Losing weight is unarguably one of the major reasons why most people engage in physical activities such as running. Since running has been proven as a good way to shed pounds, more and more people are joining the bandwagon. This claim is proven by the rising number of people who are joining running clubs and running events such as fun runs and marathons. But if you are looking to lose weight more effectively and with lesser time, it is suggested to increase your intensity through up hill running. In fact, you will find several hill running benefits which will contribute to your weight loss efforts. So how exactly does one lose weight with hill running? The answer is simple. In hill running, you expend more energy in lesser time. Running enthusiasts found hill running benefits them in more ways than one and their feedbacks will generally point to increased capacity in burning calories. This is not to say that regular running alone is futile in this area. However, if you increase your running intensity by adding a few degrees of inclination, your body will need to work more to in order cope up.
One of the hill running benefits is the development of better and longer strides. Choose a hill to run with a challenging steep. The more difficult you find the steep, the more you put in more effort. You will find that your strides become longer in answer to the demands of the incline. This way you’ll also be working out the major muscles of the body, such as your thighs and butt, leaving you a much leaner and sexier form.
Another way hill running can help you lose weight is through enhancing your heart rate. Unlike the regular flat pavement which allows your heart to beat at a more regular and fixed rate, an inclined slope demands more work, thus also demanding more work from your heart. It also follows that the more energy you need to expend, the more calories that you have to burn. Indeed, losing more calories with a more intense exercise is a great way to lose weight.
You can also lose weight with hill running through integrating different workouts into your program. For example, you can try doing the interval hills. This workout requires you to do at least six minutes of warm up, either by walking or jogging. Follow it up by taking a slightly inclined slope and run for around 45 seconds. Take a turn and walk for another 45 seconds. You can rest for 30-45 seconds and do the entire process again.
Another workout which you can incorporate in order to lose more weight is doing the treadmill hills. If you find the weather is too bad for an outside run, you can take advantage of the many features of your treadmill for hill running. First, warm up for a few minutes then set your incline to 15 degrees. Take a run for 45 seconds, lower the incline for a one minute and raise it again.
You will find that these hill running benefits work best when you exert more demands on your body. If you think there’s a significant amount of fat to burn, gradually inject a few more workout routines in your hill running to optimize your calorie-burning process.
