The Low Down

How do you maximise the benefits of running downhill while minimising the harm?

- Alex Hutchinson

You’d think it would be easier to run down a mountain than to run up it. And yes, if you’re talking about gasping for air and feeling your heart pounding, that’s true.

But as far as your legs go, running downhill for a long period of time is one of the cruellest punishments you can inflict. The eccentric muscle contractions (your quadriceps and calf muscles are trying to shorten, but are being forced to lengthen each time your foot hits the ground) cause significant microscopic damage to your muscle fibres, including fatigue and eventually pain, and then delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in the days that follow. In fact, downhill running is commonly used in labs to study DOMS.