Whether you’re training for a hilly race or just want to get stronger and faster, hill workouts should be a part of your plan. Depending upon your own goals, there are several types of hill workouts that provide different benefits. Here are three workouts that should be a part of your training program.
3 Hill Workouts to Get Stronger and Faster
#1 Farlek Hill Running
This is a great workout to do as you start to build your mileage for any race distance. It also makes a good substitute for a speed workout. The ideal route will consist of rolling type hills, but steeper hills within the workout are fine. You will be challenging yourself both on the uphills and the downhills. Your effort should be about 85-90%, about what it would be during a 10k or an effort you could sustain for about an hour. Recover by slowing your pace and effort on the flats.
Always make sure to spend some time warming up and cooling down on more level terrain.
#2 Long and Low Hills
For this workout find hills with about a 5% grade that are 150-200 meters long. Because of the lower grade, these intervals will benefit your aerobic system and should be done at an effort about equal to your 5k, about 90-95%.
This is a good workout during pre-season training, starting about two months out from your goal race.
#3 Short and Sweet Hill Workout
Finally, these short steep intervals will improve your anaerobic system, which is good for sprinting (think of that finishing kick). Find a short hill that is pretty steep, about 8-15%. Pay attention to your form, think upright, not bent over, and use your arms to drive you up the hills.
A training plan that includes one hill workout per week, or alternating with speed workout every other week will improve your fitness, speed, and strength.
I find that most people either love or hate hill workouts (or love to hate them). Where do you stand?
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I used to really loathe hill workouts. But now I kinda like them! Especially because I know how beneficial they are
And they feel especially good when you’re done!
I love to give the hilly fartlek run to my athletes. It’s such a fun workout!
I love it too and I’m lucky because terrain where I live makes it a perfect workout.
I have never been a fan of speedwork , but I do enjoy hill workouts (because they don’t “feel” like speedwork LOL)
I have lots of hill options in my neighborhood, so I’ll be trying these out!
I do a lot more hill workouts than speed these days. I do enjoy them. At least when it’s not so darn hot!
Hills are my arch nemesis but I know I need to run them more often. Thanks for the hill workout ideas!
They really are good for you. Sorry.
We do a lot of long and low hills (mostly by accident). I would much rather run hills than do speed work.
A lot of my hills are by accident too! I can’t leave my house without going either up or down a hill!
I don’t love hills at all! Fortunately, my coach gives me a lot of glute work which helps me when I do encounter hills!
Glute strength helps, as does all strength training. But that muscle memory thing that you get from actually running hills just can’t be replaced.
These all look like fun…seriously!!! I love me a hill workout!
They are fun! Especially when you’re done.
Hate any kinda of workout but I do them if I am forced to and think they are very important.
Right now I just run hilly races so I guess they are my hill workouts lol
Well that’s one way of looking at it!
I think maybe I’m in the love to hate them. But I do do them. My long run last week was quite the hillfest! Didn’t plan it that way, but I still had a good run & I know hilly runs make you a stronger runner.
Often I ignore them if I know that the race I’m training for is flat though.
It’s a little harder to get motivated for hill training when you’re training for a flat race. They’re still good for you though.
I wish I had done more hill work when I was preparing for my marathon. I hit some hills, but I definitely didn’t do as much as I should have. If I could go back and do it again, I definitely would have focused on what you called fartlek hill running.