Take running to new heights: A quick guide to hills

Up for a challenge? One of the easiest ways to develop power and strength in your running is by simply adding elevation. That’s why we created this short and simple guide to hill work.

Those new heights you’ll be reaching won’t just be literal heights. If you make hill work a regular part of your routine, your running game (and overall health) will see major improvements – specifically in terms of power and endurance.

A woman runs uphill on a wide trail set between two lines of trees. Hill work is a great way to add power to your running. — Weekly hill work is the perfect addition to a training plan if you’re looking to add power to your running.

We’ll teach you why hills work so well to condition runners; the two main types of hill work; and how to find hills in your area.

The benefits of hill work

Here are a few of the major benefits of training with hill work.

A power snowball

When going uphill, your body must move both forward and upward. To overcome the added strain of gravity, your body must work harder (by increasing its power output).

By regularly putting your body through this, your body will adapt by becoming more powerful. Becoming a more powerful runner will translate to a snowball of good things – longer running strides, faster paces, improved running economy, etc.

Improve strength, reduce injuries

Hills are hard. They put everything to work – your leg muscles, hips, ankles, feet, tendons, ligaments.

So by strengthening these areas safely during hill work, you’ll be better conditioned to avoid injuries during your regular runs.

Strengthens your cardiovascular system

Because your body is under added strain, your heart must beat harder. This will push you into a higher heart rate zone and begin conditioning your cardiovascular system.

For a refresher on heart rate zones and cardiovascular conditioning, check out these previous posts on heart rate zone training and the specifics on each zone.

New sights and challenges

Another benefit of hill work is the change of pace and scenery. If you’re getting bored of the same trails or treadmill plan, you will love a new challenge (and hopefully a new location to explore, too).

A trail winds up a hill surrounded by trees and greenery. Wooded trails with varying inclines are a beautiful way to shake up your running routine and avoid boredom. — A new scenic trail with the added challenges of rolling hills can be exactly what you need to avoid boredom during your runs.

Rolling hills versus sprinting hills

The two most common hill types are rolling hills and sprinting hills. Each style has specific benefits, and may be better suited to your training goals.

Rolling hills

These are excellent for extended hill work training. It works much the same way as interval training – stretches of flat land running broken up by the challenges of incline.

Look for a stretch of trail or road with multiple rolling hills, where you can run a sustained half mile to a mile.

You shouldn’t be maxing out on every hill, but the workload should feel more intense than running a flat course.

Sprinting hills

Hill sprints are made to work your body hard and fast. You’ll be pushing into your highest heart rate zones.

A roadway with a steep slope has cars, trees and buildings on either side, looking down into a city. Sidewalks along heavy-inclined roadways can provide a perfect sprinting hill. — The beauty of hill sprints is that you only need to find one good hill – whether it be on a trail or the sidewalk of a road you drive down every day. Run up, walk down, repeat.

For hill sprints, try to find a hill with a more aggressive incline. This allows for short duration sprints up the hill, followed by a walk or jog back down. Proper recovery time should be taken between sets.

How to find hills

If you live in a location that has naturally curvy topography, count yourself lucky. However, it can still be a challenge to find that perfect sloping back road or a peaceful wooded trail. Here are a couple great resources:

Start with your local state parks. Most feature miles and miles of running trails. Check out America’s Parks and chose your state to find parks near you.

A woman in running shorts and T-shirt runs down a grassland hill with mountains and clouds in the background. Some terrains offer beautiful naturally elevated trails that are perfect for hill work. — Some areas are blessed with beautiful, naturally sloping terrains. Use trail sites to find hidden treasures in your area that would be perfect for hill work.

Search sites like AllTrails and TrailLink, which feature details, reviews and photos on thousands of trails around the country.
Hack Google Maps to find hilly roads. Most map applications have a terrain feature that allows you to see topography as well as roadways. OmenLongBoards gives a quick how-to on the process.

If you’re a flatlander like us, you may have to get more creative.

A good set of stairs can replicate a sprinting hill. The key here is to find deep stairs with a slow incline that allow you to run smoothly in an uphill movement, versus a high-knee stair-stepping run. Also avoid narrow steps that pose tripping hazard.

A man runs up a wide set of wooden stairs. He has tattoos on his chest, arms and legs, and is wearing black shorts and white running shoes. — If hills aren’t an option in your area, look for stairs with a slow-grade incline and deep steps. Try running smoothly as if uphill versus high-knee stepping up the stairs.

Infrastructure can mimic rolling or sprinting hills. (Think parking garages, bridges, etc.) However, these pose possible safety and legal issues, so always take caution.
When all else fails, up the incline on your treadmill. Most treadmills also offer a rolling hill option in their pre-set programs.

Safety reminders for hill work

This wouldn’t be a proper guide to hill work without a few quick safety tips:

You need to have a base mileage before upping intensity. Don’t jump into steep hills when you’re a beginning runner. And let your body adjust to hill work with one or two sessions a week before moving all of your runs to higher elevations.
Running downhill can cause serious stress on joints and poses a tripping hazard. We recommend you run uphill and walk down to recover. (One exception here is for experienced trail runners who might utilize downhill running as a specific part of their plan.)
Like always, listen to your body. Sharp pain or discomfort that lasts more than a couple days are signs that you need to back off the hill work until you’re better conditioned.
This is new strain on the body, so make sure you take extra care of yourself. Roll and stretch before your run, ice after, and allow proper rest time.

When should you start hill work?

It’s important for beginning runners to establish a strong base before trying out advanced running techniques like hill work.

However, if your base is solid and you’re ready to challenge yourself further, then hill work is an excellent addition to your training plan.

We hope this guide to hill work has given you the confidence you need to get started.

Begin this training weekly or every other week until your body adjusts.

It shouldn’t take long to see an increase in power, longer strides, and faster race times.

A woman laces up gray and pink running shoes while crouched on one knee on a brick walkway. This guide to hill work should give you everything you need to know to lace up and get started. — As long as you have a decent base mileage, it’s time to lace up and get started. Swap your next scheduled run with hill work for a new challenge.

Additional resources:

To see other training methods, check out our guide to training with heart rate zones.

If you’re looking to increase speed before overall power, look back at our last post where we cover all the basics of speed work training.

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