Utilizing Hill Training to Develop Speed

By Mitch Hauschildt, MA, ATC, CSCS

 

It is well known and excepted that speed is a simple equation:

            Stride Frequency X Stride Length

In order to train for speed, you need to improve one or the other, or, ideally both.  An athlete will become faster if they get through their gait cycle more quickly and/or cover more distance with each step.  Typically, the easier of the two parameters to train is the stride length.  This is performed by increasing the athlete’s speed strength.  Essentials of Strength and Conditioning defines speed strength as “the ability to exert maximal force during high-speed movement.”

One of my favorite techniques for developing speed strength in our sprint athletes is hill training.  The advantages of hill training are well documented by multiple research studies.  One of the best studies was performed at the University of Georgia by researchers who studied a group of young women as they performed horizontal and uphill interval running workouts.  Shortly after their training, they performed MRIs on the subjects to look for muscle activity and metabolic changes at a cellular level.  What they found was rather substantial as it pertains to speed strength and power development.  First off, the total muscle activity of the lower extremity was 6% higher following hill training than with horizontal running.  Essentially, 6% more muscle is firing when running uphill. 

What I find much more interesting, however, is the activity of the specific muscle groups.  As shown above, there is significantly more activity in the muscles of the calf, quads, and glutes during hill training.  This shows that the primary propulsive muscles (Gastroc, Quads, Sartorius, and Glutes) of the lower body are firing at a much higher rate when running uphill.  The athlete is producing more power by recruiting more of the motor units within their muscle tissue.  What you will also notice is that the lower hamstring muscles (Semitendinosis, Gracilis, and Semimembraneous) fire at a much lower rate than with horizontal running.  This is positive, because many of our athletes naturally possess overactive hamstrings, posing a braking force during sprinting, slowing them down.  By teaching the hamstrings to shut down, you can minimize brake forces during all sprints.

Research also states that we will start to see permanent muscular changes within the body after 3-5 weeks of consistent training.  Regular hill training sessions of 1-2 times per week for 6-8 weeks will be effective for improving the athlete’s ability to create speed strength.  I caution you, however, to use this as a tool in your larger training program.  Exclusive use of hill training for speed development has been shown to lead to hamstring deficiencies. 

Hill training is also an excellent tool for improving a runner’s mechanics.  Sprinting at elevation forces the athlete to a position of Triple Flexion (Hip Flexion, Knee Flexion, and Ankle Dorsi Flexion), which is the optimal position for the athlete as they finish the recovery phase of the leg cycle and prepare for toe placement.  It becomes a self limiting exercise—meaning that if an athlete doesn’t perform it correctly themselves with very little outside input, they won’t be able to perform it at all.  We have spent hours working with athletes over the ground trying to instill proper hip flexion and ankle dorsi flexion while maintaining a neutral pelvic and trunk position.  Fortunately, a few runs at elevation, and the poor neuromuscular pattern is broken.

At HealthTracks, I have the ability to train easily and efficiently uphill on our Woodway ELG high speed treadmill.  It enables us to sprint anywhere from 0-35% elevation during a given workout.  Not everyone has an ELG, but every coach or athlete has access to hills to train on in their community.  Depending on the needs of the athlete, various grades can be used.  For more strength and power, utilize a steep grade.  Conversely, for your athlete that has a good strength base, but needs help converting it to speed strength, use an easier grade and emphasize the speed of the movement.  Hill training needs to be explosive by nature, so allow for a lot of recovery and encourage a high level of intensity for their sprints.  For the best results, mix multiple grades of hill sprinting with horizontal running, plyometrics and agility training.  Couple that with a quality strength and core stability program and you’re set.

 

 Back to Articles

Back to Home