Most runners have a hate-love relationship with hills. We know that hill training has loads of benefits, BUT it is tough and therefore we try to avoid this part of our training schedules. My advice: don’t skip your hill training! Hills are hard for a reason!
Benefits of Hill training
Builds muscle strength
Hill training is a key element in any runners training program for building leg-muscle strength and ultimately speed. Hill training targets your calves, quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Just thinking about hill training has my legs burning.
When running uphill, your muscles need to work harder and this results in your muscles becoming stronger. The steeper the incline, the harder your body will need to work. With more strength your stride will quicken. A stronger body is naturally also more resistant to injuries.
Increases speed
Hill training uses the same muscles as sprinting. Hill training also aids the development of good running techniques and coordination. Therefore, by strengthening the muscles and improving your rhythm, you improve your cadence and ultimately your speed.
Builds lung strength (cardiovascular benefits)
The oxygen demand from your muscles is higher when you run uphill.
Therefore, your heart rate naturally rises and you have to breathe deeper and faster than when you run on flat surfaces. Repetitive hill workouts can therefore strengthen your heart and lungs (which means improved VO2 max).
Fat burn booster
In the town where I lived in South Africa, one of my running routes included a killer hill. Every time running this hill, my legs would be on fire! My bum would be on fire! Even my chest would be on fire! The effort running up this hill is far greater than running on a flat surface. The additional efforts result in more calories being burnt.
The number of calories burnt additionally would depend on several factors, including (and not limited to) the grade of the incline and the pace at which you run the incline.
Prevents boredom
There is nothing boring about hill repeats. Hills are generally shorter training sessions and will present new challenges (especially when you rotate the type of hill repeats you do). Varying your exercise program not only prevents boredom but keeps you motivated.
Hills also bring beautiful views. On my one summer holiday, I went to Greece. The hills were TOUGH, but the views were breathtaking and rewarding.
Every upside has a downside
Running downhill is just as important as running uphill. Running downhill requires your knees and quads to engage and will create good stability over time. This will contribute to injury prevention.
Race day ready
Hill training boosts your willpower just as much as your leg muscles. Although it feels like your lungs and legs are collapsing at the same time, this is key for building mental strength. Running uphill helps to build endurance and resilience that you can use on race day – “if I could run up THAT hill, I can and will finish this race”.
Living in the Netherlands, known for being a flat country, hill training is not something that I can easily do. There are some areas where there are “inclines” but full-on hills are missed. I do however always do hill training on weekends away, holidays or when going back to South Africa to visit family.
What to do when there are no hills?
- Staircase or stadium bleachers
- Hill repeats on a treadmill
- Strength training and especially strength training with explosive movements can be used for replacing hill training.
To conclude – Hill training strengthens your legs, core, lungs, and mental fitness! Stop making excuses and go run some hills!
To find out more about the benefits of running in general, see this blog post.
