As a running coach, one of my go-to tools for helping runners build strength, speed, and confidence is uphill running. Whether you’re training for your first 5K or gearing up for an ultramarathon, mastering hills can make a big difference in your performance.
Hill workouts are incredibly effective—they challenge nearly every major muscle group, reinforce proper running form, and build the kind of mental and physical toughness that pays off on race day.
I especially love using hill sprints with beginners because they naturally promote better technique and lead to faster, more efficient running, even on flat ground.
In this guide, I’ll share 5 expert tips to help you run uphill more effectively—from form and pacing to how to get the most out of your workouts and tackle hills during races.
How To Master Uphill Running Form And Efficiency
When I’m coaching runners on uphill running, I always emphasize that good form is just as important as effort. Charging up a hill with poor posture or sloppy mechanics can not only waste energy—it can lead to injury.
The goal is to run strong and smart. Over the years, I’ve found a few key form cues that make a big difference when the road tilts upward.
Here’s what I tell my athletes to focus on:
- Keep your chest proud, back straight, core tight, head neutral, and shoulders back. Make sure that you are not hunching over or rounding in your shoulders.
- Lean forward into the hill ever so slightly. Work with gravity—just enough lean to drive uphill without collapsing your posture and cutting off your airflow.
- Keep your stride length short and quick and land lightly on the balls of your feet.
- For hill workouts, focus on intensity and cresting all the way up and over the top of the hill. Pump your arms to help propel yourself forward.
How To Tackle Hilly Races
In hilly races, the smartest strategy is to keep your effort level consistent—also known as running by RPE (rate of perceived exertion)—rather than trying to maintain a steady pace across all terrain.
That means your pace will naturally slow down when running uphill and speed up when running downhill compared to your pace on flat ground.
By focusing on effort instead of speed, you avoid burning yourself out on the climbs and save your legs from excessive braking on the descents. It’s a more efficient, energy-conserving approach that helps you stay strong through every part of the course and finish feeling in control.
What Are the Best Tips for Running Hills?
#1: Warm Up and Cool Down
Always start your hill workouts—and races—with a thorough warm-up. Since hills demand a high level of effort, your body needs to be fully prepared before taking them on.
Afterward, cool down with an easy jog or walk, followed by some focused static stretching. Pay special attention to your calves, Achilles tendons, quads, glutes, and hamstrings to help your muscles recover and stay injury-free.
#2: Mimic Race Conditions In Training
If you are following a training plan that is geared towards a specific race, you can maximize the benefits of hill workouts by trying to replicate hills that you will tackle on race day.
For example, if you know that the half marathon course you are going to run has many short steep hills, focus on hill sprints on steep inclines rather than doing longer hill repeats on a gradual gradient.
In contrast, if the race course profile shows longer hills that are upwards of a half mile, mile, or even several miles at a constant uphill, you should incorporate hill repeats on longer hills to improve your uphill running economy, increase VO2 max by combining aerobic and anaerobic training, and build mental toughness.
Trail runners or ultrarunners who are going to be doing an ultra marathon should focus on hill training on trails. That way, you are practicing navigating the challenges of running uphill coupled with the technical nature of trail running such as avoiding obstacles and navigating uneven terrain.
This will help ensure that your hill training translates more directly to your race performance.
#3: Crest The Hill In Workouts
To boost your speed by running uphill, do short hill repeats (100-200m) at your maximal running speed.
Focus on maintaining proper form and running technique all the way up and over the top of the hill until you reach flat land for the start of the downhill on the other side.
#4: Walk The Downhills In Workouts
Unless you are doing a hill workout with longer hills done at a normal running speed, I generally recommend walking back down after each hill repeat rather than running.
Running downhill with steep hills puts a tremendous amount of stress on your quads1Bontemps, B., Vercruyssen, F., Gruet, M., & Louis, J. (2020). Downhill Running: What Are The Effects and How Can We Adapt? A Narrative Review. Sports Medicine, 50(12), 2083–2110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01355-z to stabilize your knees and if you are doing hill training on roads, the pounding of asphalt running downhill with each hill repeat can put excessive stress on your shins.
It can also feel nice to walk downhill backwards if you are doing uphill sprints on a grassy hill.
This is a great way to stretch your calf muscles and Achilles tendons while building in recovery after each hill sprinting interval.
If you do want to practice running downhill, make sure to use proper form and keep your stride length short by focusing on fast turnover and keeping your leading leg closer to your center of mass rather than overstriding and reaching your heel far downhill.
#5: Don’t Overdo It
Running uphill repeats should be a high-intensity interval training workout, so it is as taxing as speed work on the track, plyometrics, or strength training exercises.
Start with just a few uphill sprints and gradually increase the number of reps each week.
Do not do more than one hill workout per week and make sure to build in recovery days afterwards to prevent over training and to reduce the risk of injury.
Remember, hills feel hard for a reason: they work!
What Are the Benefits of Running Uphill?
Almost every runner has had the dreaded feeling of turning the corner in a race only to see a huge hill looming before them.
Perhaps it is a short, steep hill or what seems to be an endless uphill climb that stretches for so long you can’t even see the top.
While you can’t do much about flattening the hills on a race course, you can prepare yourself to conquer steep uphills and long uphills by training on hills and doing hill workouts in your training program.
Here are some of the top benefits of doing hillwork:
#1: Increase Your Cardiovascular Fitness
Because you are running uphill against the resistance of gravity, your heart rate2Padulo, J., Powell, D., Milia, R., & Ardigò, L. P. (2013). A Paradigm of Uphill Running. PLoS ONE, 8(7), e69006. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0069006 and breathing rate increase significantly when you run uphill.
Hill workouts can improve the efficiency of your cardiovascular system, strengthen your heart and lungs, and facilitate cardiovascular adaptations3Hellsten, Y., & Nyberg, M. (2015). Cardiovascular Adaptations to Exercise Training. Comprehensive Physiology, 6(1), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1002/cphy.c140080 such as increased stroke volume, all of which can help increase your aerobic capacity (VO2 max) and running economy.4Barnes, K. R., & Kilding, A. E. (2015). Running economy: measurement, norms, and Determining Factors. Sports Medicine – Open, 1(1).
#2: Increase Leg Strength
Hill training is one of the best ways to build strength in the leg muscles, especially the posterior chain muscles such as the hamstrings, glutes, and calf muscles.
Uphill running also strengthens the quads, hip flexors, core muscles, and upper body muscles so long as you are using proper running form, driving your knees up, and powerfully pumping your arms.
#3: Efficiently Build Running Speed
Running coaches often describe hill repeats as strength training and speed training rolled into one because you are running against the resistance of gravity uphill while sprinting, requiring explosive and powerful contractions from your leg muscles and rapid, precise neuromuscular coordination.
#4: Increase Sprinting Speed
While incorporating hill sprints into your training plan can help you run faster at all distances, hill workouts are one of the best ways to help you increase your maximum running speed for sprinting.
The muscles used are the same ones that power explosive sprinting, so hill repeats can help condition your body for faster running, even on flat ground.
#5: Increase Calories Burned
Running uphill burns calories,5Seki, K., Kyröläinen, H., Sugimoto, K., & Enomoto, Y. (2019). Biomechanical factors affecting energy cost during running utilising different slopes. Journal of Sports Sciences, 38(1), 6–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2019.1676527 increases metabolic rate, and helps burn body fat due to the high-intensity nature of hill intervals.
Adding uphill sprints to your training plan can potentially support weight loss when combined with a healthy, calorie-controlled diet.
#6: Improve Running Technique And Form
One of the best benefits of running uphill (especially for beginners) is that it’s a more organic way to work on your running form and running technique than trying to do running form drills or work on your running form in the middle of a longer run.
It forces a strong knee drive, good posture, quick turnover, and a shorter stride such that you land more on the forefoot or midfoot rather than your heel.
What I love about having even experienced runners focus on hill sprints is that it can help reprogram the neuromuscular system to shorten your stride length and potentially prevent overstriding with regular training runs on flat surfaces.
Here are some additional benefits of hill running for runners:
- Improving running economy,6Barnes, K. R., Hopkins, W. G., McGuigan, M. R., & Kilding, A. E. (2013). Effects of Different Uphill Interval-Training Programs on Running Economy and Performance. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 8(6), 639–647. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.8.6.639 which can help you run faster and longer without fatigue.
- Helping increase your running cadence, or foot turnover, which not only helps you run faster but can reduce the risk of injury.7Heiderscheit, B. C., Chumanov, E. S., Michalski, M. P., Wille, C. M., & Ryan, M. B. (2011). Effects of step rate manipulation on joint mechanics during running. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 43(2), 296–302. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181ebedf4
- Studies show8Barnes, K. R., Hopkins, W. G., McGuigan, M. R., & Kilding, A. E. (2013). Effects of Different Uphill Interval-Training Programs on Running Economy and Performance. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 8(6), 639–647. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.8.6.639 that incorporating hills training into your training plan can improve race performance.
- Increasing VO2 max.9Worku, N., & Taddese, A. (2017). The impact of hill training on middle and long distance athletes: with specific reference to oromia water works athletics club, Ethiopia. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 7(11). https://www.ijsrp.org/research-paper-1117/ijsrp-p7136.pdf
- Increasing mental toughness.
- Adding variety to your training plan to reduce the risk of overuse injuries, burnout, and boredom.
Interested in how to run hills, but downhills? Read our next guide for expert tips:
