hill sprints: muscles worked?

[fuscia]

It's hard to tell from the feel (they seem to work the puking muscles pretty hard).

[Charles Staley]

You're pulling my....leg, right?


It's hard to tell from the feel (they seem to work the puking muscles pretty hard).

[PVC]

You're pulling my....leg, right?

I don't get it.

[fuscia]

You're pulling my....leg, right?

No, I'm really not. I guess I'm hoping for the kind of breakdown one might find at exrx.com. I know hill sprints work a lot of things, but what is the breakdown of how all the muscles are used? (Sorry if that's too retarded a question.)

[Charles Staley]

Well, I think it's intuitively obvious that when you sprint, you are actively extending the hp and knee correct?

Understanding this, we then need to ask, which muscles are responsible for hip and knee extension?

And the answer to this question is: the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps




No, I'm really not. I guess I'm hoping for the kind of breakdown one might find at exrx.com. I know hill sprints work a lot of things, but what is the breakdown of how all the muscles are used? (Sorry if that's too retarded a question.)

[crackerjack]

I don't get the point of running to the point of puking.

[fuscia]

Well, I think it's intuitively obvious that when you sprint, you are actively extending the hp and knee correct?

Understanding this, we then need to ask, which muscles are responsible for hip and knee extension?

And the answer to this question is: the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps

sure, but one would also say that the squat, deadlift, clean and snatch all extend the hip, knee and ankle, but they're not all interchangeable. (wouldn't it be nice if they were, sometimes? just pick the one you like best and do that until you're sick of it.) there is also a contra-lateral motion in running that is not present in squats, etc., so that must involve muscles that the others don't (at least, not to the same degree).
moreover, just as squats involve a more acute angle in the bending of the knees than the deadlift, so too does the hill sprint compared to sprinting on a flat surface. that changes the degree of involvement of the muscles used, does it not?

again, my apologies if my questions seem idiotic. i'm not particularly accustomed to asking questions about exercise physiology. i've tried to read up on as much as i can on hill sprints, but most of the info on the internet seems to be introductory at best.

[TomV]

Well, I think it's intuitively obvious that when you sprint, you are actively extending the hp and knee correct?

Understanding this, we then need to ask, which muscles are responsible for hip and knee extension?

And the answer to this question is: the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps

and Calves?

[MazdaMatt]

I can't get a good hill sprint without isometric hold of my whole back and abs, too (like squatting). They honestly seem to have a lot in common with squats.

[squatyourface]

the Leg bit was the pun, PVC. lol.

Try contracting your abs next time you do sprints so you have a more stable base off which to run off. If it's the first time doing this then you'll wake up in pain when you cough/sneeze/yawn/laugh. So i guess abdominals might have a part on the list.

[Charles Staley]

Neither do I
'

I don't get the point of running to the point of puking.

[Charles Staley]

Listen, from your response here, it's clear that you already know the answers to your question (I'm not being sarcastic BTW)

Correct, squats and sprints do affect the same muscles, but they are of course different. Sprinting is a unilateral activity, squats are a bilateral activity. Aside from this however, perhaps the most significant difference is that squats can be significantly loaded, whereas sprints cannot.



sure, but one would also say that the squat, deadlift, clean and snatch all extend the hip, knee and ankle, but they're not all interchangeable. (wouldn't it be nice if they were, sometimes? just pick the one you like best and do that until you're sick of it.) there is also a contra-lateral motion in running that is not present in squats, etc., so that must involve muscles that the others don't (at least, not to the same degree).
moreover, just as squats involve a more acute angle in the bending of the knees than the deadlift, so too does the hill sprint compared to sprinting on a flat surface. that changes the degree of involvement of the muscles used, does it not?

again, my apologies if my questions seem idiotic. i'm not particularly accustomed to asking questions about exercise physiology. i've tried to read up on as much as i can on hill sprints, but most of the info on the internet seems to be introductory at best.

[fuscia]

Listen, from your response here, it's clear that you already know the answers to your question (I'm not being sarcastic BTW)

i don't really like to assume i know something (having it been proved too often that i didn't).

maybe this is a better question to ask you... is the info in this link http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/staley14.htm a tip of the iceberg on the subject, or is that pretty much all anyone should ever need to know?

i was joking about puking. i don't have that kind of work ethic.


I can't get a good hill sprint without isometric hold of my whole back and abs, too (like squatting). They honestly seem to have a lot in common with squats.

i have tried that in the past, but i find that it ends up slowing me down. my abs are active when i sprint, but it seems to be more in a pulsing manner than in a hold.

[MazdaMatt]

i have tried that in the past, but i find that it ends up slowing me down. my abs are active when i sprint, but it seems to be more in a pulsing manner than in a hold.

You may be on a whole other level from me. I don't do this for sports or anything, it is just my conditioning of choice when I do it (rarely, but quite a bit last summer). I just find that I get much better glute/ham activation with a solidly tensed core. More work goes into moving my body and less into flopping it around. My girlfriend found that she powered up the hill much easier when I told her this tip.

We may also be dealing with a different example of a hill... mine's BRUTAL. It is closed in the winter because no regular vehicle could climb it safely.

[fuscia]

You may be on a whole other level from me. I don't do this for sports or anything, it is just my conditioning of choice when I do it (rarely, but quite a bit last summer). I just find that I get much better glute/ham activation with a solidly tensed core. More work goes into moving my body and less into flopping it around. My girlfriend found that she powered up the hill much easier when I told her this tip.

We may also be dealing with a different example of a hill... mine's BRUTAL. It is closed in the winter because no regular vehicle could climb it safely.

running form is a strange topic. if you compare tyson gay to usain bolt, you see two very different runners. bolt is loose with a long stride and gay is very tense with that side to side head movement (i think the tenser runners are more at risk of hamstring injuries and gay seems to have chronic hamstring issues). loose and 'free' works better for me and it may be the opposite for you. who knows?

[MazdaMatt]

From your response, I can see that you're clearly on a whole other level of running from me. I'll take your word on that last point; it sounds good :)

[fuscia]

From your response, I can see that you're clearly on a whole other level of running from me. I'll take your word on that last point; it sounds good :)

oh, i'm just good at sounding good. if i'm on a different level, i'm sure it's well below. i'm a worn out 53 year old whose still pretty fast despite an onboard beer storage unit (gut). i ran track in high school and have stayed reasonably fast (though, more through meat than determination). i've been using hill sprints as part of my regimen because, a.) i like them (and therefore, more likely to do them), b.) i've had a number of hamstring problems and hill sprints seem to help avoid further issues, and c.) i've gotten faster since i've been doing them and running fast, for me, is the most exhilirating feeling.

[PVC]

the Leg bit was the pun, PVC. lol.

Yep, I'm the one who doesn't understand subtext. What a tool I am.