Jennis Fitness

Running hill repeats is a great way to test your body, improve your fitness levels, and build strength and stamina, plus they're quick and effective. Jess Ennis-Hill explains how they work and shares 3 simple sessions you can try today...

When we run on a hill, our bodies need to adapt to the incline, which means your heart rate, oxygen consumption and calorie burn all rise. Because of the extra intensity, hill runs are perfect workouts for if you're short on time but want extra impact or you want a session that's going to push your fitness.

What’s a hill repeat anyway?

Literally, it’s just what it sounds. You run up a hill as fast as you can, then you gently jog or walk back down the hill to the point where you started. And then you do it all over again.

The key is to choose a hill with enough of an incline to challenge you, but not so steep that you won’t be able to complete your sets with power and good form. Ideally, your hill measures around 100m in length, but if you’re not sure, walk up it, counting each step – 100 steps is roughly 100m.

If your hill is longer, work out where your 100m marker is and make that your turn-around point.

3 hill repeat sessions to try today

As we said at the beginning, the ideal is to find a 100m (ish) hill with a decent incline – but you can work with whatever hills you have near where you like to train.

You will also need your phone or watch to time those 2-minute rest periods after each sprint. Start your two-minute rest period once you get to the top of the hill. Then slowly walk back downhill to your starting point and wait there until your two minutes is up. Then off you go again!

BEGINNER

Warm up by jogging slowly or walking briskly up the hill, then walk back down again, then repeat. You should be ready for the harder effort, but if you still feel tight, go again.

1 set of 4 reps

- Uphill sprint, followed by 2-minute rest (during each rest period, slowly walk back down the hill to your start point) - Uphill sprint + 2-minute rest - Uphill sprint + 2-minute rest - Uphill sprint - A 2-minute recovery, where you keep walking to get that heart rate down and stretch out your quads. Don’t skimp on this. You’ll thank us later, as it helps stop lactic (sore muscles)

INTERMEDIATE

Warm up by jogging slowly or walking briskly up the hill, then walk back down again, then repeat. You should be ready for the harder effort, but if you still feel tight, go again.

2 sets of 4 reps each, with a 4-minute recovery between sets

Set 1

- Uphill sprint, followed by 2-minute rest (during each rest period, slowly walk back down the hill to your start point) - Uphill sprint + 2-minute rest - Uphill sprint + 2-minute rest - Uphill sprint, then a longer 4-minute rest. Keep moving during this time, shake your legs out etc

Set 2 - Uphill sprint, followed by 2-minute rest (during each rest period, slowly walk back down the hill to your start point) - Uphill sprint, then 2-minute rest - Uphill sprint, 2-minute rest - Uphill sprint 

Then a 2-minute recovery, where you keep walking to get that heart rate down and stretch out your quads. Don’t skimp on this. You’ll thank us later, as it helps stop lactic (sore muscles).

ADVANCED

Warm up by jogging slowly or walking briskly up the hill, then walk back down again, then repeat. You should be ready for the harder effort, but if you still feel tight, go again.

2 sets of 6 reps, with a 4-minute recovery between sets

Set 1 - Uphill sprint, followed by 2-minute rest (during each rest period, slowly walk back down the hill to your start point) - Uphill sprint + 2-minute rest - Uphill sprint + 2-minute rest - Uphill sprint + 2-minute rest - Uphill sprint + 2-minute rest - Uphill sprint, then a longer 4-minute rest. Keep moving during this time, shake your legs out etc

Set 2 - Uphill sprint, followed by 2-minute rest (during each rest period, slowly walk back down the hill to your start point) - Uphill sprint + 2-minute rest - Uphill sprint + 2-minute rest - Uphill sprint + 2-minute rest - Uphill sprint + 2-minute rest - Uphill sprint

Then a 2-minute recovery, where you keep walking to get that heart rate down and stretch out your quads. Don’t skimp on this. You’ll thank us later, as it helps stop lactic (sore muscles).