Hill running can result in improved power (rapid generation of force) for all runners. But most road races don’t have any decent hills and marathoners don’t “sprint” unless they’re within 100m of the finish line (or an attractive runner of the opposite gender). So it seems if you want to train for your specific race conditions, you’d be avoiding hills whenever possible, but……
Hill sprints add power and can improve running economy. This means that you will be better able to cope with gradients and steps and you will be better equipped to run on flat ground, requiring less effort and energy. Hill sprints can be protective of knee
injuries, possibly because they improve the
stability of your trunk, pelvis and feet. As you run hills, your body naturally stabilises through the trunk, pelvis and feet in order to optimise the effect of force generated in the legs. The foot becomes semi-rigid while in contact with the ground, and the pelvis is level and doesn’t tilt. This allows the leg power to translate more effectively into trunk propulsion.
Hill sprints are
high intensity sessions, so you can get bigger benefits from shorter training (time and/or distance). This means that you can squeeze a worthwhile session into a lunch break or even on a brief “detour” on the way home from work. And the benefit of shorter training distances is that you can minimise your exposure to mileage, therefore reducing the risk of sustaining a running injury. Several studies have linked increased km/week with the risk of sustaining an injury, suggesting a threshold level of between 40km/week and 64km/week.
The format of hill sprints can be tailored to the needs of the runner. All sessions will involve a warm up and cool down period. Runners training for road races up to 10km may find a session with a number of uphill 30-50m sprints with a downhill walking recovery to be effective. Sprints begin on a flat section of equal distance to the uphill section to build pace, and the runner must maintain this pace to the end of the sprint. Runners training for races over longer distances may be best suited to longer hills of 50-100m, with a more active recovery such as an easy run
recovery phase.
For these longer hills, runners can plan a course with several hills of similar length spaced evenly throughout the middle section of the run, either immediately after one another or with flat “recovery” sections in between each hill. Alternatively you can detour via a decent hill on your regular run and try hill sprints while slightly fatigued, however this is a more advanced session and should not be attempted by all runners. Also note that hard running should be avoided on downhill sections in all hill sprints session due to the higher impact forces generated with the mix of speed and muscle fatigue.
So road runners looking to improve their running economy – or simply looking for some variety in their training while reducing their load – will benefit from the addition of a hill sprint session. If your road race has any hills then this type of session will reduce fatigue and
improve your speed on the incline. However if you are new to running or have just returned after a prolonged absence, you should not add this type of session to your weekly training schedule until you have
established a base (usually around 12 weeks of consistent training).
UPDATE
This has been one of our most visited pages in the last few years. The main comment we get is that you’d like a bit of a how-to guide to different hill sessions as well as why you’d choose one session over another.
Short vs medium vs long hills
The length of hill determines the intensity of the running and the amount of fatigue involved. It’s easier to maintain a 100% effort (ie. sprint) over a very short distance but the longer the hill, the lower the intensity needs to be to make it to the top. So if you’re after power or want to focus on explosive muscle performance, pick a very short hill (10-15sec sprint). If you want to get used to running with tired legs while maintaining some power output, choose a longer hill (>60sec). For a mix of power and fatigue, choose a hill that takes around 30sec to ascend.
Walk down vs jog down & standing rest
Once you’re at the top, you’ve got to get back down. Running at full speed isn’t a good idea as it tends to be prone to injury. So your two basic options are to walk or jog back down. Walking encourages strength and control as the muscles have to work harder to slow your descent compared to jogging down. So choose the walking option if you’re building strength (eg. in early phase programming or for trail running). And the walking allows your heart rate to recover so you can go again as soon as you reach the bottom. It’s like a Fartlek session on hills.
The other option is to jog down, which requires less strength but gives you some standing rest at the bottom to get your heart rate down further than a walking recovery. Starting each rep from a lower heart rate challenges the muscles to work with less oxygen and blood flow initially, improving muscle efficiency. This option is more like an interval session on hills, albeit in a significantly modified format.
Recovery time
Whether you’re walking down or jogging and standing, the recovery starts from the moment the intensity (ie. uphill bit) stops. As a rule of thumb, the average recovery can be twice the duration of the intensity phase. So a 20sec climb earns you a 40sec recovery phase. Longer recovery times allow you to run uphill with higher intensity and can be more challenging for the muscles. Shorter recovery times mean that the muscles can’t work as hard on the uphill phase but they’ll accumulate more fatigue, working well for those wanting to practice power running on tired legs.
Which session, when?
Choosing which type of session to add to your program depends on what phase of the program you’re in but a bit of variety is great for motivation and to help cover more aspects of running performance. As you approach race day, the session should begin to mimic race conditions and can even be added to the end of a medium distance run to add a power challenge once you’re already fatigued.
