is a hill work out a good cross-training exercise while training for a marathon?
Posted by Ray Gill
Filed under Cross Training Answers
and i mean running up and down the same hill for like 30 minutes or for so many reps
the first 2 answers are stupid. i don’t want your opinion on how to run. i want to know if hill training is a good cross training exercise for the marathon!!
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I wouldn’t consider it cross training since it’s still running, but it’s a great strength workout and I’d highly recommend it. It might be easier if you incorporate the hill into a small loop, so it actually works on your muscular endurance as well as your muscular strength, which is what really will push you through a marathon.
no one needs to run a little farther every week. 1 mile week one, 1 1/2 miles week 2 and so on.
no i would just run an hour a day or get an extersize machine
If you think about it the hill work out would exercise your fast twitch muscle fibers and be higher intesity lower duration exercise. Which is precicely the opposite of what you need to train for a marathon i.e. slow twitch muscle fibers lower intensity, longer duration. A good cross-training exercise for marathon runners? Long distance cardio, ie. cross country skiing, swimming, etc.
Hill work as in hill running is not cross training. To be cross training the workout needs to be something other than running such as cycling, swimming, elliptical, water running etc. The goal of cross training is to provide additional training stimulus with minimal stress on your running muscles, tendons and joints. Given that hill running increases these stresses, it is not good to do on a cross training day.
Whether you should practice hill running depends on the target marathon. If the marathon course is hilly then training on a hilly course can be good preparation. If the marathon course is flat then running hills won’t necessarily help. Running up hill builds strength but not speed. Running down hill can improve speed but can easily lead to injuries.
Personally, I try as much as possible to simulate the course. I’ll add hills to my long run at approximately the same point as in the target marathon.
When I train for marathons, I pick one day a week to run hills. I don’t run as much distance with the hills as I do on a street run, but I try to run for as much time as I would on a street run.
Don’t overdo the hills because it could weaken or hurt your calves or achilles tendon, depending on your form.
Hills are my worst running portion of a marathon; they wipe my breath out. So I try to run them as much as possible even while not training for a marathon.
Good luck, and I hope you PR in the marathon!
Yes a hill work out is a good strength training day for your marathon training. It is helping to build the strength in your quads.
If you want to mix it up, you can do stadiums (run up the seats and down the stairs), or bounds (Act like a frog for 20-25 meter increments; do this on GRASS)