The No-Hills Hills Session

Lunge time routine

The three-minute Mountain Legs workout favoured by top runners

01

01/ SINGLE-LEG REVERSE LUNGE

Muscles worked: Glutes, quads and hamstrings. Reps: Do 20 to 45, on each leg. Why: Kinder to knees than forward lunges; involves eccentric contractions, similar to downhill running. How: 01/ Stand with a wall to your right and your feet hip-width apart. 02/ Touching the wall with your right hand for balance, step your left foot backwards and land lightly on the ball of your left foot, keeping your left heel off the ground. 03/ Return to the starting position without putting your left foot on the floor. That’s one rep. TR AINING FOR A MOUNTAIN race but live nowhere near a mountain? Fear not. This three-minute workout, endorsed by some of the world’s top mountain runners, requires only a set of stairs. Called Mountain Legs, it’s an effective and user-friendly workout that involves just two moves: a reverse lunge and some high-speed step-ups. Created by running coach David Roche and favoured by former Hardrock 100 winner Jason Schlarb, it’s engineered to be as specific to uphill and downhill running as possible. Want to give it a go? Here’s how…

02

Find your own form

A recent analysis* of running form concluded that no particular style is better than another. The study focused on ground-time versus airtime – in short, are you a shuffler or a bouncer? Interestingly, researchers concluded that where you are on the continuum makes no significant difference to your running economy (the amount of oxygen you use at a given speed). This builds on the conclusion of a classic running study – a 1987 report from Williams and Cavanagh – which found that experienced runners ‘self-optimise’ their stride. In other words, we all happen upon the running form that best works for us. So, if you’re not continually injured, it may be best to leave your running form as it is. As Emil Zátopek said, ‘I will run with perfect style when they start judging races for their beauty, like figure-skating. For now, I just want to run as fast as possible.

02/ SINGLE-LEG STEP-UP

Muscles worked: Glutes, quads and hamstrings. Reps: Do 30 to 45, on each leg. Why: Works the muscles in a concentric motion, similar to uphill running. How: 01/ Find a set of stairs with a banister. 02/ With right foot on the ground, place your left foot two steps above, holding on to the banister. 03/ Push through your left foot to lift your right foot up to the same height. 04/ Step down with your right foot, touching the floor lightly with your forefoot. That’s one rep – aim for a tempo of one per second.

10

Repeated all-out 10-second sprints* were found to be highly effective at increasing VO₂ max.