One of the most satisfying feelings in the world as a runner: crushing a good hill workout day.
Sure, the first feels clunky.
The second repeat feels smoother.
By the third, you've found your rhythm and can embrace the hard.
But what if they NEVER start to feel easier?
Or worse, the next day, you always feel like an injury is trying to start?
Getting stronger and better at running hills takes two things:
practice
and
strength.
Hill-repeat story time.
There's a hill in The Arb in Ann Arbor, Michigan by Mitchell Fields.
It is 0.7miles long (one way.)
It is twisty, windy, switchback-y and unforgiving.
One cross country season: I suffered, but conquered it with 4 repeats.
The next cross country season: I suffered worse, did NOT conquer it, and could only eek out 3.
The worse part?
It wasn't the uphill that sucked. (ok, it kind of did...)
But the real pain point was the downhill.
The down hill murdered my knees.
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE between those two seasons:
Strength training regularly.
Let me help you AVOID the fate I suffered.
This week, I want to give you some exercises, designed specifically to help activate and strength your glutes for those hill repeat days.
Let's go.
BUILD STRONGER GLUTES for STRONGER HILLS
Circuit:
3 sets each // HEAVY weights
Army Crawl High Knee Lift*
4-8 reps ea side
Army Crawl Foot Lift* (hip internal rotation)
8-10 reps ea side
Deep Squat: Weights to Floor
8 Reps X HEAVY weight
Curtsey Lunge Progression: High Knee + Chop
8 Reps ea leg X medium-heavy weight (because balance).
WHY RUNNERS NEED STRONG GLUTES FOR UPHILL RUNNING
Army Crawl High Knee Lift*
I know you're wondering what the * is all about
THE SECRET: this exercise and the next are "activators". They're meant to help remind your body how to find your glutes and use them.
And we do this by placing you in a position that could look like running on the ground (I admit you have to get a little creative with this one) but also...
it asks your glutes to work into abduction and extension, two motions that require your booty muscles to do all the work.
Army Crawl Foot Lift*
we can always use little active mobility work
THE KEY: this exercise helps work the remaining muscles we didn't hit with the first exercise. This one focuses on helping activate deep glute muscles that perform internal rotation. It also helps if your hips feel constantly tight. It's likely that your hip internal rotation range of motion isn't so hot.
I know this exercise looks silly, and might not feel like much. Roll with it anyway. Let your body warm up. The hard stuff is coming.
SIDE NOTE: if you want to do just these two exercises as a little super set, great idea! get the 3 rounds of these 2 two done first, and then move on to strength.
Deep Squat: Weights to Floor
Trust me: not your basic squat.
STORY TIME: not gonna lie, I totally scoffed at this squat in a workout program I did until I had to do it for 4 rounds. I wasn't crying by the end, but I also wasn't knocking it anymore.
Something very important for runners: strengthening our muscles through their entire range of motion, meaning for their entire length and YOUR ENTIRE STRIDE!
While this double leg squat doesn't look like running, I don't think many of use could do a single leg version (think pistol squat).
Asking your glutes to work hard, powering you up from the very bottom of your squat prepares you for the steepest hills, especially the ones that make you question whether you're actually moving forward or not.
Curtsey Lunge Progression: High Knee + Chop
This if the fun part ;)
PRO TIP: don't feel you have to jump to the hardest version of this right away. That's why in the video, I give you different versions to play with.
I genuinely enjoy curtsey lunges because they can become an amazing single leg balance challenge and glute-strengthener that require more core stability than you'd think
Starting with a high knee makes this exercise look like running. Sweeping that leg behind you brings the booty burn and the balance challenge. Adding a weight takes it up a notch, and adding the chop integrates your core (aanndd more balance challenge ;) )
Add one layer at a time. Don't be afraid to play!
WRAPPING UP
BEFORE YOU GO..... I NEED YOU TO PAY ATTENTION to this.
Remember my hill workout story from the beginning?
Season No 1: I rocked that hill;
Season No 2: the hill rocked me?
Strength training is the secret, yes.
These exercises will help you: TRUE.
But these 4 exercises are meant to be a starting point.
To truly conquer mile long hills (or greater. Some races have 3 miles ascents...)
You need strong LEGS.
Like...all the leg muscles.
To give you exercises to accomplish that, I would end up giving you a list of like 20 exercises (minimum) that would make your head spin with overwhelm because who has time to run and do 2 strength workouts and...
...breathe...
None of that juju over here.
Often we discredit ourselves if we don't do the whole thing at once.
Immediately.
Dive in, feet first, all the exercises, all the running workouts.
Boom. In It.
But we forget, it all starts with one mile.
It starts with one strength workout.
And that one miles becomes 2.
And the running 1 to 2 days a week becomes 3 or 4.
And those strength workouts becomes 1 or 2 randomly to 2 or 3 consistently.
If you're ready to take your strength workouts up a notch, make them ALL running-specific, get in the habit of lifting heavy 2 to 3x a week but would really like a plan already made for you and a running-strength coach to keep you accountable and answer all your questions, then you're looking for RACE READY.
RACE READY is my 16 week strength coaching program that fits your life and your half or full marathon training plan. You learn how to lift like a runner, how and when to lift heavier, what it should feel like, mistakes to avoid, and the workouts are 25 to 38mins at the longest.
No guess work.
No overwhelm.
No lingering questions wondering if an injury is going to surprise-attack you this training cycle.
If you're even remotely interested, sign up for the waitlist here to get more information.
I can't wait to see you on the inside ;)
Dare to Train Differently,
Marie Whitt, PT, DPT //@dr.whitt.fit
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