Part IX · Running workouts
Hill Sprints: Short All-Out Runs Up a Steep Hill
How brief, all-out efforts on a steep hill build explosive strength, tendon resilience, and neuromuscular power.
Workout at a glance
25–40 min
- 01
Warmup
Breathe in and out through your nose
You could keep this up for hours
10–15 min
HR 65–80% · RPE 3/10
- 02
Sprints
Past thinking about your breathing
You could hold this for only a few seconds
1.5–2 min recovery · walk
4–8 × 8–15s
RPE 10/10
- 03
Cooldown
Breathe in and out through your nose
You could keep this up for hours
5–10 min
HR 65–80% · RPE 3/10
The lesson
- 01
Sprints reach your fastest fibres
Your highest-threshold fast-twitch fibres only work at a truly maximal effort. Hill sprints keep them switched on and make your feet, calves and tendons springier.
- 02
Find a steep, firm hill
8 to 12% on grass or asphalt, not loose gravel. You need 40 to 60 metres. The slope holds your speed down while the effort stays maximal.
- 03
Arrive warm
10 to 15 minutes of easy running, then three or four strides on the flat. Leave the hill alone until your legs feel springy.
- 04
Sprint for 8 to 15 seconds
Standing or rolling start, maximum effort. Lean from the ankles, pump the arms and drive the knees. Past 15 seconds it becomes a different workout.
- 05
Walk the whole way down
Take 90 seconds to 2 minutes, every rep. If you are still breathing hard when the next one starts, wait longer.
- 06
Stop when a rep slows
4 to 8 reps. End the session the moment a rep feels slower or sloppier than the one before.
Demonstration coming soon