Hill Sprint progressions are an effective way to develop strength, elasticity and resilience in the lower leg. A slow steady progression will allow athletes to minimize the chance of injury and help develop lower body power and ankle stiffness.

Several years ago I read the book, Fast Running, by Brad Hudson, and found his workouts and especially his hill sprint methods very interesting. In the past year I have started contributing content to any question, a platform where people can ask experts in all different fields questions. One aspect of this  I like is the ability to ask questions of experts in all different fields of training who I have read their books or seen them speak. Brad was kind enough to get me more details on his hill sprint progressions. I have taken his recommendations and added my own variations, which you will see in the upcoming lessons.

Hill Sprint should not be long, in the range of 8 to 12 seconds. Think of these not as running, but more of a power exercise that you would do in the gym. To begin, find the steepest grade that you have available. Begin with 8 to 10 seconds of what looks like a walking lunge with the ankle held stiff. All recoveries are slow easy walk back to the start. Begin with about 4 reps this can be done twice a week. Add 1-2 reps per week up to a total of 10 reps per session.

When you have reached  10 repetitions you can start more adding more spring to the exercise with more force being pushed off and up as you bound up the short steep hill. As a note, retention ponds make a good hill for these sprints. The grade is optimal for starting. Otherwise, find the steepest grade you can find whether it's grass, trail or road. With bounding drills, start with 6 repetitions and add two per week until you reach 10, still keeping within our 8 to 10-second time range.

Now that you maximize bounding, you can start sprinting. Switch to a shallower grade that is 4 to 6%. This should be a paved surface so that you have firm contact as you sprint. Start with 4 x 10 seconds adding 2 reps per week until you reach 10. Repeat this same format with a 4 to 5% grade starting at 4 and progressing to 10. The final progression is using a 2% grade and following the same 4 – 10 rep progression.

The purpose is that as the grade gets lower your speed will get faster you'll be producing more power and more explosiveness off the ground. This program can be cycled through 2- 3 times per year.

If you do not have access to any steep grades the same format can be done using a drag sled. What you'll do is start with a heavy load doing walking lunges with the heels off the ground for 8 to 10 seconds per rep. Follow the same format as the Hill Sprint's, but instead of decreasing the grade of the hill you will decrease the weight on sled this will allow for faster movement and more distance covered per Sprint.

Hill sprint Video https://youtube.com/shorts/5KOWZEDnb2U

Hill Bounding Video https://youtube.com/shorts/tLHgaU-sdBY