The Benefits of Hill Training

When you are in the middle of a long run, hills can feel like torture. They slow your pace, burn your legs, challenge your lungs, and break your rhythm, but for these same reasons, hills are an amazing way to push yourself and improve your running. Running hills will strengthen your legs, your cardiovascular system, and your mental drive. Hills are like a built-in strength workout mid run. When done right, they also decrease your risk of injury and increase the overall efficiency of your running. And it’s not just the uphill that is challenging. Downhill running also puts a huge demand on the body. You need greater control through your legs and an active core to maintain your form. 

So how should you actually implement hill training into your running schedule? 

Aim to have one run a week that includes hills. You can either includes these hills as part of a loop, or choose one hill to run up and down during the mid-section of your run after you have done a sufficient warm up. Start with about 5 cycles of hills, and increase from there each week as you become stronger and more efficient. 

When running uphill, try to avoid leaning too far forward, as this decreases the efficiency of your run. Decrease your pace slightly as you take shorter but quicker strides. Focus on taking full deep breaths and pushing through your legs. When going downhill, try to avoid leaning back. Although your body will feel like it wants to speed up and take longer strides, try to maintain your normal stride length to maintain control.   

Depending on your ultimate goal, you may want to include more hill runs into your routine as you improve. 

As always, consult one of our running physiotherapists if you have any questions about hill training, cross training, running form, and running programs!