What Are The Risk Factors In Doing Hill Sprints?

Like in all aspects of fitness, there's going to be risk factors that take form. There are pros and cons to every method of exercise but we don't always take in the risks that we take to make them work. There are many methods that could easily cause an injury but others have limited factors of risks of injury. How can you tell and how can you research it? 

There are fitness maniacs out there that say the best methods are the ones with the biggest risks that grant big rewards but how true is that really? Now when it comes to bodybuilding; there are several risk factors (not including steroid use) and how much weight works for the amount of muscle you want to develop. Compared to yesteryear, today's bodybuilding has a lot more risks of injury than those who performed feats and Muscle Control in the early 20th century. There's always a chance of getting injured but if you compare the injuries of a Ronnie Coleman to a George Hackenshmidt it is virtually night and day. There is a factor that because of an injury, Hack made transitions but yet lived to be 90 and was still in pretty good shape but Coleman got so banged up from extreme heavy weights and bodybuilding that it took a toll on him and as of 2020, most likely will never know how to walk again. 

So this brings up a certain question from another perspective....What are the risk factors in doing hard Sprint Training (more notably Hill Sprints)? Sprinting for the most part is a great practice but it takes a bit of a build up. Whether on a track or on a Hill, sprints will kick your ass whether you like it or not. If you do the research, as hard as land sprints are, hills are actually safer because the stride is shorter for one, the amount of speed is cut down compared to on flat ground and it forces resistance like in weight training. The risk factors are very limited when it comes to Hill Sprints but don't make the mistake of thinking you can just go nuts the first time around or haven't done them in years. That's what would get many people in trouble. Sprints don't care how tough you are, they will try to beat you down and one slip up and its all over. 

If you perform them safely and with progression, they can turn you into a fat burning machine and can generate up to 500% HGH or more and eliminate unwanted fat like butter on a frying pan. Another great thing about them is that you don't need to do that many for very long. No more than 10 for 10-15 seconds. If you find anything on Hill Sprints and tells you to progress up to 20 per workout 4-5 times a week, that's literally setting your ass up for injury and way too short of recovery between workouts. A sprint can only be pushed to a maximum speed for a very short period of time. If you try to Sprint at 100% for 30 seconds or more, it's not going to happen. Even Usain Bolt or Walter Payton wouldn't be able to do it. 

Be vigilant in how you research this kind of training and observe the do's and don'ts very carefully. Plus the more elevated the hill, the harder it'll be and you'll be working your ass off using more of the ball of your foot and your knees will be slightly higher in order to make the stride work. Here's what to look for....

Injury Prevention

Sensible amount of Sprints

Recovery Time

The amount of time on a Sprint

Hill Grades

And the differences of leaning forward compared to leaning back or keeping the back straight. 

These will help you understand the risk factors more than what I've given you here. Train hard but be smart as well and recover with a vengeance between sessions. It'll determine the less or more likely of injury.