I'm having an argument with a friend.
I think you would use more gluteal actions if you run a steep hill.
You would also use more hamstring power running up a steep hill.
So then the quads would benefit most from a slightly lower grade hill.
I'm having an argument with a friend.
I think you would use more gluteal actions if you run a steep hill.
You would also use more hamstring power running up a steep hill.
So then the quads would benefit most from a slightly lower grade hill.
Up a steep hill it becomes more like cycling. In that it uses more quads compared to regular running. And stresses the calves and Achilles more.
You use your heart more running uphill than downhill. Literally.
legs
Sand Dunes wrote:
Up a steep hill it becomes more like cycling. In that it uses more quads compared to regular running. And stresses the calves and Achilles more.
While yours might be a good answer it does not answer the quads or hamstrings question.
I think the speed and level of the hill changes which muscles are stressed most.
Certainly the gluteals come into play more the steeper the hill. In addition if you run
faster up a grade you also stress the glutes more than if you jogged up the hill.
This is a good question and yet it gets like four responses from LRC.
I know it's a good question because I asked a top track coach about it and she
would not answer.
Maybe it's just too complicated and has too many variables?
Regardless I believe someone has a good answer.
Hlpk wrote:
I'm having an argument with a friend.
I think you would use more gluteal actions if you run a steep hill.
You would also use more hamstring power running up a steep hill.
So then the quads would benefit most from a slightly lower grade hill.
I'm gonna give it a good bump so it gets a chance to be answered.
Running uphill should target more muscles on the backside of your body, the glutes, hamstrings and calves as hip extension should be driving you up. This will only be true of people who are biomechanically sound though as muscle dominance is at play. A lot of people will rely on the hip flexors/quads too much so you will get people who will tell you the quads are the most important because that is the sensation they feel when running up hill when in reality, if they had strong glutes and hamstrings, they wouldn't feel that way and would be more efficient.
Downhill hits the quads the hardest because of the eccentric contractions and loading from almost falling down a hill and having a more limited range of hip extension out the backside. If you tried to run at the same angle of the ground on a steep hill, your balance would be comprised. Just like you lean into an uphill slightly, you lean back slightly on a downhill.
Define steep. Going up a steep mountain trail is all quads.
Try using your gluts on a stairmaster ... total fail.
biceps
I like running up hills. I usually do well here. People always catch me on downhills. I'm crap at downhills and find that I can get niggles easily from lots of hard downhills. In races I pass people on uphill and they pass me back on downhills all the time. I always look forward to the last hill so I can give it a good effort so they stay behind for the rest of the race. I will I could be strong for whole race and my times wouldn't be depressing.
Achilles yes, quads, for some strange reason my hamstrings always hurt the day after hill work.
Elixer wrote:
Running uphill should target more muscles on the backside of your body, the glutes, hamstrings and calves as hip extension should be driving you up. This will only be true of people who are biomechanically sound though as muscle dominance is at play. A lot of people will rely on the hip flexors/quads too much so you will get people who will tell you the quads are the most important because that is the sensation they feel when running up hill when in reality, if they had strong glutes and hamstrings, they wouldn't feel that way and would be more efficient.
Downhill hits the quads the hardest because of the eccentric contractions and loading from almost falling down a hill and having a more limited range of hip extension out the backside. If you tried to run at the same angle of the ground on a steep hill, your balance would be comprised. Just like you lean into an uphill slightly, you lean back slightly on a downhill.
The argument I had was with a guy who finished in second place in California in wrestling. He was not the best
runner and he had said quads. I said hamstrings. I base my answer on a U of Oregon video I saw many years ago
of Alberto Salazar and his form. He always extended his hamstrings to the maximum. Also when I took Kinesiology the professor said that you must walk or run uphill to stress your glutes to the max.
I would think that the pace one is running is also a factor.
Hlpk wrote:
Elixer wrote:
Running uphill should target more muscles on the backside of your body, the glutes, hamstrings and calves as hip extension should be driving you up. This will only be true of people who are biomechanically sound though as muscle dominance is at play. A lot of people will rely on the hip flexors/quads too much so you will get people who will tell you the quads are the most important because that is the sensation they feel when running up hill when in reality, if they had strong glutes and hamstrings, they wouldn't feel that way and would be more efficient.
Downhill hits the quads the hardest because of the eccentric contractions and loading from almost falling down a hill and having a more limited range of hip extension out the backside. If you tried to run at the same angle of the ground on a steep hill, your balance would be comprised. Just like you lean into an uphill slightly, you lean back slightly on a downhill.
The argument I had was with a guy who finished in second place in California in wrestling. He was not the best
runner and he had said quads. I said hamstrings. I base my answer on a U of Oregon video I saw many years ago
of Alberto Salazar and his form. He always extended his hamstrings to the maximum. Also when I took Kinesiology the professor said that you must walk or run uphill to stress your glutes to the max.
I would think that the pace one is running is also a factor.
Bumper
More muscles. Deeper arm movement. More of everything.
I believe this has to do with how you position and balance the body in relation to foot position. If you do a deadlift, you will be forced, due to the weight bar to move your ass and knees back and when you do that the hams and glues, the back side engages more. On the contrary, when you do squats, the little more rear position of the bar (when conventionally on top of the shoulders) engages the quads more. I believe you find the same in steep hills. If you can get into a position and balance more similar to deadlift, you engage the back side more, but if you cannot do that due to uneven ground or way of engaging the legs, the quads get more work. Let us say if you run in a staircase, you will be forced to engage quads more than on a smooth, but still steep hill. Some people engage the quads too much at any surface. In cycling you engage the quads more, but also there it is important to work on technique to engage the back side as well.
I never get injured from hard hill repeats but I've lost count of how many injuries I've had running intervals on flat ground.
Hill repeats create as much for aerobic and strength training as track workouts and long runs.
Lower impact, higher aerobic work, increased strength and power, probably increased fatigue resistance. I would not dare to not having some form of hill running even if just doing track competitions
legss wrote:
legs
Yes. Legs for sure
Hlpk wrote:
I'm having an argument with a friend.
I think you would use more gluteal actions if you run a steep hill.
You would also use more hamstring power running up a steep hill.
So then the quads would benefit most from a slightly lower grade hill.
The ones that hurt the most when you do a lot of uphill running.