Remember that old Rhyme? Well. times have changed and those two have been climbing that hill too long to fetch some aqua from that damn well. I bet they got in pretty decent shape from climbing that thing everyday but what if they decided to sprint up that hill? They'd be totally different in terms of physique wouldn't they?
Sprint Training is a timeless and true art form of burning off fat faster than any other method period. Hill Sprints are the king of beasts when it comes to fat loss and quick muscle building. Run up one for 10-12 seconds, slowly walk down to the starting point and repeat, you'll be getting a hell of a workout. There's even research that says Hill Sprints are better than running on flat ground; I wonder why? Well, for one you won't be able to run at the speed you normally do on flat ground and two, you're looking at better joint application. You're also fighting more on a hill because the incline is resisting you; this in turn gives off better chances of developing the muscles.
Acceleration is different too so even at the starting point, you're only accelerating at the speed that a hill will give you. There's no doubt that even at top speed, you won't stay there for more than a few seconds and to even maintain it takes up more force than if you were to do it on flat ground. Some of the best athletes were Hill Sprinters and their conditioning was in the elite of the elite. Did you know that when Walter Payton ran those hills during the off-season, some athletes would join him and these guys weren't too bad either but even then, they had trouble keeping up with Sweetness and would quit before he even had a chance to feel fatigued. He even once said he would run hills trying to kill himself. Now for most people, you don't need to go to extreme lengths to get the most out of Hill Sprints.
How many should you do? That depends on where you're at. If you're just starting out and you can't even sprint yet? Be like Jack & Jill; climb the hill a couple times twice a week at best and increase the number of climbs by one every few weeks or so. When you feel ready, start jogging up and see how it feels, 2-3 times a week. When you're ready to start sprinting, start with 4 at first and you don't need to go further than a 10 second burst. 2-3 times a week do 4 sprints time for a little while, than bump up to 5 and so on. You don't need to do more than 10 sprints per workout and you don't need to sprint any further than 15 seconds worth. A sprint should be your top speed otherwise you're basically jogging up the hill. Even jogging up can get you in good shape but a sprint will separate the men from the boys.
Start as Jack Jill going up to fetch a pale of water and work your way up to a mountain lion catching prey. Be prepared to see major changes in your body from Sprint Training. It'll be like looking at a totally different person.
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