Currently on Arnys plan, on 25% due to wary of shin splints but moving on 50% next week For Thursday the hill sprint day I'm struggling s bit as I live in south east London there ain't many hills around here. I run up one but it to be honest isn't ridiculously steep, and it goes on for 0.15 miles Should I find a shorter and steeper hill as I'm not sure this fits the criteria that army says in his plan "steep as *text deleted*" and 100-150 meters?
Running up metal stairs? Wouldn’t this be a bit dangerous, if you fall then your proper *text deleted*ed
I was thinking about regular, concrete stairs in tall buildings. You don't get the speed up admittedly but you'll certainly feel the 'burn'.
I’m in a pretty flat area and stairs are the only option for me, I’m sure a longer hill would be better but it still does get the legs working hard and the blood pumping.
So do you guys reckon that this 0.15 mile hill is way too long *text deleted* it’s starts off with me full on sprinting but i slow down towards the end should I go for steeper and a bit shorter, maybe 100-150 meters like arnys suggests? And yeah but if you fall on concrete stairs that’s still *text deleted* be dangerous and a high risk of injury
Steeper and shorter is a good formula. But mix it up a bit too. On a longer hill maybe mix in some intervals of strong, sustainable sprinting. Gaps between street furniture such as lamp posts can mark start and finishes for sprinting. But best effort sprints up a ·15 mile hill are going to benefit you even if you perceive yourself slowing towardrs the top. The answer here is perhaps a training partner to race against to help maximise effort. I agree that it sounds risky—and of course care is needed—but from personal experience by the time one reaches the top of, say, an eight storey flight of steps one might not actually be moving fast enough to injure oneself. A bigger inconvenience is that other people also use the stairs so that can create interruptions. One risk associated with fast sprints up steeper slopes is that of tripping over one's own feet. Something I have recent experience of but as I've been told repeatedly it was a natural consequence of attempting to race someone forty years younger than me.
I did a 75 metre hill and a 200m hill alternating each week to make sure I was ready for everything. I also did stair sprints followed by box squats step ups and a couple of hill sprints you have to risk the slight chance of slipping for overall improvements
To my reckoning 0.15 mile is around 220 metres, so not excessively greater than what @arny01 recommends. You are bound to tail off as you go further up the hill, but as you get fitter you will go further before you start to slow down. If this doesn't do it for you then do what @Chelonian suggests and find some stairs in a car park or similar. No need to sprint, just run up them. My guess is that you will feel that your heart is coming out of your chest and your legs will be like jelly the first time you try it. You will often see footballers/rugby players doing similar up the stadium stairs, so it's really beneficial. With regards injury, probably the same risk as tripping over an uneven pavement. Alan
If your legs are screaming and hour Lungs are falling out of your *text deleted*. The hill is steep enough and long enough. As Alan says, as you get fitter just increase the load by adding more repeats and add In some gopping Excersises to further add to the joy.
Kick the *text deleted* out of it. Hills cost nothing. No gym fees and yet the training benefit is significant. I've been sprinting up 'my' hill for about forty years now. It's a short but steep incline and strangely I'm now quite fond of it. Over the years I've come to terms with the fact that I'm now not as fast as I once was.
