By Brian Schiff, PT, CSCS
Whether you are running or cycling, it is safe to assume hills add measurable challenges to training and races. Some love them, but most people hate them. Regardless, everyone who competes needs to learn how to conquer them.
Aside from regular hill work and interval training, it is important to consider the impact of strength and power capacity. In order to handle undulating terrain with less difficulty, you must improve hip strength and power with your off-road training. The primary power sources for any uphill climb are the glutes and hamstrings.
If you are not currently spending time on hip strength and power development, this mode of training may be the missing link in your programming. Simply put, you can derive significant physical benefits and faster times by improving hip strength and power.
For optimal results, I suggest performing the following exercises two to three times per week. Ideally, complete 2-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions of each exercise. These exercises will sufficiently strengthen the hips and allow you to generate more speed and power in a shorter time period.
Hip Bridges – begin laying on your back with both knees bent to 90 degrees. Tighten your abdominal muscles and lift your backside up while pushing through the heels. Pause at the top for 2-3 seconds and then lower back down.
Progress to single leg bridges once you master the two legged version. This exercise also requires adequate core stability to avoid one side dropping down or rotating – the goal is to maintain a neutral spine/pelvic position.
Box Drop Lunge to Hip Drive – using an 8 – 12 inch box, begin standing with both feet on the box. Next, lower the left leg backward to the floor lowering into a lunge position.
Then, extend the right hip and knee forcefully while driving the left knee up into a high march position. The stationary leg is the side performing the desired work. Pause here for 1-2 seconds and then repeat the drop down maneuver for the desired repetitions. Repeat on the other side.
Plate Pushes – using a weight plate (choose weight according to strength) place both hands on the plate and push it for a specified distance as fast as you can while staying low in a sprinter block type position. Consider working for 10-30 seconds at a time while allowing a work to rest interval of 1:3.
Cycled Split Jumps – stand in a traditional lunge position to start and then rapidly jump up switching the lead and trail legs mid air so they land in the opposite position they were in. Repeat this for 10-15 repetitions (back and forth = one). This exercise is excellent for improving starting acceleration and overall explosiveness.
Brian Schiff, PT, CSCS, is a sports physical therapist and supervisor at The Athletic Performance Center in Raleigh. For more information on their services, visit the APC online at www.apcraleigh.com or www.apccary.com.
