When the colder weather sets in, it becomes easier for some runners pack away their running shoes and go into hibernation. If this is what you’re like in winter then it’s time to change things up and take advantage of the incline benefits on the treadmill.
You’ll develop strength and stamina that will translate well for outdoor runs and races when you’re back on the road. Here are three fun and challenging hill workouts for the treadmill.
1. Powerful Hill Workout (50 minutes)
This workout doubles as a high-intensity interval session and builds power along with boosting your metabolism for hours postrun.
- Warm up by walking for 2 minutes.
- Run easy for 5 minutes.
- Repeat 8 times: Run for 90 seconds at a 4 to 5 percent incline at a pace that elevates your effort to the Red Zone (hard effort, breathing vigorously, can’t talk). Recover with a very easy jog at 0 percent incline for 3 minutes.
- Run easy for 5 minutes.
- Cool down by walking for 2 minutes.
Notes: The quality of your performance on the hill intervals depends greatly on the quality of your easy-jog recovery in between. Make sure to go slowly enough to get your breathing and heart rate down before you attempt the next hill interval.
2. Hilly Tempo Workout (45 minutes)
This is an effective combination of a tempo run and hill workout. It will boost your redline threshold and will teach you how to run hills by fee, a skill that will pay off on race day.
- Warm up by walking for 2 minutes.
- Run easy for 8 minutes.
- Repeat 1: Run five minutes at a 1 percent incline and at a pace that elevates your effort level to the top of the Orange Zone, or Zone 4 if you use a heart rate monitor.
- Recovery 1: Jog or walk for 2 minutes to recover.
- Repeat 2: Run five minutes at a 2 percent incline and at a pace that elevates your effort level to where it was on the previous rep.
- Recovery 2: Jog or walk for 2 minutes to recover.
- Repeat 3: Run five minutes at a 3 percent incline and at a pace that elevates your effort level to where it was on the previous rep.
- Recovery 3: Jog or walk for 2 minutes to recover.
- Repeat 4: Run five minutes at a 4 percent incline and at a pace that elevates your effort level to where it was on the previous rep.
- Recovery 4: Jog or walk for 2 minutes to recover.
- Run easy for 5 minutes.
- Cool down by walking for 2 minutes.
Notes: The secret to running this workout optimally is to tune into your effort level (or heart rate) and find the pace that puts you in the target zone on the given day. The pace will slow as the incline increases with each repetition.
3. Mindfully Long Hill Workout (50-60+ minutes)
This workout is all about running mindfully, getting in the flow of hill running, and building hill-running endurance.
- Warm up by walking for 2 minutes.
- Run easy for 8 minutes.
- Repeat 3 times: Run one mile at a 3 percent incline at an easy effort in the Yellow Zone, or Zone 2 for heart rate. After each mile, run 2 minutes at 0 percent incline, at a faster, but controlled Orange Zone (or Zone 3 heart rate) effort to simulate the speed of running downhill. Then, run one minute easy (Yellow Zone) at 0 percent before moving on to the next rep.
- Run easy for 5 minutes.
- Cool down by walking for 2 minutes.
Notes: Be the hill in this workout by adjusting your speed to truly run easy on the incline. If you can’t hold the incline within the easy Yellow Zone, lower the incline percentage or powerwalk it until you build the fitness to do so. Ultrarunners train and race with run-walking to keep their effort at an appropriate level, and it pays off with energy conservation during longer runs and races.