19/02/2018
What are the Benefits of Running Explosive Hill Sprints?
There are three main benefits that come from doing the hills sprints. First, there is the strength building and injury prevention aspect, second there is the neuromuscular development, and lastly there are the cardiovascular adaptations.
Strength - The most obvious training aspect of the three is the strength development.
Hill running is the most specific form of strength training that a runner can do. We can do squats, lunges, and hamstring curls until our muscles sear but nothing compares exactly to running.
When you run up a hill there is an increased resistance and thereby an increase in specific running strength. The explosive reaction caused by the lifting of the hips, glutes and quads up the hill utilizes the same principle mechanics behind doing plyometrics.
However, what a lot of runners don’t realize is that these hill sprints can help ward off injury as well.
Running no more than 10 seconds ensures that there is no lactate build-up in the muscles and little fatigue, a culprit behind many overuse injuries.
It get’s better:
The hill shortens the distance your foot has to fall or land before it hits the ground, thereby decreasing the amount of shock on the body.
Additionally, if the sprints are progressed in a safe and appropriate training program the strength benefit of the hills helps strengthen the muscles, ligaments and tendons that so often become injured.
Neuromuscular development -
A boost of “fitness” to the neuromuscular system allows your body to increase the speed at which it sends signals to the muscles and, more importantly, allows your body to activate a greater percentage of muscle fibers and fire them more efficiently.
Cardiovascular Adaptations -
The final training adaptation these short hill sprints evoke is the increase in the maximal stroke volume of heart.
