Flat intervals did this too, but with hills, you don’t have to move as fast to reap the same rewards, Ferley says. That means your body produces less muscle-burning lactic acid at the same swift paces (plus, you’re better able to buffer the acids you do churn out). Why? For one thing, uphill intervals’ intensity improves what’s called your lactate threshold. → Join Runner’s World+ for the latest running and health news! 🏃🏾♀️🏃🏻♂️ The result: six weeks of hills boosted runners’ top speed and allowed them to sustain it 32 percent longer. In one study, Ferley randomly assigned some runners to crank up the incline and do hill workouts twice a week while others did faster repetitions on level ground (and a control group kept up their typical training). What Incline Should I Use on the Treadmill? So, he fired up his facility’s research-grade treadmills to fill the gap.
Now, science has begun to catch up to practice, thanks to research by Derek Ferley, Ph.D., director of sports science research and sports performance training at the Avera Sports Institute in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.įerley is a runner himself who’d always incorporated hills into his own half marathon and marathon training, but was surprised when a search in the early 2010s returned almost no peer-reviewed proof of inclines’ effectiveness in the exercise science literature. “And hill sprints or repeats can help improve running economy, which translates into less energy expended over the course of a longer distance race.”Ĭoaches like Reichmann and Julie Sapper, who coaches with her at Run Farther and Faster, have long touted hills’ benefits. “Physically, training on hills builds muscle strength,” says Maryland-based running coach Lisa Levin. But take on the challenge to climb them and you’ll find a pot of gold on the other side: a more powerful, efficient stride, which can net you faster times. Hills may loom large and daunting in a runner’s path.
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