Knee Drive Tips for Sprinting

Having a good knee drive during sprinting can help increase your speed as well as prevent injuries caused by poor posture. A knee drive is propelling yourself forward using your knee. Proper knee drives aren't just important to competitive sprinters; they are also helpful to casual sprinters and those who sprint for exercise.
Identification
Sprinting is a competitive athletic run that includes all distances under 400 meters. In addition to competitive sprinting, many people sprint for weight loss or other health-related reasons such as cardiovascular strengthening and bone strengthening. Although sprinting seems easy enough, sprinting incorrectly can increase your risk of foot or leg injuries. However, simple techniques you can incorporate into your sprinting can reduce these risks.
Sprinting Technique
When sprinting competitively, a coach will look for four actions: tall, relaxed, smooth and drive. A tall action means sprinting erect on the balls of your feet. A relaxed action means sprinting with ease while all movements are fluid and relaxed. A smooth action is moving forward while sprinting, almost as if you are flowing across the ground instead of bouncing up and down. A drive is when you sprint by pushing off your rear leg and rear elbow while keeping the front knee high during the sprint. Perfecting your knee drive will propel your body forward faster during the sprint.
Knee Drive Importance
The knee drive is important to sprinters, but it is also important in other competitive sports that require running, such as football and soccer. The knee drive is often isolated as a drill to practice before taking part in the sport. A knee drive drill is used to strengthen and perfect the knee drive. According to 90 Strong, the knee drive is an excellent drill to increase speed and acceleration. Perform the knee drive drill by placing your front foot on a 4-inch jump box with your knee bent. Keep your other leg behind you and extended. Quickly switch to the other side while driving your knee up toward your chest each time your back leg comes forward. Repeat this action by alternating sides each time as quickly as you can .
Considerations
If you are unsure about how to perform a knee drill correctly, ask a fitness instructor or your coach. Performing them incorrectly could cause an ankle sprain or calf muscle injury. Start slowly when doing knee drive drills and gradually increase your speed as you become more comfortable.

Benefits of Speed Skating for Weight Loss

Speed skating is a competitive sport requiring exceptional aerobic endurance. Due to a high intensity level, speed skating burns significant calories; the harder the exercise, the more calories it requires to perform. Speed skating may help you lose weight if it tips the scale between the number of calories you eat and the number of calories you utilize throughout the day. Get clearance from your doctor before beginning an exercise or weight loss program.
Weight Loss
Aerobic exercise, like speed skating, is one of three ways to burn calories for weight loss, according to the Mayo Clinic website. Strength training and simply moving around during the day uses calories too, but regular aerobic exercise is the most efficient method for losing weight. Even short bursts of exercise lasting 10 minutes can contribute to weight loss. You must burn 3,500 calories for every pound you wish to lose. Depending on how much weight you need to lose, it could take a significant amount of time to reach your goal through exercise alone.
Calories
Speed skating burns a high number of calories, but the amount depends on factors like weight and gender. Estimations assume a metabolism speed based on your age, but individual speeds vary. Even so, knowing approximately how many calories speed skating burns allows you to figure out how frequently to exercise to achieve weight loss. Heavier people burn more calories than lighter people. A 130-pound person burns around 885 calories per hour speed skating; a 205-pound burns around 1,396 calories. Gender is also a factor. A 135-pound female burns around 807 calories per hour, but a male burns around 872 calories.
Speed Skating
Taking up speed skating encourages you to lose weight because of the significant physical demands of skating quickly, according to an article on the My Primetime website by Rita Kennen. You need to invest in a pair of skates -- which may cost several hundred dollars -- and safety gear, including a neck guard, shin guards, knee pads and a helmet. Experienced speed skaters wear lycra suits, but if you are uncomfortable wearing skintight clothing you may instead opt for a long-sleeved shirt and pants that are less revealing.
Diet
To assist with your weight loss efforts, lower your caloric intake. Your doctor or a nutritionist can best work with you to develop a new eating plan with a target calorie range. To eat fewer calories, substitute high-calorie items like doughnuts and chips with low-calorie foods, such as peanuts or popcorn, recommends the Mayo Clinic website. Eat smaller portions and skip one high-calorie food per day, like a piece of pizza or a blended coffee drink. Combining caloric restriction with speed skating creates a larger deficit of calories to speed up weight loss.

Best Weekly Exercise and Meal Plans

One way to watch your calories and stay in shape is to follow your diet and exercise routine during the week and loosen up on the weekend. Knowing that you can go out to eat on the weekend without having to worry about the effects of a calorie-laden dessert can give you the incentive to stick to your plan during the week. On the other hand, binging on the weekend can sabotage an entire week's efforts, so this plan isn't for you if your weekends turn into an eating marathon.
Determining Your Caloric Needs
Knowing your calorie limit for weight loss during the week is essential. You don't need a rigid plan of 400 calories per meal, but you do need to know your total daily calorie allowance. If you know what you eat now, subtract 500 to 1,000 calories per day to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week. If you don't know how many calories you normally need per day, use the Harris-Benedict formula to come up with a rough estimate. Figure this by using this rather complicated formula: 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years) for women and 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in year) for men. Then, multiply by 1.2 if you're sedentary, 1.375 if you're lightly active, 1.55 if you're moderately active and 1.75 if you're very active to find your total calorie count.
The Best Eating Plan
The best eating plan during the week gives you both structure and a little bit of freedom. If you need to go out to lunch one day at work, plan ahead for what you can eat. Many restaurants have online menus, so if you know where you're going, look at the menu and plan your meal before you go. That way you won't be tempted by high-calorie offerings that sound good when you're hungry. Plan your meals during the week to include a low-calorie dessert once a day, such as a small dish of low-fat ice cream, to keep you from feeling deprived of all sweets, unless sweets act as a trigger for a sugar binge.
The Best Exercise Routine
The best exercise plan during the week is the one you'll actually do. If hitting the gym before work is best for you, go then. If going with a few friends after work keeps you motivated, then go for it. If briskly walking around the block with your neighbor after dinner keeps you in touch with what's going on and also provides the exercise you need, follow that plan. Aim for at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a minimum of three times a week and strength train two to three times a week for 20 to 30 minutes. Strength training includes lifting weights, using resistance bands and weight machines and performing exercises such as pullups and situps.
Pitfalls
Although spontaneity is the spice of life, it can sabotage your diet and exercise routine. When friends suggest stopping off for drinks or dinner after work on your gym night, it's hard and not always practical to say no. Plan ahead for pitfalls. You can change your gym night or ask to put off dinner for an hour or so while you hit the gym first. You may even motivate your friends to stick to their own exercise routines before dinner. If you know you have dinner plans one night, have a light breakfast and lunch, but not so light that you're starving by dinner. Following a diet during the week shouldn't feel like a jail sentence. Keep it flexible enough to include the changes that make life fun.