FITNESS Run for the hills (Part 2)

ONLY WAY IS UP You do not need to be an elite or club-level runner to reap the many benefits of training on hills

Run for the hills


Personal Trainer
Paul O'Brien

Part 2
Last week I wrote about the benefits and hill training and outlined why you should try and incorporate hills into your weekly running schedule. In today’s article we will look at a starter programme for hill training. We will also look at other ways of incorporating hills into your daily training.
Hill training is for all athletes. You do not need to be an elite or club-level runner to reap the many benefits of training on hills. However, I would recommend that you have established a base of cardio-vascular fitness before you introduce hills, as a dedicated session, into your routine. If you have been jogging or running three times weekly for the past four to six weeks, you should be ready to take on the hills. If you are unsure, consult a trainer or drop me a mail at living@mayonews.ie.
An excellent way to begin hill training is simply to incorporate a hill in your regular running route. Your initial focus should be to run up the hill slowly. Take short, chopping strides and try to relax up the hill. Make sure you are pumping your arms and not holding tension around your shoulders.

For those of you ready to take on a more specific hill session, use the following routine:

• Warm-up along a flat route for 10-15 minutes at an easy pace
• Find a hill of between 50-200 metres in length with a 5-10 percent incline (steady gradient)
• Run up the hill, following the tips listed below
• Recover by either walking or slowly jogging back down the hill
• Repeat for between four and eight hill repeats
• Cool down with a 5-10 minute easy jog and stretch your lower body muscles

Follow these technique tips when running uphill:

• Use a short, choppy stride
• Focus on maintaining a constant effort level as you ascend – do not run harder on flatter sections of the hill or slower on steeper sections (constant effort is the key)
• Run over the top of the hill, without slowing down as you reach the top
• Maintain body alignment with a straight line from head to feet
• If you are gasping for breath at the top, you have run the hill too hard – remember, consistent effort first, speed will come later

To progress your hill session:

• Add one extra hill repeat every two weeks.
• Decrease your recovery time between repeats or jog down instead of walking
• Workout on longer and/or steeper hills
• Never complete more than one dedicated hill session each week

Paul O’Brien is a personal trainer and life coach based in Westport.