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Category:	Speed Work
Question:	Is Downhill running beneficial?
Submitted By:	Run-Down
Answered By:	Run-Down
Answer:	Mention hill running to most people, and they will instantly assume you mean uphill. This need not be so. The merits of uphill running are fairly obvious: improved strength, the extra aerobic work required, emphasis on better sprinting form, etc. What is not so obvious is that downhill running can be equally beneficial. It does not help that downhill running is often blamed for an assortment of injuries. Downhill running is akin to over-speed training, i.e. the resistance work you often see sprinters doing. By lengthening your stride and increasing your turnover, you are able to run at a significantly faster and more efficient rate than you would otherwise. The key is to choose a gradual incline -- one that you feel comfortable running your hardest without feeling like you are leaning back and braking. It is that very braking motion which causes the majority of the injuries that give downhill running such a bad name. Try to lean forward and visualize running on your toes. You will be amazed how much faster you can go with no extra effort. Practice this for a while, and you'll be the talk of the team or the running club on the next trail run! The following supplemental information is courtesy of Adam Gaines: Additional benefits of downhill running are improved running economy and muscle damage resistance. The former is not well known, but both are established in the research. Downhill running progressively damages your muscles as you go, just like running on flat ground, except more so. The impact forces are higher. People typically get very sore after long, fast, downhill runs. This is mostly due to muscle contractile element (the things that make your muscles develop force) damage. The next time you run aggressively downhill, you won't get as sore. The muscles adapt and are more resistant to further damage, not only during downhill running, but for many similar activities. This resistance can last about 6 weeks. Since one of the reasons people feel fatigue is that muscles are getting more and more damaged as they run a race, greater resistance to muscle damage would likely help performance. So when I say muscle damage resistance, I mean resistance to the meaty part of muscles getting torn apart at the molecular level.
Date Added:	09-Sep-2000
Last Updated:	25-Oct-2000

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