The Power of Hillsprints
Once of the fastest ways to lose body fat and keep muscle is by training with hill-sprints. Doing hill sprints not only burns the maximum amount calories, it also saves a lot of time when compared to traditional methods of cardio.
Remember, efficient training is all about getting the most bang for your buck and hill sprints offer just that. Besides, take a look at the body of a marathon runner and an Olympic sprinter. Which one would you rather look like? Thought so.
By training using efficient workouts like kettlebell exercise and hill-sprints, you can save time and avoid injury. Strength coach Charles Staley stated:
Due to the inclined surface, maximum limb speed cannot be attained and thus serves as a safety barrier for your precious hamstrings! However, in the process, your posterior-chain muscles (low-back, glutes, hamstrings and calves) get an incredible strengthening effect! In other words you don’t have to worry as much about pulling muscles or hyperextending anything as you would with flat-surface sprinting and you get a tight back side. That’s win, win.
The benefits of doing hill-sprints go beyond the short amount of time you’ll be doing them. In addition to working out much faster than a normal cardio session, your body will also benefit from metabolism-exploding effects all day.
In order to train safely, you need to make sure that you warm-up enough for your body to handle the additional strain that the workout will cause. In addition, make sure that you cool down for a while afterwards to get your heart-rate back down after the high-intensity workout. To get started, try this hill-sprint program:
Five minute warmup with dynamic movements (squats, lunges, pushups, side lunges, etc)
25 yard hill-jog up 2x
Sprint up 25 yards, walk down, 3x
35-yard sprint up and walk down, 3x
45-yard sprint up and walk down, 3x
Sprint up 50 yards, walk down, 2x
Walk around and stretch to cool down and reduce your heart rate
This is just a sample so if it is too hard or too easy, vary the distances, rest periods, and number of sprints.
Hill Sprints offer a powerful, calorie-burning, time-saving workout. Try hill sprints for a month 2 to 3 times a week and I guarantee you will see some major results. Remember, this is an intense, hard workout but not without reward. You will be stronger, faster, and leaner not to mention with a little extra time on your hands. Now, that’s smart training!
