People are always looking for different training methods and programs to get that perfect body. People often question if they should do weight training or cardio workouts.
If you watch the TV or look at workout magazines there is always somebody with the look you wish you could achieve and sprint athletes are no exception. Have you ever wondered how they get that muscular and ripped body from running?
If you want that athletic look and to burn fat, build muscle and get in shape then forget the running machine and hit the hills.
Hill sprints are fun, effective and a perfect method for improving speed, power and changing body composition (body fat percentage). They get you outside and are a great accompaniment to gym based weight training. NFL players have used hill sprints for years as total body conditioning and they are among some of the most fit athletes.
Now you may be thinking this is going to be tough and painful but nobody said the perfect body would be easy to achieve. Not only will sprinting improve your fitness, strength, power and speed, it will also improve your mental toughness, allowing you to train harder for longer, pushing through the burn.
As a sports injury therapist I often get asked if sprinting is a safe method of training, particularly with the risk of muscle strains and pulls. With any high intensity training there is always a risk of injury, however if they are completed properly with good technique this is significantly reduced. As a trainer I would advise any client to build this training method slowly and safely into their workouts and always follow a good warm up period before taking part.
Here are my top tips to hill sprints:
1. Safety
- The incline surface involved in hill sprinting means maximum limb speed can not be achieved and therefore reduces force on the hamstrings as opposed to flat sprinting.
- Prepare your body with a full warm up routine. 10-15 minutes of dynamic stretches and calisthenics should be completed to increase circulation, raise core temperature and stress the muscles dynamic receptors.
2. Technique
- Correct technique and good form is key to avoiding injury and increasing the benefits
- Keep your chin up and eyes forward
- Keep the chest out, leaning slightly forward with the shoulders back when sprinting
- Keep the arms bent at a 90-degree angle, moving up and down rather than across the body
- Lift the knees high and fast with little to no hip movement
- Push hard and explosively through the balls of the feet without any heel contact with the floor
3. Cool Down
- Finish by walking on a flat surface until your breathing rate returns to normal
- Perform static stretching to all major muscle groups with a 20-30 seconds hold on each
- If the muscles continue to be tight then post event sports massage should be included in your routine
4. Duration, intensity and frequency
- Begin by completing a set of 5 sprints, jogging back down after each sprint
- Aim for around 75% of maximal effort for your first time
- Look at completing 2 sessions of sprints per week
- Perform sprints after weight training in order to avoid compromising your strength
- Increase each set by 1-2 sprints per session till you are able to perform 20 consistent reps
So if you want to lose body fat, increase performance and improve your overall fitness then you should think about hill sprints. Not only are they an amazing functional workout but they are also guaranteed to get results.
This training is not for the faint hearted so prepare to push your mind & body to its limits, train hard or go home and you will have the body you want.
