9:07 amWorkout Tips, ,

5 Types of Hill Workouts For Maximum Performance

Pete Magill and Grace Padilla offer some tips on how to incorporate 5 different types of hill workouts into your training schedule to build strength, speed and endurance in a short time in this 9 minute video:

The dialog is a little corny at times, but it’s amusing to watch and they offer some great advice.

Here are the 5 types of workouts they recommend:

  1. Long Hill Runs build slow-twitch endurance by incorporating from half a mile to 2 or 3 miles of steep hills into your long run every 2nd or 3rd week.
  2. Long Hill Repeats strengthen intermediate fibers by running 4-8 30 second reps to start and working up to 90 second repeats.
  3. Short Hill Repeats strengthen fast twitch fibers with 30-60 yard repeats (about 8-10 seconds) at just under an all out sprint.
  4. Hill Springing & Bounding builds strength and improves stride on a moderate grade by doing 2-3 rep form drills. I definitely recommend watching the video to see what your form should be.
  5. Downhill Strides put a lot of stress on your quadriceps and make them stronger, and you should never do more than a few in any session.

Watch the video for details and to see examples of runners in action for each of the above workouts, and then see how you can incorporate them into your own training schedule.

(Source: Running Times)

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1:32 pmFitness, ,

Running Downhill

The DO Running Journal has a pretty good article about downhill running by John Harding. In it, there are six points to be made about downhill training:

  1. It is a good way to work fast twitch muscle fibers.
  2. It is a good way to develop and improve technique.
  3. It is a good way to test footwear options in different conditions for race day.
  4. It is a good way to build psychological preparation for downhill racing.
  5. The best place to attack is coming off the crest of a hill.
  6. It is a good way to let loose with “little kids syndrome.”

I dislike running down hill. I much prefer running up than running down. It is much easier to hurt yourself on a decline than on an incline, and there is a sensation of not being in control that I just have some small bit of trouble dealing with.
(Click here to continue reading…)

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