How to get better at running hills

Sprinting up a steep incline is a surefire way to get your heart racing and your muscles burning. Running hills is a really good way to get fitter, improve your running form and is of course essential if you are running a race which features plenty of gradients. Learning how to get better at running hills will help you take on any incline with ease.

So, let's look at the benefits of this kind of workout and how to get better at running hills if you don't have so much experience in this area.

Four key benefits of knowing how to run hills

Professional runners swear by hill running and it is no surprise that training on gradients is a key feature of Kenyan running training camps. Here are four key benefits of hill running:

• Increases your strength

Running hills engages your fast twitch muscle fibres and forces you to raise your knees higher than usual when driving forward. This extra exertion will mean that you build muscle and increase your strength.

• Improves form

Every runner knows that lifting your knees higher and increasing your step cadence is crucial for running form. The good thing about hill running is that it makes you do this unconsciously.

• Makes running more fun

Knowing how to run hills can make your workouts a lot more interesting - this type of exercise is much more engaging than endless loops round a track or running on a treadmill.

• Can improve your race time

Studies have shown that regular hill running among marathon runners can help improve their personal bests. 

How to train for hill running without hills

Some people are lucky to live in parts of the country with plenty of natural inclines all around them. However if you do not live in such a location, you can still train for hill running. Possible approaches include:

• Using the steepest incline on a treadmill

True, this is not the most engaging approach, but it is easier to control and requires minimal effort or travel.

•  Finding a footbridge

There may well be a footbridge close to where you live which offers a reasonably steep incline which is similar to running up a hill

• Think outside the box

While you may not have an obvious hill near you, there may be other slopes and inclines that you might have missed which offer the same gradient you need. For example on a canal towpath there are often steep gradients at locks. Other runners sometimes find that closed or disused multi storey car parks offer them the ability to climb steep slopes without travelling a long distance to find them.

How to get better at hill running

Let's look at how to get better at running hills. First you need to find an appropriate hill - it should be relatively steep - around a 9 degree gradient - and it should be long enough for you to run up for at least 30 seconds if not longer.

You should always start your hill training sessions with a light warm up jog to get your blood flowing. Once you reach the bottom of the slope, try out one of the following hill running routines:

Standard hill sprint intervals

From the bottom of the hill, simply sprint upwards for a prefered amount of time (minimum 30 seconds, maximum one minute and a half). Once you reach the top, turn around and walk down before repeating five times over.

Hill pyramids

Another way to train to run up hills is to do pyramids. Start your first sprint with a 3o second climb, stop and walk back down. For the next run you will climb for 45 seconds before stopping and going down again. You then increase each climb by 15 seconds until you reach, say, one minute 30 seconds. You then go down the other side of the pyramid reducing the sprinting time for each interval.

Mixed intervals

Hill running isn't all about sprinting. Sometimes it is more interesting to mix up your workout styles. For example you could do two 45 second intervals with fast walks, two intervals with sprinting and two intervals with skipping. Each of these workout styles will trigger different muscles and build strength in different ways.

Last but not least, remember to build in some downhill training too - especially if you are learning how to run hills in cross country as this will also be an essential skill for that kind of race.

How to get better at hill running with the right gear

Hill running is an intense kind of running workout and can put a lot of pressure on your joints. It is therefore important to wear footwear that provides plenty of cushioning. If you are doing hill running in the great outdoors, you might want to consider wearing running shoes that have durable grip so you do not slip.

Once you know how to get better at running hills, you should start to see a big improvement in your overall performance. So, run for the hills!