Yes, sprinting can improve your cardiovascular endurance but may not be the ideal choice, especially when starting an exercise program. Cardiovascular endurance consists of maintaining an increased heart rate for a sustained period of time, which will you will not be able to do when sprinting, because sprinting is too intense. However it will allow you to improve your intensity levels. If you want to incorporate sprinting into your cardio training for endurance, you should do so in an interval training fashion. This can be accomplished after you have developed an aerobic base, (or baseline level of fitness). At this point, you will incorporate short bouts of intense intervals of 80 - 85% of heart rate max (HRmax) and then recover at 65 - 75% (HRmax). Once you are able to recover in less and less time, you can then progress to greater intensity intervals of 86 - 90% of your maximum heart rate (for about one minute), then reduce the workload to 80 -85% HRmax and then finally recover at the lower intensity of 65 - 75% HRmax.
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Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.