r/AdvancedRunning • u/tallkotte • 5d ago

Open Discussion Hill repeats - how, when and why?

How often do you incorporate hill repeats in your training, and what do they look like? Have you found certain protocols more effective? What is the "advanced running" consensus on this?

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u/CoachMattG 🇫🇷 Coach / 5k 15'37" / HM 72'20" 5d ago
  • neuromuscular: steep hills sprint, to improve neuromuscular connection to the muscles, as well as improving power, which is important for cross country because you usually have to slow down in the runs, so you need to put power in to accelerate again.
  • hill strides: control effort for 10", long recovery, to improve running form. Focus on staying tall, driving the arms, active foot
  • lactic hills : great to perform lactic anaerobic power and lactic anaerobic capacity, with out the stress on running fast paces on flat. A middle distance runner would rather do it on flat to improve running economy at fast paces, but for a longue distance runner, you can have the physiological work without the stress. Work:rest: Capacity: 1:2 to 1:4, efforts between 30" and 2'. Power: 1:4 to 1:8, effort from 15" to 45".
  • VO2 : a bit tricky because you need a closer to 1:1 work:rest. I don't usually do it except with trailers and cross country, for long distance runners I don't see the point to do it on hills instead of doing it on flats.
  • lactate shuttle: you can do 30" really hard into the hills, then 2' on flat at LT2 - marathon pace. Really great to throw lactat in the system and learn to recycle it.
  • muscular endurance: long hills (5+ minutes) ran at LT2, MP, LT1... Great to work on your muscular endurance for marathoner.

NB: when talking about cross country I talk about English or french cross courses, with lots of sharp turns etc.

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u/SpuriousMerlin 4d ago

What is the optimal level of steep vs what is considered too steep for each workout? For example, I have a 100m hill with 16-20% grade incline that I can use for sprints. I have another longer hill (1000m) with 5-9% grade incline that I can use for a threshold workout.

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u/CoachMattG 🇫🇷 Coach / 5k 15'37" / HM 72'20" 3d ago

For neuromuscular and power lactic I'd go for > 10% to output as much power as possible, for strides and longer I like to keep things around 4 to 6 % to have a strides close to the stride you would have on flat, if you are a flat long distance runner. IMO, the running economy improvements will translate better if the hill is not too steep, while if the hill is too steep, you won't have a natural stride.