Hill Sprints Get You Fit Fast
Dear Friend,
Great NFL Hall-of-Fame running backs like Walter Payton and
Marcus Allen proved that hill sprints are a superior way
to strengthen the thighs and build explosive speed. And they
were not the first to discover this truth.
In the early 1900's, professional wrestler and strongman, George
Hackenschmidt, aka "The Russian Lion" - recommended them - and
he was built like the proverbial brick "out-house."
When I was a senior in high school I ran hill sprints two or three nights
a week and they made the difference for me. I went from being an unranked,
unrated nobody to a state finalist. I even beat the defending state champion
in the quarterfinals, who ... incidentally, was a first-team all-state running
back as well as a state champion in the 100-yard dash.
But when I wrestled in college, I rarely ran uphill wind sprints.
I did LSD (long slow distance) instead. I ran miles and miles and miles.
Although that type of running did help my conditioning, it didn’t give me
optimum results. In fact, a five or six-mile run often left me feeling “strung
out” and weak. It didn't give my body what it really needed: greater strength,
increased stamina, as well as more speed and explosiveness.
In 1995, when I wrote my first book, The Martial Art of Wrestling, I pondered
all these experiences and made note. Then, in 1997, whilst training for the
Shuai-chiao Kung fu World title, I used the “school of hard knocks” knowledge I
wrote about two years earlier and applied it toward the biggest goal of my life:
Winning the gold medal in Beijing, China.
Two days per week I drove over to a long, winding hill in Santa Cruz, California.
To warm-up I jogged up a hill that was nearly a half-mile long. Then I walked
partway down the hill and began doing my sprint training.
The section of hill I ran was only about 70 to 100 meters long. But that’s all
you
need, even when you’re in awesome shape. The warm-up run over the entire
length of the hill got my engine churning; now it was time to crank the heat.
Incidentally, I must point out that my first session on the hill that fine
November,
I was not ready for sprinting. It was ALL I could manage to jog up that hill –
and
at the top I began speaking in other tongues, if you know what I mean. So again,
proceed with caution.
What I discovered when I ran those hills in 1997 went way beyond what I learned
as a senior in high school. Yes, it confirmed what I wrote in 1995, but there was
even more.
What did I discover? I found that I didn’t just get faster and more explosive.
There
was something more that I hadn’t counted on. And that something was as follows:
1. Hill Sprints Increase Muscle Mass
2. Hill Sprints Quickly Reduce Excess Bodyfat.
3. Hill Sprints Cause Your Body to Naturally Release More Growth Hormone - which
means they help you stay young.
Not only that, but Hill Sprints increase your cardiovascular power even faster
than
running mega miles or doing long cardio. Just a couple 10-15 sessions of hill
sprints
per week will literally transform you into a machine. That’s why I cover them in
my
best-selling book and videos on Combat Conditioning.
Incidentally, I must point out that some people are not ready to go out and run
hill sprints right away. The best course of action for most people to follow
(after
getting clearance from their doctor) is to start by walking uphill. This is
followed
by brisk walking. Once both of these activities get easier, you can see about
jogging uphill. Next in line is running, then hard running - then ... ultimately,
hill sprints.
Never assume that hill sprints are no big deal and that you can jump from a
20-year perch on the sofa to King of Mt. St. Helens. Work hills into your
routine gradually. Or as Ben Franklin would say, “Make haste slowly.”
When you “work the hill,” be sure to combine the physical aspect of training with
mental programming. If you’re an athlete who wants to win a title, imagine that
you are racing to the top step of the victory stand. When you get to the top of
the hill you should feel like Rocky Balboa did in the movie Rocky.
Use your imagination while you train. It will help you get more out of your
training and it will increase the amount of confidence you have in yourself.
The more you focus on an objective, the greater the likelihood it will come true.
When I ran the hills back in 1997, I focused on winning the world title – and it
became a reality. Just as easily I could have focused on a health and fitness
goal, a relationship goal, a wealth goal or the successful completion of a
business venture. And if you want to know the truth, that’s what I do today.
I cannot really explain “how” it works.
All I know is that it does, and that’s good enough for me.
Kick ass - take names!
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