class have the genetic stuff of an endurance hero. Lieberman suggests that our love of sports is partly an outgrowth of our running past. "Animals play at things that are important to them," he says, "and we play at running."