Running downhill might sound easy, but it’s a leg-burning challenge that can humble even the toughest uphill champs. Replace one of your speed sessions with one of these downhill workouts and watch your performance soar, even if you’re gearing up for a flat race.
Downhill running triggers eccentric muscle contractions, where your muscles lengthen to support your body. This type of training boosts strength in your quads and hamstrings, enhances running efficiency (even on flat terrain) and improves stability and balance.
Downhill repeats
For this workout, find a hill that takes up to two minutes to run down: adjust the time according to your ability and experience. If you have a race coming up, try to find a descent that mimics the terrain you’ll be running on.
Warm up with 10 minutes of very easy running and some dynamic stretches or drills.
Start this session at the bottom of your hill, and walk up the hill at an easy pace to your starting point.
For your first interval, run easily down the hill, keeping your focus on moving smoothly and keeping track of how long it takes you to get to the bottom. Walk back up the hill for recovery. On the second interval, try to beat your first time by a small margin.
Repeat this 5-7 times, each time trying to be slightly faster than the previous interval.
Cool down with 5-10 minutes of very easy running.
Iron legs workout
Strong legs equal speedy hill running, both up and down. This workout will leave you weak at the knees—and will build toughness and strength over any terrain.
Warm up with 10-15 minutes of very easy running.
Run uphill at an easy pace for one to two minutes, depending on the size of your hill and your experience level. Rest for 30-60 seconds.
Run down the hill as hard you feel comfortable and in control, stopping where you started the uphill. Rest for 30-60 seconds.
Repeat 6-10 times depending on ability—add repeats as you get stronger.
Cool down with 10-15 minutes of easy running.
Downhill fartlek session
Find a downhill training route with a mixture of terrain, including a few 200-400m slopes at roughly a 3-6 per cent gradient. Don’t worry if you don’t know exact distances or measurements—the idea is to challenge your legs and develop stability over a variety of surfaces.
Warm up with 5 minutes of very easy, mostly flat running, followed by 5 minutes of medium hard running.
Run 6-8 downhill sections, increasing your effort level to a 7 or 8. Follow each repetition with 2-3 minutes of easy running to recover.
Cool down with 5-10 minutes of very easy running.
Make sure to follow a harder running day with a rest day or very easy running. Downhill running can be slow and challenging at first—practice and consistency is key here, and you’ll reap rewards quickly.
