Hill running is one of the most rewarding, dreaded, scary, and yet beneficial parts of our sport. If you’re weak on the hills, you know you’re going to lose position. If you’re strong, you know you’ll have an opportunity to gain some ground. But no matter your fitness level, running uphill in training is one of the best things you can do to become a better runner overall.

What Is Hill Running?

Hill running is a specific type of running that involves going up and down hills of varying lengths and grades. It can also be further broken down as a training modality to focus on completing a said hill or series of hills at different intervals of speed and time. Hill sprints, repeats, downhill runs, tempo runs, circuits and more all fall into the category of hill running.

The class of running that is most synonymous with hill training would be trail and/or ultra-running. This is because your options for competition and exposure in this sub-category are at the mercy of Earth’s natural terrain. Steep or steady inclines both short and long are sure to be part of your run when participating in these kinds of events/training.

Whether you’re out on the trails or not, however, incorporating hill running into your repertoire will pay dividends long-term for any type of running you may do in the future. As we’ll see in the next section, hill running provides huge returns on time invested in terms of improved running economy, increased aerobic capacity, and a lowered risk of injury.

Benefits of Hill Workouts

The advantages of running uphill are far-reaching and overlapping almost regardless of what type of running you’re doing. In terms of general health and wellness, hill running is incredibly effective when it comes to maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness. Running hills significantly amplifies the effects of gravity, and forces us to work harder than running on flat ground.

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As we age, our aerobic capacity declines approximately 10% every decade as a sedentary person. Athletes who do hill training can cut this by 50%, reducing their decline down to 5% per decade and sometimes less (depending on previous fitness levels; increases in aerobic capacity are, of course, also possible).

Anyone who has done hill workouts understands how grueling they can be, but thankfully this sacrifice has an immediate payoff. Doing tough workouts significantly alters your rate of perceived exertion whilst doing other activities. For example, you will almost instantly have a reframed perception of flat-surface running after doing hills, and they will now feel much easier.

Doing sprint intervals of any kind, but especially on hills, can also have positive impacts on growth hormone production and fat loss. High-intensity activity turns your body into a furnace, and teaches it to utilize maximum resources in short amounts of time. For anyone with time restrictions, incorporating hill running into your training can be a beneficial training decision.

What Type of Hill Running Is Best for Me?

It truly is dependant on your goals. One of the main benefits of this form of training is the variability and crossover benefits that it offers. Whether you try a new route that includes an incline, devote specific training sessions to hill sprints, or take up trail running for more repeated exposure, they’ll all provide a positive impact on you as a runner.

Injury Prevention & Hill Running

It is important to keep in mind the increased demand that hill running places on your body. The effects of gravity are intensified when running uphill, and as a result require you to produce more force to break the inertia being enforced upon you. Injury as runners is something we want to avoid as much as possible, so consider these tips when adding hill running to your repertoire.

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Walk Before You Run

If you’re a brand new runner, it might be wise to incorporate some more hiking type workouts into your week before you start running up hills. This will give your feet, lower leg, and knees some time to adapt to the strength requirements of going up and down hills over the course of a run. From there, you can slowly start to integrate gradual inclines into your routes.

Run Before You Sprint

Injuries are more common in sprinters than they are in long-distance runners. If you’re already at a higher risk of injury (for example, as a beginner), this has the potential of being magnified if you start sprinting up hills too early in your training. Once you’ve exposed yourself to inclines by walking, slowly start adding them to your running routes, and save the hill sprints for later on.

Sprint With Running in Mind

Do hill sprints sparingly and with caution if using as a supplement to longer distance running. Because of the increased load you put through your body while sprinting, they can really take it out of you. You’ll want to keep hill sprint sessions short, fast, and powerful. They shouldn’t be done to failure, but instead in short intervals with long recovery breaks.

Strength Training & Hill Running

Supplementing your hill workouts with a strength training program is a definite recipe for success in running. There is increased demand on the leg extensors, hip flexors and plantar flexors as the gradient of a hill increases. Targeting these areas with load-specific exercises is a good way to reduce the risk of imbalances and injury in the running athlete.

Our extensive programming here at Dynamic Runner has been designed to help you do exactly that. We have hundreds of high-quality and follow-along routines made for runners just like you who want to run, train, and compete pain-free. Join a community of thousands of runners worldwide by clicking here to sign up for a 7-day free trial!

 Written by Eric Lister – Certified Personal Trainer & Corrective Exercise Specialist