Running Up Hills Vs. Flat Time

When compared to running on a flat surface, running up a hill or an incline on a treadmill can improve stride and challenge major muscles. Running on a flat surface can yield a better run time than running on a hill, but it varies depending on the incline of the hill. Use both types of running in training to improve your overall running performance, which in turn, improves your time.

Benefits

Running hills and flat surfaces both improve cardiovascular health and burn calories toward weight loss. Shedding excess weight and increasing lean mass will generally increase running speed. Use flat surfaces to time your runs, and build your breathing, exertion and power on hills.

Differences

Incline running and flat surface running have some different physiological benefits. A study reported in the June 2000 "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise" found that people who ran on an incline experienced a more powerful stance and stride in almost all of the eight lower-body muscle groups. This improved stride and stance translates to a faster time when running on flat surfaces.

Combination

If your goal is to improve running time, then consider combining inclines and flat surfaces, either on rotating days or in the same workout. A study reported in the 2007 "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise" found that interval training, which included quick, intense bursts of exercise between more moderate recovery exercises, improved aerobic capacity. Sprint on hills and recover on flat surfaces, or sprint on flats and move slower up hills.

Tips

Some tips for hill training can help you improve your times. One approach is to run 15 times up and then down a steep hill. These "hill repeats” increase the strength of hip flexor muscles to help you run more efficiently. Hill training can also be simulated on a treadmill by increasing the incline. Increase your treadmill incline slowly to a level where you feel challenged. Other ways to improve running by using hill repeats is with mental imagery. Imagine driving with your knees, pushing off your toes and slapping your heel to your buttocks.