Hill Running
HILLS. Love them or hate them, but don’t deny the training effect!
Hills are one of the most effective ways to improve fitness and power. Running up hills is actually considered strength training because of the added resistance to every step, moving forward but also up.
Range Of Motion
Hill running requires greater hip flexion and knee drive to lift the lead foot up high enough for landing. Our stride is forced into a greater range of motion just to take a step forward. In this way, hills can be a good alternative to sprinting: Sprinting also forces this same increased range in motion, but with hills, we don’t actually need to sprint. Simply running up a hill moderately will increase our range of motion. Of course, sprinting up hills is the ultimate challenge.
Our calves also have to work harder on hills because the incline causes more ankle dorsiflexion than flat ground. In other words, our heel drops lower than the forefoot during landing. The calf muscles flex the ankle as we push off the ground.
Cardio Effect
When our muscles are forced into greater range of motion, more fibers in our muscles are called into action. All these muscles fibers need oxygen to keep working, so our heart rate goes up to increase blood flow and meet this demand. Hills are one of the most effective ways to quickly reach max heart rate in training.
Downhills
Moving back to flat ground after running downhill doesn’t feel easier. But downhill running is still considered resistance training, because it challenges our muscles with eccentric training. When we run downhill, our quads specifically have to work harder to absorb and control the impact of each forward step which strikes the ground below our previous step.
Hills and your Form
When running hills, remember where your power comes from: the back body. The glutes (a runner’s cannons), hamstrings and calves are what push us up, up, up the hill. Think about engaging the muscles in your back body by fully extending through the hips, knees and ankles. Use your cannons!
Rolling Hills
Hills are beneficial training even without any specific workouts, because even slow or moderate running up hills is resistance training which increases muscle fiber recruitment and required oxygen. Seek out hilly routes for regular training runs, even if that means sometimes driving out for a destination run.
Suggested Hill Workouts
Short Hill: Sprinting!
15-20 sec, Incline of 3-4%, 8-10 reps
Medium Hill: Hard Running
45-60 sec, Incline of 6-7%, up to 12 reps
Long Hill: Moderate to Hard Running
~4minutes, Incline of 4-5%, up to 5 reps
Downhill Repeats: Fast and Controlled Running
10-15 sec, Incline of -1%, 4-6 reps
Treadmill Hills: Long Hill repeats would be a good option to replicate on the treadmill. I do not recommend sprinting or very hard fast running on the treadmill.
The treadmill lacks a very important part of hill training, which is downhill running. Hill workouts ideally should be done outside, using treadmill as a last resort. Treadmill also complicates the workout by requiring a duration of rest, while outside rest is simply “jog back down to the bottom.”
Nicole Sifuentes is a full-time Running Coach for adults of all ages and abilities. She is a former professional runner and 2-time Olympian, and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Read more about her services, and schedule your free coaching consultation.
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