Rothstein Featured in Speed Workout Story

Alexander Rothstein, M.S., coordinator and instructor for the Exercise Science program, is one of several experts quoted in a Runner’s World article about interval training with speed workouts. Rothstein, an American College of Sports Medicine exercise physiologist, advises how runners can avoid potential injuries from the explosive movements used in sprinting. He notes that sprints involve moving leg muscles at a much more rapid pace, particularly the hamstrings and calves, which play a pivotal role in accelerating and decelerating. Thus, these muscles are exposed to high levels of force and strain, which makes warming up and cooling down a necessary component of speed interval workouts.

“Warming up might be the most overlooked component of a workout but it is consistently talked about as one of the most important,” says Rothstein, who notes that benefits to warming up include an increase in tissue temperature that improves its function and ability to tolerate stress. “A dynamic warmup uses low-intensity, repetitive, non-fatiguing movements that gradually increase in intensity to prepare the body for the stress of the future physical activity.” In addition, he advises against static stretching before a speed workout, advising that runners should instead do this after exercising as part of a cooldown.

The article also appeared in Yahoo.