Running Up That Hill

Today I incorporated some hill intervals in my workout. Damn they are hard! Your lungs burn, your sides start to stitch and your butt starts to cramp - all the indicators of a good work out! 

Hill training is a fantastic form of training. It helps improve leg muscle strength, quickens your stride, helps to develop your cardiovascular system and will make you a faster, stronger and healthier runner.

In fact, Runners World says that in just 6 weeks of regular hill training you can significantly improve your speed and muscle power - who doesn't love a training style that has fast results?

Living in a hilly area (it's a love/hate relationship on that front),  I've found that the following tips help getting to the top

• Shorten your stride
• Slow down your pace
• Keep posture upright - don't lean forward!
• Keep your head down - don't look how far there is to go!
• Run on your toes when the going gets really tough
• Most importantly - don't forget to breathe!

It's also important make sure you come down the hill in a controlled fashion. Start with a short stride and as you accelerate down the hill you can lengthen your stride in a controlled fashion.

Then, as if my hamstrings, calves & glutes hadn't had enough of a workout, I added in a few minutes of dead lifts into the strength section of my workout. What a way to strengthen my leg muscles! 

Give hill intervals a go on your next run! Start with a 5-10 minute warm up & try just 4 or 5 times up the hill. Keep it regular & see how fast you see improvements in your flat runs. 



Source:

http:www.runnnersworld.co.uk