SmartWool Athlete Ambassadors

my new favorite hill workout

I’ve always been drawn to what I call “pain sports” - sports such as wrestling, running, and cycling, that inevitably cause its participants a great deal of pain. Why am I drawn to these sports? That’s a topic for another post, but suffice it to say that I love the burn in the legs, the gasping for air, the mental anguish of not knowing how much more I can push my body. It’s kind of sick, if you ask me.

And for those of us who run or cycle, the occasional (or regular) hill workout may be part of the training routine. I’m not sure anyone really has a favorite hill workout, but it turns out that I do! And the best part? The workout does not involve running up the hill!

Here goes:

After a solid warm-up, find a moderately steep trail hill, maybe 200-300 yards or so, that normally takes you 1.5 to 2 minutes to jog up. Beginning at the bottom, hop up the hill on one leg at a time. Alternate legs every 15 hops. When you get to the top, jog back down and repeat, if you dare.

The first time I tried this, I went up once, and called it a day. Halfway up the hill, I was barely moving. My hops took up straight up and down in the same spot, as if I were jumping on a pogo stick, rather than up the hill. It took me about 6 minutes to reach the top.

Don’t do this too often, as the recovery time is a bit longer than usual. But, once you’re back to 100%, you’ll find some extra kick in your legs!

Eric Nguyen - SmartWool Ambassador