If I could add one thing to most women's training, it would be hills. They build strength, speed and resilience all at once, and they are far kinder to your body than they feel. Here is how to use them properly.
Hills get a bad reputation because they hurt. But that burn is doing something valuable. Hill running is basically strength training disguised as running, and it is one of the most efficient sessions you can do, especially when time is tight.
Here is why hills work so well, the different types and what each one gives you, the mistakes that make them miserable, and how to slot them into your week without breaking yourself.
Running uphill forces your glutes, calves and hamstrings to work hard against gravity, which builds running-specific strength and power. It also improves your running economy, meaning you use less energy at any given pace. And because your feet do not crash down as hard going up, the impact is actually lower than flat-out running on the level.
The catch is the downhill, where the braking load on your muscles is high. Respect that side and hills become one of the safest hard sessions you can do.
Why Hills Work So Well
- Running-specific strength and power. Driving up a hill loads your glutes, hamstrings and calves in exactly the pattern you run in. It is strength that transfers straight to your stride.
- Better running economy. Regular hill work is linked to improved economy, so you hold the same pace for less effort on the flat.
- Aerobic and VO2 benefit. Longer hill efforts push your heart and lungs hard, building fitness like intervals do.
- Lower impact going up. The uphill reduces the pounding through your joints compared with fast flat running, which is kind if you are injury-prone.
- Mental grit. Learning to stay strong and relaxed when a hill is screaming at you is a skill that pays off on every tough race.
The Main Types of Hill Session
Not all hills do the same job. Match the session to what you want.
Short, hard efforts of around 8 to 20 seconds up a steepish hill, with a full walk-back recovery so each one is fresh and powerful.
- Think powerful, not frantic. Drive the arms, push off strongly, stay tall.
- These build strength and pop in your stride with very little fatigue cost. A brilliant starting point for beginners.
- Start with a handful and build up over weeks. Quality over quantity.
Longer efforts of around 60 seconds to 3 minutes up a moderate hill at a strong but controlled effort, jogging or walking back down to recover.
- These build strength endurance and aerobic fitness at the same time.
- Keep the effort even. You should finish the last rep looking similar to the first, not falling apart.
- Great value when you are short on time, because you get strength and a hard aerobic session in one.
Controlled running down a moderate slope to train your legs for the braking load and to get comfortable descending.
- Quick, light, slightly shorter steps with your feet landing underneath you, not reaching out and slamming the brakes.
- Introduce it gradually. Downhill creates a lot of muscle soreness at first, so a little goes a long way.
- Essential if your race has descents. Do not meet a big downhill for the first time on race day.
Three Mistakes on the Hills
Charging the first effort flat out, then crawling through the rest in a heap. You get a worse session and a worse training effect.
Fix: start controlled. Aim to run the last rep as strongly as the first.
Treating the descent as just recovery and either braking hard the whole way or bombing down out of control. The eccentric load down hills is where a lot of soreness and some injuries come from.
Fix: practise downhills deliberately, gradually, with quick light steps.
Always doing the same long, hard grind and never the short powerful sprints. You miss out on the strength and speed that short hills give for very little fatigue.
Fix: use both. Short sprints for power, longer repeats for fitness.
Four tests at home, then a twenty minute routine built around whichever one you fail.
Form on the Hills
A few simple cues make hills feel much better, both directions. Going up, shorten your stride and keep your feet turning over quickly rather than trying to hold your flat pace. Lean very slightly from the ankles, not folded at the waist, drive your arms, and keep your gaze up the hill rather than down at your feet. Accept that your pace will drop and your effort will stay high. That is exactly right. Coming down, resist the two extremes of slamming the brakes, which hammers your quads and knees, or letting go completely and overstriding out of control. The sweet spot is quick, light, slightly shorter steps with your feet landing underneath you, letting gravity help without reaching out in front on every step. Good uphill and downhill form is a learnable skill, and it saves your legs for the parts of the race that count.
How to Fit Hills Into Your Week
- Begin with one hill session a week. That is plenty to see benefits without overloading you.
- Warm up properly first with easy running, because hills ask a lot of cold muscles.
- If you are new to them, start with short hill sprints. They give strength with minimal soreness, so they are the gentlest way in.
- Build the number of reps or the length of the hill gradually over weeks. Do not jump from nothing to a brutal session.
- Follow a hard hill session with an easy day, the same as any other quality workout.
Hills When You Have No Hills
If you live somewhere flat, you are not completely stuck. A treadmill with an incline does a good job of the uphill work, letting you set a gradient and run strong efforts safely, though it will not replicate downhill running. A multi-storey car park ramp, a motorway footbridge, a stretch of canal bank or even a long set of outdoor steps can all serve as your hill. You do not need a mountain. A gradient you can run hard up for 20 seconds to a couple of minutes is all it takes. And if genuine hills really are impossible, your strength training in the gym becomes even more important, because that is the other main way to build the running-specific strength that hills give you. The two work beautifully together, and I cover the gym side in my piece on strength standards for runners.
Why Hills Suit Women Especially Well
Hills are a brilliant fit for the time-pressed female athlete, and not only because they are efficient. They give you strength work without needing a gym, a session you can do straight from your front door if you have a slope nearby. They are lower impact going up, which suits women who are more prone to certain bone and joint stresses. And they build the kind of durable, resilient strength that holds your form together late in a race, exactly when a lot of us fall apart. For anyone short on time, juggling training around work and family, a 30-minute hill session can give you strength, speed and aerobic fitness all at once. That is hard to beat.
A Simple First Hill Session
If you have never done a structured hill session, here is one to start with. Nothing fancy, and you only need a slope that takes you 20 to 30 seconds to run up at a strong effort.
- Warm up: 10 to 15 minutes of easy running on the flat, so your legs are ready.
- The set: run up the hill strong and controlled for around 20 seconds, then walk or jog all the way back down to recover fully.
- Start with 4 to 6 reps. Each one should feel powerful, not a death march. If the quality falls off badly, stop.
- Cool down: 10 minutes easy on the flat.
- Build over weeks by adding a rep or two, not by making every session longer and harder at once.
Do that once a week for a month and you will feel stronger and springier in your normal running. From there you can add longer repeats as a second type of session.
Training for a Hilly Race
If your race has real hills in it, you need to practise them specifically, because hilly racing is a skill as much as a fitness thing. Running the climbs in training teaches you how hard you can push up a hill without blowing your whole race, and the honest answer is usually gentler than you think. On race day, run the uphills by effort, not pace, keeping something in reserve, and let your pace drop while your effort stays steady. Then use the downhills and flats to make your time back, running the descents with quick, light, controlled steps rather than braking. Practising downhills in training is what lets you do this without trashing your quads early. If you only ever train on the flat and then meet a hilly course on the day, your legs get a nasty surprise, and it is often the downhills, not the ups, that leave you wrecked in the final miles. Train the terrain you are going to race on. Your legs will thank you in the last 10k.
Are Hills Safe If You're Injury-Prone?
For a lot of women who pick up niggles easily, hills are actually one of the friendlier hard sessions, as long as you are sensible. The uphill running is lower impact than fast flat running, so your joints take less of a pounding while your muscles still work hard. The part to respect is the downhill, where the braking load is high and can aggravate knees and quads if you overdo it too soon. So if you are injury-prone, lean into uphill work, start with the short sprints, and bring in downhill running slowly and in small doses. Build gradually, warm up properly, and never jump straight from no hills into a big punishing session. Done this way, hills tend to build the kind of strength that prevents injuries rather than causing them. If you have a current injury, clear hard hill work with your physio first.
The Short Version
Hills are strength training you can do in your running shoes, with lower impact than flat speed on the way up.
They build running-specific strength, improve economy, boost fitness and build mental grit.
Short hill sprints give power with little fatigue. Longer repeats build strength endurance and fitness. Use both.
Respect the downhill. The braking load is high, so practise descending gradually with quick, light steps.
Start with one session a week, warm up well, and build reps and length slowly.
No hills? Use a treadmill incline, a ramp, steps or a bridge, and lean on your strength work.
Stop dreading the hills and start using them. They will make you a stronger, faster, more durable runner, and they ask for very little time in return. Go and find one. Find your glow.
This article is general training information, not individual coaching or medical advice. If you have a current injury or a medical condition, check with a physiotherapist or GP before adding hard hill work.
- You avoid hills because they hurt and you are not sure you are doing them right
- You want to get stronger and faster but are short on time
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