Hill running?

xkelliieee
xkelliieee Posts: 2
edited September 28 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi, I'm currently trying to lose weight and tone my legs at the same time.

I literally live on a hill, and I've calculated the distance running up and down the hill I live on (totals to 3.6 miles).

What I'm wondering is, that if I run downhill but walk uphill, will my legs (particularly my calves) become all bulky and too muscular? Or will this help my legs tone? I'm planning to run this course 6 times a week.

Replies

  • Arizona_JR
    Arizona_JR Posts: 275
    I loooooove running hills! It develops strong hips, hamstrings, lower legs, and calves.

    However, unless you are a competitive runner, I'd say don't bother running down it. That can trash your legs pretty quickly. You really only stand to gain anything running uphill. And there is a science to running uphill properly. Believe it or not, form is crucial. Go visit RunnersWorld DOT com and do a search for hill running articles and videos.

    You may just want to mark off 1/3 to 1/2 a mile, run up it, slow jog back down, and do a few repeats. This keeps you close to your starting point in case you have to quit early, gives you frequent recovery time, and keeps your heart rate up even while you head back to your start.

    Hill workouts are demanding on the body, and everything I've read says to limit it to once a week for beginners (assuming you've been running for 6 months), and maybe twice a week for advanced runners.

    I'd say after doing repeats for a month or so, then occasionally try to tackle it all in one bite.

    To answer your question about muscle tone. Yes, it will build strong muscular legs in the long run, but you'll also be burning tons of calories doing hill repeats, which obviously is the goal for shedding fat.
  • Agglaki
    Agglaki Posts: 105
    Excellent advice already put forward. Obviously depending on level of fitness and running experience the advice can be altered to suit your experience level.

    The only thing I'd like to point out is that the notion of "toning" your muscles is not actually a reality. You will drop fat if you are eating right and you are exercising. You cannot choose where the fat comes from though.

    So you have to keep active, and keep working at it. Your body will eventually decide where to drop the fat from.
  • Arizona_JR
    Arizona_JR Posts: 275
    I just wanted to clarify something from my earlier post.

    If you intend to just 'walk' the hill, then I'd say stick to the 1/3 -1/2 mile length, HOWEVER, if you plan to RUN the hill, then cut it back to just 100 yards. If you run it, don't try to sprint. The 'uphill' part will provide plenty of challenge without you killing yourself trying to sprint it. Walk back to the bottom, then do it again. Start with just 3, maybe 4 depending on how you feel. Each week add 1 more to the cycle.

    I needed to clarify the distance difference... longer if you plan on walking, and shorter if you plan on running.

    Lastly, the percent uphill grade doesn't really need to be significant for you to get a great workout. A subtle uphill grade will do the job just fine.
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