If you are like most athletes, you are looking for a simple solution. Look for training that can simultaneously:

Improve your speed

Increase your strength and power

Make you thin and mean

Raise your resistance levels

All without adding a great deal of time to your already hectic exercise program.

And if you’re like most athletes, in the pursuit of this “perfect” workout, you’ve wasted valuable time and money on the latest and greatest high-tech supplements, exercise equipment, fitness equipment, and fad diets.

But the truth is that the answer is not that difficult at all. It looks something like this:

1. Find a hill.

2. Start from the bottom.

3. Run as fast as you can.

4. Walk down.

5. Repeat.

Do you think this seems too simple? Many people do. But, if you need some conviction, take a look at what trail running has done for these sports legends:

Soccer legend Walter Payton made hill sprints his bread and butter … they landed him on the NFL career record and the Hall of Fame.

Another great player on the grid, Jerry Rice ran legendary hill sprints “make you puke” … and was still playing in the NFL in his 40s.

Running back Marcus Allen … all he did was win the Heisman and become the Super Bowl MVP with sprints.

Linebacker Junior Seau has played 17 years in the NFL and has made more than 1,200 tackles using hill sprints … sometimes while carrying a teammate on his back.

Defensive end Simeon Rice remains relentless in the 4th quarter due to his hill sprint training … he has 119 sacks in 11 years to prove it.

Jets running back Curtis Martin, who rushed for 1,000 yards in each of his first 10 seasons and has more than 100 career touchdowns, runs regularly through the hills of Santa Monica, California, during the offseason.

Even Lance Armstrong, albeit on a bike, has made hill sprints a staple of training that earned him 7 Tour de France titles.

And that’s not all … in addition to these incredible athletes, many people who need to stay in tip-top shape run sprinting. From the strongmen of yesteryear to the police and fire departments, from the world’s elite military forces to Olympic sprinters, and from NBA stars to baseball’s best … everyone knows the secret power of this workout. Yes, the hardest are mountain sprints to stay strong, powerful and in top shape.

Give them a try and prepare for some serious results.