Find your mountain

[McBryde Mats LLC]

Lately, I’ve been doing something different in my weekend training regimen. I’ve always been a fan of Jim Wendler, as a strength coach I think he’s got to be at the top of the game. He wrote an article some years back about his thoughts on using hill sprints in training. Even though it seemed a great idea at the time, I didn’t have any hills nearby and I was focusing on other things in my training. It took me about 5 years before I actually took his advice and implemented it.

Almost a year ago, I moved because of work responsibilities and found my new home nearby primary school. The school was quiet on the weekends and on a run past it one Saturday morning I noticed the embankments leading down to the sports fields. They were about 40-50feet high and a fairly steep gradient, not to steep that it looked like you couldn’t run up them. With Jims words ringing in my ears, I ran round and found the security guard wandering around the main foyer. After a brief chat he said I could use the hills an d field to train anytime on the weekends as no-one was ever around.

That evening I sat down and planned out a training schedule for Sunday mornings, determined to make the next 50 Sunday count, I rocked up at the fields that Sunday, ready to conquer the mountain. After a light warmup, I took to the hills, the first sprint was powerful, feeling good, the next 4, not bad… it was on the sixth that things got tough. By the time an hour was up, I had managed 35. I really wanted 40… but as I lay on my back gasping after 35, which was already 5 more than I thought was possible for me, I decided the mountain would still be there next week and called it a day.

The next day, was officially the worst DOMs (Delayed onset muscle soreness) I think I’ve ever experienced. I mean never mind just not being able to sit on the toilet without my glutes screaming, but walking actually HURT. By the time Sunday rolled round on wee 2, I was still feeling a bit stiff. I still went back to the hill for that week’s workout.

It’s been nearly a year since I discovered my ‘Mountain’ and even I haven’t been able to go every Sunday as I planned. But of the 50 workouts I wanted, I got through 33 of them. Has it been worth it? Yup, Jim was right, granted I have added a few things to the hills… I bring my prowler there and do sled drags and barbell carries, but the improvement in my cardio, especially in my JiuJitsu training, has improved to another level, I just don’t get tired rolling anymore, which is awesome.

So if you want to try something different and you got a hill nearby…go run hills, make yourself a mountain.

 

[j123]

Sounds like the 'North of Vag' variant of 5/3/1 in his first book.

 

[LatFlare]

Tldr

 

[ironwolf]

Hill sprints are awesome.

You missed 17 planned workouts though?

 

[These Two Hands]

35 sprints? What kind of rest period are you taking in between each sprint? When I hit a nearby steep-as-fuck hill, I just sprint up, walk down, turn around and sprint straight back up again and I'm maxed out by 12, maybe 15 rounds at the most...

 

[colby25]

Hill sprints for an hr straight? That's pretty good. I'm similar to these two hands I usually plan a set between 15 and 20 and call it good but 35 is impressive.

From like 16 to about 20 hill sprints is all I ever did for cardio- which I think helped me a ton to develop explosiveness. Nowadays however I'm more of a steady state run long slow distance kinda guy- though lately I've been adding in sets of 10s for hills to change it up

 

[ironwolf]

I usually do 15-20 depending on the hill. I do t think I've ever done more than that but out of the 2-3 hills that I have easy access to, the shortest is like 75m.

I don't have any short 20ish m hills to sprint. I also like doing track work but when I do those in doing 100s, 200s, 400s and occasionally 800s.

Today I warmed up with an easy mile, hammered out an 800 and rested for a while, then did a solid 400, rested, 300, 200, 100 and called it a day with a bunch of pullups and chins on the bar on the way back to my place.

I've always liked doing speed work but the past few months I've really been focusing on that and my weekly "long" runs have been like 8-10k.

 

[ironwolf]

Sounds like the 'North of Vag' variant of 5/3/1 in his first book.

Isn't that pretty much all NOV was??? Follow 531 and do hill sprints every week? I havnt gone through that book in like 4 years.

 

[j123]

Isn't that pretty much all NOV was??? Follow 531 and do hill sprints every week? I havnt gone through that book in like 4 years.

Yeah pretty much. The description was long, but the core was that. 531 + hill sprints (high volume)

 

[ironwolf]

Yeah pretty much. The description was long, but the core was that. 531 + hill sprints (high volume)

I think consistently sprinting while staying on a good strength plan is a pretty good combination. I never did it with 531 becaus of where I was living but I think sprints are p4p the best way to get some solid work done in a short amount of time for conditioning.

Sprinting gets me shredded.

 

[colby25]

I usually do 15-20 depending on the hill. I do t think I've ever done more than that but out of the 2-3 hills that I have easy access to, the shortest is like 75m.

I don't have any short 20ish m hills to sprint. I also like doing track work but when I do those in doing 100s, 200s, 400s and occasionally 800s.

Today I warmed up with an easy mile, hammered out an 800 and rested for a while, then did a solid 400, rested, 300, 200, 100 and called it a day with a bunch of pullups and chins on the bar on the way back to my place.

I've always liked doing speed work but the past few months I've really been focusing on that and my weekly "long" runs have been like 8-10k.

I find sprinting anything over a 100 m completely exhausting. I'm terrible at pacing myself for a 400- I usually start off way too fast and gas out at 200 or go to slow and finish it thinking I could have gone faster. Definitely a good workout regardless though pyramiding down from 800 to 100

 

[Dan O]

Well if it's a sprint and not exhausting... It probably wasn't much of a sprint

 

[colby25]

On a side note any of you guys use the bungee cord for sprinting seen in this vid?



I was using it consistently for a month or two but felt like I got better results doing regular sprints. Last time I used it I tied it to my kids snow tube in the winter time running around with it.

And I ran up this hill and the sled got caught something and I kept sprinting and as soon as it finally released my kid sky rocketed over the hill and flew off it. It would have been funny at the time if he didn't get hurt.... Luckily Not seriously hurt just enough to make him cry- I felt pretty bad at the time but thinking back it was pretty entertaining he got some pretty good air time

 

[colby25]

Well if it's a sprint and not exhausting... It probably wasn't much of a sprint

This addressed to me? I meant sprinting a 400 m and then sprinting so fast at the start you're not doing much of a sprint but more of a jog come 300 .

If you can sprint the same pace at a 100m as a 400m you're a gifted individual or I just suck at sprinting... Maybe both

 

[boingyman]

If you want to take it to the next level push a prowler up hill.

 

[Pan-seared Kration]

On a side note any of you guys use the bungee cord for sprinting seen in this vid?



I was using it consistently for a month or two but felt like I got better results doing regular sprints. Last time I used it I tied it to my kids snow tube in the winter time running around with it.

And I ran up this hill and the sled got caught something and I kept sprinting and as soon as it finally released my kid sky rocketed over the hill and flew off it. It would have been funny at the time if he didn't get hurt.... Luckily Not seriously hurt just enough to make him cry- I felt pretty bad at the time but thinking back it was pretty entertaining he got some pretty good air time

Haven't used it for sprinting but I've used it while drilling double legs, a la Jordan Burroughs.

 

[j123]

If you want to take it to the next level push a prowler up hill.

That sounds brutal

 

[colby25]

Haven't used it for sprinting but I've used it while drilling double legs, a la Jordan Burroughs.

Yeah it's really good for doing shots with- I use to do it with those powerlifting bands back in the day

 

[ironwolf]

This addressed to me? I meant sprinting a 400 m and then sprinting so fast at the start you're not doing much of a sprint but more of a jog come 300 .

If you can sprint the same pace at a 100m as a 400m you're a gifted individual or I just suck at sprinting... Maybe both

I definetly don't do the same pace for 800 and 100.

 

[These Two Hands]

Hill sprints for an hr straight? That's pretty good. I'm similar to these two hands I usually plan a set between 15 and 20 and call it good but 35 is impressive.

From like 16 to about 20 hill sprints is all I ever did for cardio- which I think helped me a ton to develop explosiveness. Nowadays however I'm more of a steady state run long slow distance kinda guy- though lately I've been adding in sets of 10s for hills to change it up

I have seen some people mention online that they are hillsprinting with up to 4 mins rest period between rounds, which I would think would allow a higher number of sets. Although to hit 35 rounds in 60 minutes the rest periods are either significantly shorter than 4 minutes, or the work period is intense but very short. I hope he replies to my question about this upthread, as I'd like to hear more about what he is doing.

When I do my hillsprints, walking back down the hill is my rest period which is likely why I can only do such a small amount (comparatively) of rounds.

If you want to take it to the next level push a prowler up hill.

If you can push a prowler up the hill, you either need a steeper/bigger hill or you are reaching maximum beast mode brah.