If you’ve never really dabbled in hill running, we are going to give you something approachable and doable that’s going to get you introduced to it. We are also going to discuss how hill running will make your regular running so much stronger!
Hill running is a great way to spike your heart rate and expand your ability to take in oxygen. It’s very low impact compared to running on flat pavement for several miles. It’s also a great way to get a lot of work in for a lot less time.
Now that we know why it’s great, let’s dive into some circuit ideas.
Power Walk and Run
It’s going to be 10 rounds total of work, where you’re going to be alternating a 45-second power walk up the hill with a light jog back down alternated with a 25-second run or jog up the hill and then again, jog back down. So it’s 10 rounds, five of each.
Both the power walk and the run have the same mechanics applied to them:
- Big arm swing
- Upper body and chest up tall
- Everything inline next to you and not crossing in front of you
- Hips pushed forward so glutes and hamstrings are engaged
- Don’t collapse forward
- For the power walk, take nice normal steps, not too big and not too small.
- For the run, take smaller steps right under you versus that big power walks stride to make the hill more manageable!
Remember to aim to get to the same point with the run and the power walk at least each time, so you don’t keep lowering yourself back down the hill because you will be returning to the same start each time.
Warm-Up and Cool-Down
Always remember to warm up and cool down before you hill run. Make sure you take at least five minutes to get your heart rate settled at the end.
As far as picking a hill, make sure you pick something 4-5% gradient and manageable so that you can keep moving up the whole time.
Are you interested in more workouts like this? Check out our blog You Only Need 10 Minutes To Exercise for another quick and effective workout.