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Acute Effects of High- Versus Low-Elevation-Gain Trail Running Training on Static and Dynamic Postural Balance in Young Trail Runners

Castellar C, Blánquez A, García-Gimenez A, Lecina M. · Preprints.org · 2026

This study examined how high-elevation versus flat trail running affects balance in young, trained trail runners by measuring both static balance (standing still) and dynamic balance (moving through space) before and after each workout. The high-elevation session caused a significant increase in static balance errors compared to the flat session, while dynamic balance showed no meaningful difference between conditions.
Takeaway: Account for elevation gain when planning trail running training loads for young athletes, as high elevation appears to temporarily disrupt static balance control.
Abstract (source)

Background: Trail running is a sport characterized by taking place in natural environ-ments and requiring constant adaptation to irregular terrain, making postural balance crucial for preventing falls and coping with the coordinative demands of these races.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyse the acute effects of the elevation on dynamic and static balance in young trained trail runners.

Methods: Fifteen highly trained young ath-letes (8 females, 7 males; age 16.8 ± 2.14 years) completed two similar training sessions except for the elevation gain (1000 m vs. 15 m, flat). Static Balance was evaluated using the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS), and dynamic balance was assessed with the Y Balance Test (YBT) before and after each session.

Results: No statistically significant dif-ferences were found in the dynamic balance, YBT

results between elevation and flat ses-sions when comparing pre- vs. post-session in the composite index (83.79 ± 7.59 vs. 83.32 ± 7.92, p = 0.763). In contrast, static balance BESS showed an average increase of 3 errors after elevation training compared with flat training (15.53 ± 1.23 vs. 12.67 ± 1.33, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: These

Findings: highlight the need for specific strategies to preserve postural balance—especially static balance—during training and after trail races, and support tak-ing elevation gain into account when programming training load in young trail runners.

Primary studyProgramming & Periodization
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