Why and How You Should Do
Hill Sprints
I just added hill sprints back into my training
regimen. I’ve done these many times over the years and I can say
without a doubt they are one of my favorite exercises. They’ll also
give you some outstanding benefits.
Hill sprints build muscle, shed fat, make you faster, and they’re even
safer than flat land sprints. Because of their intensity they’re one of
the best exercises for releasing human growth hormone in your system.
Let me start by saying how to do hill sprints. First, if you haven’t
done any sort of running recently you don’t want to jump in and start
sprinting all out. If you are in shape, do at least one session jogging
or running the hills, but not going all out.
For those, not in great shape already, jogging may be all you can
muster. Even for sedentary folks just walking the hill may be optimal.
Keep some mind to easing into this intense exercise. For one, you’ll be
less sore the next day, but also you will dramatically lessen the
chances of injury.
Also you should warmup before sprinting. No you don't have to do any
static stretching. I find the short jog to the hill to be plenty.
What sort of hill should you use? Virtually any level of incline will
work. Obviously, the steeper the hill the harder the exercise will be.
If you have no nearby hills, steps can be a valid substitute.
What is important is length. I find the optimal length is whatever you
can sprint in about 30 seconds. Go longer and you won’t be sprinting
all out. Shorter and you don’t have enough time to even run out of
breath. If you have a large hill just run a portion of it.
In all your training you must keep it progressive. This way you know
you are doing better. For this reason you should run the same length
every time. Have a starting and a finish line. And time yourself for
each one. Race yourself trying to beat your best time each and every
time. It is satisfying to see over the course of a couple weeks how
what took you 30 seconds before now only takes you 27.
Hill sprints are one of the best conditioning exercises. For every
single step you want to force yourself to go faster. This gets you out
of breath quick . With many other conditioning exercises (like
bodyweight squats or kettlebell swings) there is time in the move to
relax. Even going at a fast pace its really not all out like hill
sprints can be at every moment.
In addition hill sprints build mental toughness. With each step your
CAN go a little faster. When your lungs are burning and your legs are
about to collapse you can keep going and you can go faster. But its
hard. You must force yourself to do it…and that takes toughness. The
fact is you can always push yourself a little bit harder. Just a tiny
bit faster. This is why hill sprints are in my opinion one of the best
ways to build this trait.
After you finish the sprint walk down to the bottom and start again. I
find the six to eight sprints is enough for the workout. You know you
are in condition when your last sprint is not more than a second or two
in time off of the first. But when you’re starting out don’t be
surprised to find yourself taking five to eight seconds longer on that
last sprint.
Doing hill sprints two or three times a week will make you tougher,
better conditioned, stronger, and faster. Well worth the effort.
<--
Back to Articles
|
