Running is a fantastic cardiovascular exercise that burns calories, improves your metabolism no end, and prevents heart problems. But if you really want to benefit from this particular exercise, you need to opt for a high-intensity form – in other words, high intensity interval training, or HIIT. Combining HIIT with hill repeats is a fantastic way to improve your fitness and your strength. Interval hill running is a particular form of high intensity interval training that is the ideal option if you want to shed the pounds, build on your endurance levels, and score high on the fitness and health scales. To boost your VO2 max, which measures your body’s ability to produce energy and use oxygen efficiently, all you need to do is sprint regularly at your absolute maximum three times a week. Furthermore, three 20 second sprints at maximum capacity three times a week could increase your aerobic capacity by as much as 15 per cent. Interval hill sprints are the ideal union between leg squats and sprints, as they engage fast-twitch muscles which increase your speed and pump your legs with lactic acid, which eventually develops fatigue resistance. If you’re looking to boost muscle, hill sprints are perfect as they are performed in opposition to gravity, as opposed to running on flat surfaces, so they build muscle mass.
When you begin a hill running workout, you need to bear four crucial things in mind. These are as follows: the gradient, the duration, the total number of sprints and the recovery period between each interval. The length and intensity of each sprint depends on your fitness level and what your goals are, so you need to find the right combination for you – there’s no ‘one size fits all’ workout here. The gradient should be fairly low if you’re a beginner, so aim for a hill with a gradient of four to eight per cent before you increase it. Sharp hills which have a gradient of 10 to 15 per cent have a better effect on your strength, but they are a lot harder on your calves and Achilles tendons, so they aren’t suitable for beginners. With regards to duration, this depends on how fit you are. If you’re new to exercise, you may find that your physically can’t exercise for too long without getting tired and out of breath. But if you want to boost power and speed, you should aim for sprints of 5 to 15 seconds.
If you’re hoping to improve fatigue resistance, sprints of 20 to 30 seconds are perfect. Finally, to improve your fitness overall and really boost your endurance, you should aim for sprints of longer than 30 seconds. Regular sprints are the way to go if you want to build lung power and muscle, so you need to do as many as you can, as long as you feel in control of it and are able to maintain good form. When your form begins to waver, or you can’t sustain the intensity of the sprint for any more time, you need to stop for the day and take a break. The next step is recovery – everyone needs to give their body time to relax. This is vital time as it gives your body chance to prepare for your next run, and to rejuvenate. Rest for 45 seconds to a minute for every 10 to 25 seconds of sprinting – this is a good rule of thumb to follow on every sprint workout.