Whether walking or running, tackling hills combines aerobic and anaerobic work, and it is an excellent form of resistance training. Similar to weight training, the benefits include increased strength, endurance, flexibiliy, and improved range of motion. Regardless of one’s fitness level, hills are always challenging, and it’s a great feeling when one reaches the top!
Here are some tips that will help to make even the steepest hills a little easier!
– Lean slightly into the hill while hinging at the waist.
– Keep the stomach and back strong.
– Be patient and focus only a few feet in front of you.
– Shorten the leg stride slightly with small, quick steps.
– The most common mistake people make is over-striding up a hill. Test this out yourself. Try one hill with small quick steps, and the next with a longer stride. Guaranteed, you will discover your effort will be greater with the longer stride and you won’t need to do any more convincing.
– Land on the balls of the feet and the second the foot touches the ground, be conscious of
lifting the knees as quickly as possible.
– I encourage you to continually pump your arms. As always, the arms dictate the pace.
What to do on the DOWNhill?
– Let gravity do the work, which means relaxing the arms and legs and allowing the stride to lengthen comfortably.
– It’s important to note that running or walking downhill is much tougher on the body than travelling uphill. The impact is greater and many people find it to be demanding on the knees. Be careful, and make sure you ease up if you are feeling some discomfort.
Happy Climbing!
Join me at “everyWOMAN – Whistler” May 22-24th Inspiring through physical activity~ www.everywomanintheworld.com
Lynn Kanuka, SportMedBC’s RunWalk Coach
