If you’re one of my athletes, you know that I have a moderate level of obsession with assigning hill work. They’re kind of like the Swiss Army Knife of training, you want to work on something? Running hills is likely a helpful thing to do.
Mechanics of Hill Running
There are two things about running uphill that makes them a great thing for runners to incorporate into their training. They build efficient, fast running mechanics (improve your top end speed) and they build strength (let you run faster for longer). Both things runners want if they want to improve in any distance event.
Fast Running Mechanics
Sprinting is a learned skill, and improving your top end speed will work its way up the chain in a powerful way as your events get longer and longer. However, one of the easiest ways to naturally learn how to sprint is to put yourself on an incline which naturally puts your feet in the right position and extends the hips. Finally, because of the force required to run up a hill, your body is recruiting and training more muscle fibers.
Build Strength Endurance
Like what was said above, running uphill requires the recruitment of more muscle fibers due to the required force. When we engage more muscle fibers, we can train more muscle fibers in the work we are doing. As a result, running the same effort on an incline compared to on a flat surface, we train more muscles. The more muscle we can train to do the work, the longer we will be able to do that work in maximal efforts before reaching exhaustion levels.
Want to read more about the types of hill workouts? Find it in The Training Club!