Hill Bounding

Headed over to my favorite hill by Mallard Creek Elementary School for some hill repeats this morning, but rather than doing some hill sprints which is my usual Thursday morning workout, I switched it up a bit.

This morning, I decided rather than do hard sprints up the hill that I would focus on hill bounding.

You might be asking what the difference is so let me see if I can explain the difference as I do them.

When I am doing hill sprints, I typically choose a shorter hill, preferably on dirt, and relatively straight. Starting from the bottom of the hill – it is a hill sprint remember – I sprint up the hill as if I were running the last 100 meters of a race. I focus on good form and trying to stay relaxed. Once I reach the top, I slowly jog back to the bottom. Usually, by the time that I reach the bottom my breathing has returned to normal.

For hill bounding, I do something a little different. I am less concerned with the overall speed as with the hill sprint and more concern with bounding from one foot to the other. If you are looking for a quick comparison, imagine the bounding that occurs during the triple jump event. The exaggerated stride that occurs just before the runner leaps into the sand pit. Take this same image and imagine doing the same bounding but going uphill.

I usually do between 6 and 10 repeats depending on where I am in my training cycle.

Essentially, hill bounding could be considered strength training for the legs. When done right, the effects can be felt from the hips down the entire leg and into the foot.

So the next time, you want to shake up your training, try some hill bounding.

 

Running ideas from the Cool Down Runner.