Two of the best workouts for runners are hill repeats and interval workouts on a flat surface such as a track. The format of each of these workouts is generally the same – short bursts of speed for about 1-3 minutes with an equal amount of rest periods in between. Hill repeats are especially popular for runners training for road and cross country races in order to prepare for hills on the courses. But in terms of improving overall fitness, is it best for runners to focus on hill repeats or interval training?
A recent study analyzed the effects of hill repeats and flat interval training on a number of indicators for running fitness, including maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), the running speed associated with VO2max (VMax), the running speed associated with lactate threshold (VLT) and the duration for which VMax can be sustained (TMax).
In the study, thirty-two distance runners were assigned to one of three groups: hill group, interval group, and control group. The hill and interval groups were assigned 12 hill or interval workouts over a period of 6 weeks. Runners in the control group maintained their prior training.
After the 6 week period, the researchers re-tested the runners’ fitness indicators. The study found significant fitness gains for the runners in the hill and interval groups compared with the control group. Additionally, according to the results of the tests, the runners who ran flat interval workouts had greater fitness gains than the hill repeat group.
Therefore, when deciding between running hill repeats or a flat interval workout, it is probably best to choose to do the flat interval workout. With that said, hill repeats can still have an important place in a runner’s training schedule – especially if a goal race has a lot of hills.
