Difference between STEEP Hill and moderate Hill on the body

Speaking very generally, the steep slope develops muscular strength/power and the gentler slope works the aerobic side.

If a slope is very steep it will certainly develop strength/power but the mechanics that are used to climb it may be quite a way from the mechanics one would use in a distance race.

Thanks for your reply !

If I got your point, it might be better to hit the steep hill at the beginning of a training cycle to build power, and then to switch on gentle slope during the peak phase ?

Krosscountry wrote:

If I got your point, it might be better to hit the steep hill at the beginning of a training cycle to build power, and then to switch on gentle slope during the peak phase ?

I hadn't thought in those terms, but that does sound like a reasonable summary.

Doesn’t matter what the steepness is, it's all good.

Nathaniel Elijah Hill wrote:

Doesn’t matter what the steepness is, it's all good.

Agree that hill work is good; disagree that steepness doesn't matter. We studied some of this when I was coaching and working in the Human Performance Lab at Syracuse.

But one way that hills *are* all good is that, when you're going uphill, there's less pounding. (I have a permanent foot injury and can't run two steps on the flat without re-injury, but can run upstairs.) Problem is the downhills that usually follow the ups! But sometimes there are ways to handle that problem: having athletes jog very slowly or walk down, esp. coming down steep hills; or actually transporting them in a car or van back down a longer hill; or working on a treadmill, where you can do uphill work without having to worry about coming back down between workbouts. And this: I'm currently doing hill reps on the upramp of a parking garage, a reasonably steep climb. But at the top there are stairs that lead back down to the bottom. So after each uphill rep I take the stairs back down, but I walk down them backward, two steps at a time. No pounding, good for flexibility.

lease wrote:

Nathaniel Elijah Hill wrote:

Doesn’t matter what the steepness is, it's all good.

Agree that hill work is good; disagree that steepness doesn't matter. We studied some of this when I was coaching and working in the Human Performance Lab at Syracuse.

But one way that hills *are* all good is that, when you're going uphill, there's less pounding.

Simple solution. Learn not to pound. I sudied this at the University of Runmore Talkless in Moronia.

When you feel like you climb a stair it really works the quads, which is good for steep hils in racing, but I would think a moderate hill is more specific for the flatter running and then more relevant. Unless you race very hilly XC.

I would normally choose moderate hills, but it is not stupid to sometimes do very steep hill sprints, but much shorter than your 30s reps. On the other hand, steep in the start and then "accelerating" on the second half is something I believe is good for a finish kick feeling. You can stil have a steady effort through the rep, but feel like to accelerate (and you of course increase the pace since it is flatter and easier).

So very steep is IMO less specific, but remember that Cheptegei and his group have often very steep hills home in Uganda and it seems to work for them.

Regardless of steepness, hills demand much more from all muscles in the leg, the calves too, so it is a great way of strengthening and employing more of the muscles without risking injury from very fast flatt running.