Sprint Workouts: The Best One for Beginners
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A 20-Minute Sprint Workout for Beginners

A 20-Minute Sprint Workout for Beginners
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Updated on August 7, 2025
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Sprinting — in which you alternate short bursts of fast running with longer periods at a slower pace — makes for a great and efficient workout, but it can also be intimidating for beginners.

Sometimes all it takes is a little education and a game plan to boost your confidence.

Why Should You Sprint?

Sprinting drills help improve your running performance, improve your oxygen consumption, and build endurance, according to a review published in 2023.

When you sprint, you’re pushing yourself ‌hard —‌ typically 80 percent or more of your max effort — for a short amount of time. This, at its core, the definition of high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

But there’s more to it than that. HIIT has proven to be a very efficient way of burning more calories in about half the time of steady-state workouts. That’s thanks, in part, to excess post-exercise oxygen consumption.

Think of your body as being like the engine of a race car. After you complete a race and turn off your vehicle, it takes the engine a while to cool down. It’s the same after a HIIT workout. When you complete a sprint workout, it takes a while for your metabolism to cool down. So, after a HIIT session, your body is still burning calories at a more efficient rate.

Sprinting Basics

Even though intensity is the name of the game when it comes to sprinting, never ‌start‌ at 80 to 100 percent of your maximum effort. In other words, never skip the warm-up, because going from zero to 80 quickly on a cold body can lead to an injury.

Running at 80 percent of maximal effort refers to sustaining an intensity that is challenging — but not all out. This is above moderate, yet maintainable for several minutes. Breathing is more challenging and speaking more than a couple of words in a row is difficult, but short phrases might be possible.

In general, you can think of a beginner’s sprint workout in three phases.

‌Phase 1: Warm Up

In order to prepare your heart, muscles, and joints for sprinting, it’s important to warm up the body gradually first. Try jogging or brisk walking for a few minutes, or do some basic warm-up drills like jumping jacks and walking lunges.

‌Phase 2: Vary Your Sprint Ratios‌

When you’re first starting, try varying your work-to-rest ratio from between 1:3 to 1:5, using 30-second sprints. In other words, sprint at about 80 percent of your max effort for 30 seconds, then walk anywhere from 90 to 150 seconds. Then repeat, aiming for at least 10 minutes of this pattern.

‌Phase 3: Cool Down‌

After your last sprint, be sure to walk for several minutes, until your heart rate returns to normal. Take time to stretch your calves, hamstrings, quads, and glutes, all of which put forth a lot of effort to complete sprint workouts.

Try This 20-Minute Beginner Sprinting Workout

  • Five-minute warm-up of brisk walking or easy jogging
  • 30-second sprint at 80 percent (or more) of your max effort
  • 90-second recovery walk
  • Repeat this two-minute circuit five times
  • Five-minute cooldown of walking and static stretching

The Takeaway

  • Sprint workouts, in which you alternate short bursts of fast running with longer periods of running at a slower speed, are an effective way to boost your running performance, increase calorie burn, and improve oxygen consumption.
  • A good way to introduce sprinting into your routine is to start with a ratio of 1:3 or 1:5, sprinting for 30 seconds, then resting for at least 90 seconds.
  • Always make sure to warm up before a sprinting workout and cool down afterward to avoid injury.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Thurlow F et al. The Effects of Repeated-Sprint Training on Physical Fitness and Physiological Adaptation in Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine. December 2, 2023.
  2. Atakan MM et al. Evidence-Based Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training on Exercise Capacity and Health: A Review With Historical Perspective. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. July 5, 2021.
  3. Caffrey C. Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). EBSCO. 2020.
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Reyna Franco, RDN

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has a master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Columbia University.

In her private practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy for weight management, sports nutrition, diabetes, cardiac disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, food allergies, eating disorders, and childhood nutrition. To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices. She applies the tenets of lifestyle medicine to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health outcomes for her patients.

Franco is also a corporate wellness consultant who conducts wellness counseling and seminars for organizations of every size. She taught sports nutrition to medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, taught life cycle nutrition and nutrition counseling to undergraduate students at LaGuardia Community College, and precepts nutrition students and interns. She created the sports nutrition rotation for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship program.

She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Member Interest Group. She is also the treasurer and secretary of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, having previously served in many other leadership roles for the organization, including as past president, awards committee chair, and grant committee chair, among others. She is active in the local Greater New York Dietetic Association and Long Island Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, too.

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Susanna Kalnes Kirkpatrick is a freelancer writer, media consultant, fitness trainer, and health nut with a curious mind. As a master trainer, Kalnes has certified thousands of people to teach fitness over the years.

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