Are hill sprints overrated?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with long ground contact time. It means you can apply force for longer.

Watch El G versus Ngeny in that record race. El G is nailed to the ground while Ngeny minces along on his toes. Who wins?.

Yeah yeah Ngeny wins the Olympics so the f what.

The only thing hill sprints do is condition you specifically to do hill sprints. The best way for runners to incorporate hills into their training is not in the form of sprints at all, but by incorporating them into intervals and time trials over courses similar to what the trainee will encounter in the race he's training for. Hill training isn't particularly useful when training for flat track races.

33 yo wrote:

The only thing hill sprints do is condition you specifically to do hill sprints. The best way for runners to incorporate hills into their training is not in the form of sprints at all, but by incorporating them into intervals and time trials over courses similar to what the trainee will encounter in the race he's training for. Hill training isn't particularly useful when training for flat track races.

This is what I've heard too. My high school coach wasn't a big believer in hill sprints, and said if you had a choice with resisted sprints, go with a sled on the track or grass. Now I'm in my late 30s and getting back into running I've done a few hill sessions and still wonder if it's really useful for getting faster and if my time would be better spent just running on the track. If anyone more knowledgeable regarding the effectiveness of hill sprints for speed can elaborate on this it would be great.

Everyone who is any good at running runs hills. Everyone.

they are great wrote:

Everyone who is any good at running runs hills. Everyone.

The question is did hill running actually contribute significantly to their running ability or are these good runners simply doing hills because of dogmatism. Just because elites follow certain training methods doesn't mean it will help your average Joe get faster.

Most pro and college and probably even high school runners do some form of resistance training. Hill running is just another form of resistance training. If you don't believe resistance training helps you, don't do it.

Hill sprints develop strength and power plus most importantly they improve your technique by requiring you to lift your knees higher.

Hill sprints develop strength and power plus most importantly they improve your technique by requiring you to lift your knees higher.

I'll tell you what is UNDERRATED: speed runs on a DECLINED soft but clean surface like compact dirt or smoothed gravel, only 1-2% decline, using wind as an assist as well. Allows practice to relax at higher speeds, the most crucial skillset for fast running.

Coach G wrote:

Hill sprints develop strength and power plus most importantly they improve your technique by requiring you to lift your knees higher.

If anything hills alter technique and it is much different running up a hill vs on the flat track.

Also lifting your knees higher isn't going to make you fun faster. Running faster makes your knees lift higher, and should not be something a runner, especially a sprinter is consciously think about.

motorcityru wrote:

I've been wondering about the effectiveness of hill sprints and how much it really improves speed on the track. Since you are going up hill, the ground contact is longer and the mechanics are different, are hill sprints are overrated tool for training?

That's a large part of the point of hill sprints, to push metabolic force output without the stress associated with speed.

I don't think they're overrated, because not many people really think that highly of them. They've only been a very minor part of any training program I've done at any level. Most coaches and runners consider them to be a very minor supplement to other strength work.

lennism wrote:

Coach G wrote:

Hill sprints develop strength and power plus most importantly they improve your technique by requiring you to lift your knees higher.

If anything hills alter technique and it is much different running up a hill vs on the flat track.

Also lifting your knees higher isn't going to make you fun faster. Running faster makes your knees lift higher, and should not be something a runner, especially a sprinter is consciously think about.

No it is not 'much different"..

Nobody said anything about thinking.

33 yo wrote:

The only thing hill sprints do is condition you specifically to do hill sprints. The best way for runners to incorporate hills into their training is not in the form of sprints at all, but by incorporating them into intervals and time trials over courses similar to what the trainee will encounter in the race he's training for. Hill training isn't particularly useful when training for flat track races.

This is inaccurate, the poster is probably basing this opinion of hearsay and "conventional wisdom." Hill sprints have a variety of benefits even if you never race on anything but a perfectly flat surface. It's great anaerobic conditioning, improves mechanics, and most importantly, you can do all-out efforts without as much pounding and stress on the knees.

lol's

very clear hill sprints are not overated by the comments

As a track sprinter and coach, we incorporate hills all year round in some form or another.

Most people who dismiss hill sprints are those that are too lazy to actually give them a proper shot as they probably suck at it and so don't want to give it the time away from the precious asphalt.

As stated though downhill sprints are an absolute must and I mean...MUST! for track sprints.

You can find details on hills for sprinters by looking up for asafa P training session on youtube

The idea of them is to get you running correctly, getting ready for anaerobic sharping. You stretch your Achilles, get calf muscle timing in right, learn to use you hip flexor more, and lift your knees up higher. Thus a longer stride and less pressure on your hamstring's when on the flat sprinting. You learn to pump your arms as well.

El G ran hills at least once a week. That guy was pretty good.

lennism wrote:

Coach G wrote:

Hill sprints develop strength and power plus most importantly they improve your technique by requiring you to lift your knees higher.

If anything hills alter technique and it is much different running up a hill vs on the flat track.

Also lifting your knees higher isn't going to make you fun faster. Running faster makes your knees lift higher, and should not be something a runner, especially a sprinter is consciously think about.

Sorry sir you know nothing about sprinting!! High knee drills is a basic sprinters warmup drill along with running with exaggerated knee lift.

Please show me any decent sprinter who scoots along with low knees....

I agree with Coach G. Strength and power will develop while improving your form.