If there’s one way to get yourself out of a fitness rut, it’s running up hills. These natural obstacles are great for challenging your muscles and getting your cardio in shape, but you don’t need to have a hill nearby to get the benefits.
Alternatively, you can use a treadmill, which I did every day for two weeks. I was getting bored of just putting on my best running shoes and running on flat roads, so I decided to change it up with this two-week challenge.
For two weeks, I mostly did incline sprints on the treadmill because I could specify the exact incline and speed, and there really aren’t that many hills around me, so it was addictive torture. It’s all about fitness.
Why Hill Sprints?
Well, hill sprints not only add variety to my running routine and keep me from getting bored with my regular runs, but I also love the challenge and intensity. In fact, every sprint brought a small tear to my eye.
Plus, interval training is a great way to improve your aerobic capacity, or heart and lung fitness, in general, according to a study published in the journal Neurology. PLoS OneSo it’s good for your heart and lungs.
To keep it interesting, some days I’d climb a steep hill, some days I’d climb at a slower pace, and some days I’d sprint up a gentler hill. I’d do 8-14 repetitions with 30-60 second breaks, or jog 100-200 meters.
Want to know what happened during those 14 fun days? Absolutely! Here’s a quick rundown of 2 weeks of hill sprints.
Gluteus muscles working hard
If you want a glute workout that doesn’t involve hip thrusts or squats, this is for you. I noticed how much force I had to put into my glutes to lift them up, like when I’m walking up stairs.
For this reason, I make sure to activate my glutes before my hill sprint sessions so that they can function properly to get me up. This includes bodyweight squats with a resistance band, glute bridges, and low squat walks.
Jake Dearden, Hirox The master trainer says: “Because of the incline, your glutes and quads have to work harder to push you up, creating more resistance and ultimately working your muscles harder.”
Jake Dearden is a Fitness Coach at 247 Represent, a HYROX Master Trainer, and a HYROX Open and Pro World Record Holder.
Dearden adds that it’s not the only leg activity: “Your hamstrings and calves also get an extra hit as they help push off the ground and maintain stability during sprints up hills. [leading] You’ll increase your strength and power, and the added resistance will build your lower body strength more effectively than flat sprinting.”
I was sweating a lot.
Sweat doesn’t really indicate how hard you worked out, but if you want to really sweat, try running uphill. Running uphill is the sweatiest workout I’ve ever done.
The session wasn’t long — just 20 minutes — but I’ll be honest, I was soaked I could have wrung out my top. I was soaked. Many of the best treadmills have built-in fans, but they’re not all that useful during high-intensity workouts.
Lululemon recently introduced a line of sweat-stain-resistant polo shirts using its new SweatZero fabric, which will no doubt be useful if it makes its way into regular workout wear, but until then, it’s still worth carrying a water bottle to stay hydrated while sprinting up the hills.
I tested my stamina with hill sprints.
Normal sprints on flat ground are tough. No matter how many times you do them, they’re always a challenge. But add hills to the mix? It was a whole different story. My heart and lungs were having to work overtime just to keep me going, and they were trembling.
And because I structured the challenge like high-intensity interval training (HIIT), with short bursts of intense work with minimal rest, the two-week challenge had a similar effect on my fitness.
Moreover, according to a study published in the journal At the forefront of sports and active livingHill running in particular has been positively correlated with improved aerobic capacity, which is your V02 max, which is basically the maximum amount of oxygen you can use at one time.
My knees didn’t hurt
Running on the flat always leaves my muscles and joints sore, but when I sprinted up the hill I noticed my knees and hamstrings (two areas that always hurt) felt a lot better. And it makes sense, says Dearden.
“Hill training maximises your training while minimising the risk of injury,” he explains. “The incline of the hill forces you to take shorter strides, reducing the force exerted on your body and therefore reducing the risk of injury.”
Form is key
Running hills requires a slightly different form than running on the flats, and just like running on the flats, form makes a big difference. I’ve found that focusing on my form over the last two weeks has made me run faster.
When explaining the form needed to sprint up a hill, Dearden says posture is key: “Lean slightly forward from your hips. This helps you use the slope of the hill to maintain your balance and momentum.”
“Instead of lowering your head and looking at the floor, keep your eyes fixed on the ground a few metres away while keeping your head fixed on it,” he suggests.
Additionally, Dearden says that in hill sprints, you should aim to engage your arms actively, with your elbows at about a 90-degree angle from your body: “Your arm path should be from your waist to your chest.
“Lift your knees higher than you would on flat ground and push off onto the balls of your feet. This creates more power and leads to a stronger, more efficient stride,” adds Dearden.
When sprinting on flat ground, I typically take longer strides and move forward as quickly as possible. But when sprinting in hills, I found that the best way to maintain speed while going fast was to take shorter strides, run faster, and maintain a high cadence (steps per minute).
My Verdict on the 2 Week Hill Sprint Challenge
Well, what I’m saying is that I can definitely recommend incorporating some hills into your routine. Not only will they test your cardiovascular and muscular endurance, but the more you do it, the fitter you’ll feel.
By the end of the two weeks, I was able to increase the incline a bit and maintain the same pace as before. The challenge challenged my muscles more than a sprint on a flat road, and my lower body felt like it had endured a weight training session.
The kick in my glutes during hill sprints was so amazing that I plan to continue adding hill sprints to the end of my glute training at the gym.
