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The Beautiful Simplicity of Hill Sprints
Hard Up, Easy Down
If you have a stretch of road with as mall gradient, you have more than enough for a great hill sprints session."Fred's hill" was one of my most and least favourite parts of Clumber Park, just a few miles from my school back in the UK. We would "jog"there quite jovially as a team, the jokes perhaps distracting us from the hills prints we knew faced us on arrival.
The Power of Hill Sprints
It was simply a stretch of forest that took somewhere in the region of 40 seconds to cover and had a beautiful6-8% elevation. This hill was the perfect setting for our hill sprints workouts.
These hill sprints would not only build strength in our legs, but as my teachers would tell me each time, they would also build "character" and "strengthen the mind." I blindly believed them, as googling their theory wasn't an option in the 90s, and we had an insane level of trust.
I was promised that this type of hills prints training would deliver the results we wanted for the upcoming CrossCountry season or the fast-approaching athletics season. The results from previous seasons sat in the back of my mind, perhaps as a barter deal for what was coming in the next 30 minutes of hill sprints.
The Simple Rule of Hill Sprints
"Hard up, easy down" were the orders for our hill sprints - nothing else. There didn't need to be more.We knew what hard was, the coaches knew what hard was. Their request was simple, our compliance was expected.
30 years later, on our final day in Iten, we were treated to a similar approach. A couple of the best athletics coaches in the world, a few of the fastest humans in the world, Tom, Skinny, and I - all in a forest. We jogged gently to it, found a stretch of incline, and did our hill sprints - running hard up and easy down for 30-40 minutes with little being said, then ran home. They knew, and we knew, we got better.
April 2024, on a hill in Greece, justHolly and I, and the same act played out. I had never seen Holly so happy after a run before. So much so that when I suggested hill sprints a few weeks back, she was excited like a kid at Christmas. The same went for today.
The Beauty of Hill Sprints
Today it was just the two of us in person, but I felt like everyone was there! So many faces and runners flashed through my thoughts as we made our way up the incline "hard" and down it "easy," one hill sprint after another until we were done. The birds sang for us, the scents somehow wrapped themselves around us, the sun rose and filtered through the trees, there were even raindrops from time to time, creating momentary images of beauty.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes all you need is a stretch of road with a small gradient. It’ll provide a great hill sprints session and make you physically and mentally stronger.
FUN - Honesty - Simplicity - Smash Life - Mental Toughness - Hard Work
ENGINE
Working on building powerful, resilient legs. Expect a mix of heavy leg-focused strength work designed to improve muscular endurance and replicate race demands.
GYMNASTICS
This Tuesday we're going upside down with handstand holds and handstand push-ups, testing balance, strength, and control. Then, we’ll lock in that overhead power with strength work.
On Thursday, we’ll visit the bar for pull-up progressions! Strict, kipping, and butterfly will appear, followed by lat and core supersets.
HYROX
Working on building powerful, resilient legs. Expect a mix of heavy leg-focused strength work designed to improve muscular endurance and replicate race demands.
MOBILITY
Keeping on that hip mobility, we will work through the same drills as the previous week, but now start upgrading the strengthening drills. Making sure we keep everything locked in place!
PURE STRENGTH
This week in pure strength, we start the week with some weighted push-ups, followed by rest-pause sets on the bench press. On Wednesday, we are progressing the loading on our RDL max set.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week, we are spending time working on the split jerk technique in weightlifting. Spicy complex of power clean, front squat, jerk. Finishing off with an EMOM power clean. Make sure not to miss out.
Monday Ride
A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Long Ride
Our weekly endurance ride.
Please email Rob Foster for more details.
Time: 05:59 am
Location: Bottom of the Stick, Al Qudra.
Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Tempo
This week will be dialling into that Tempo effort (7/10 RPE) for 6 mins blocks. You will take a 1 min recovery after each block and repeat the sequence 5x.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 400m repeats at 5km pace. After each 400m you get a 25sec rest.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
Today we have intervals in the morning and evening. We will be running 800s and 400s. Try to run your 400m efforts slighly faster than you 800m efforts.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be doing hill repeats on the canal bridge. Efforts will be short and sharp, working on your power. 10-12X
20secs at 9/10;
2mins walk back to starting point.
WELCOME TO HELLLLL WEEKKKKKK!!!!
Relax. Pack your bags with whatever training kit you own, and come ready for everything we throw at you! It will be wild and hard, but you will get through it! Let's Gooooooo!!!!!
Monday:
We kick the week off with a partner WOD featuring the Assault bike and the Barbell and then a chance to max out your Power Clean!!
Tuesday:
Tuesday, everyone's favourite, heavy back squats! The workout will be an oh my legs and lungs type of feeling!
Wednesday:
Wednesday, we are pressing in the strength, giving you a chance of a 1 Rep Max. Strongman conditioning where the harder you work the more rest you will get!
Thursday:
A twist on a HERO workout where you will only be moving your body weight! Do not let that fool you!
Friday:
Friday will be one for the books! Heavy Barbells combined with some Box Jumps and Wall Walks into an AMRAP of something that will be sure to bring the fire to your legs!
If you have a stretch of road with as mall gradient, you have more than enough for a great hill sprints session."Fred's hill" was one of my most and least favourite parts of Clumber Park, just a few miles from my school back in the UK. We would "jog"there quite jovially as a team, the jokes perhaps distracting us from the hills prints we knew faced us on arrival.
The Power of Hill Sprints
It was simply a stretch of forest that took somewhere in the region of 40 seconds to cover and had a beautiful6-8% elevation. This hill was the perfect setting for our hill sprints workouts.
These hill sprints would not only build strength in our legs, but as my teachers would tell me each time, they would also build "character" and "strengthen the mind." I blindly believed them, as googling their theory wasn't an option in the 90s, and we had an insane level of trust.
I was promised that this type of hills prints training would deliver the results we wanted for the upcoming CrossCountry season or the fast-approaching athletics season. The results from previous seasons sat in the back of my mind, perhaps as a barter deal for what was coming in the next 30 minutes of hill sprints.
The Simple Rule of Hill Sprints
"Hard up, easy down" were the orders for our hill sprints - nothing else. There didn't need to be more.We knew what hard was, the coaches knew what hard was. Their request was simple, our compliance was expected.
30 years later, on our final day in Iten, we were treated to a similar approach. A couple of the best athletics coaches in the world, a few of the fastest humans in the world, Tom, Skinny, and I - all in a forest. We jogged gently to it, found a stretch of incline, and did our hill sprints - running hard up and easy down for 30-40 minutes with little being said, then ran home. They knew, and we knew, we got better.
April 2024, on a hill in Greece, justHolly and I, and the same act played out. I had never seen Holly so happy after a run before. So much so that when I suggested hill sprints a few weeks back, she was excited like a kid at Christmas. The same went for today.
The Beauty of Hill Sprints
Today it was just the two of us in person, but I felt like everyone was there! So many faces and runners flashed through my thoughts as we made our way up the incline "hard" and down it "easy," one hill sprint after another until we were done. The birds sang for us, the scents somehow wrapped themselves around us, the sun rose and filtered through the trees, there were even raindrops from time to time, creating momentary images of beauty.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes all you need is a stretch of road with a small gradient. It’ll provide a great hill sprints session and make you physically and mentally stronger.
FUN - Honesty - Simplicity - Smash Life - Mental Toughness - Hard Work
Monday Ride
A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Long Ride
Our weekly endurance ride.
Please email Rob Foster for more details.
Time: 05:59 am
Location: Bottom of the Stick, Al Qudra.
Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Tempo
This week will be dialling into that Tempo effort (7/10 RPE) for 6 mins blocks. You will take a 1 min recovery after each block and repeat the sequence 5x.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 400m repeats at 5km pace. After each 400m you get a 25sec rest.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
Today we have intervals in the morning and evening. We will be running 800s and 400s. Try to run your 400m efforts slighly faster than you 800m efforts.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be doing hill repeats on the canal bridge. Efforts will be short and sharp, working on your power. 10-12X
20secs at 9/10;
2mins walk back to starting point.
WELCOME TO HELLLLL WEEKKKKKK!!!!
Relax. Pack your bags with whatever training kit you own, and come ready for everything we throw at you! It will be wild and hard, but you will get through it! Let's Gooooooo!!!!!
Monday:
We kick the week off with a partner WOD featuring the Assault bike and the Barbell and then a chance to max out your Power Clean!!
Tuesday:
Tuesday, everyone's favourite, heavy back squats! The workout will be an oh my legs and lungs type of feeling!
Wednesday:
Wednesday, we are pressing in the strength, giving you a chance of a 1 Rep Max. Strongman conditioning where the harder you work the more rest you will get!
Thursday:
A twist on a HERO workout where you will only be moving your body weight! Do not let that fool you!
Friday:
Friday will be one for the books! Heavy Barbells combined with some Box Jumps and Wall Walks into an AMRAP of something that will be sure to bring the fire to your legs!
ENGINE
Working on building powerful, resilient legs. Expect a mix of heavy leg-focused strength work designed to improve muscular endurance and replicate race demands.
GYMNASTICS
This Tuesday we're going upside down with handstand holds and handstand push-ups, testing balance, strength, and control. Then, we’ll lock in that overhead power with strength work.
On Thursday, we’ll visit the bar for pull-up progressions! Strict, kipping, and butterfly will appear, followed by lat and core supersets.
HYROX
Working on building powerful, resilient legs. Expect a mix of heavy leg-focused strength work designed to improve muscular endurance and replicate race demands.
MOBILITY
Keeping on that hip mobility, we will work through the same drills as the previous week, but now start upgrading the strengthening drills. Making sure we keep everything locked in place!
PURE STRENGTH
This week in pure strength, we start the week with some weighted push-ups, followed by rest-pause sets on the bench press. On Wednesday, we are progressing the loading on our RDL max set.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week, we are spending time working on the split jerk technique in weightlifting. Spicy complex of power clean, front squat, jerk. Finishing off with an EMOM power clean. Make sure not to miss out.
If you have a stretch of road with as mall gradient, you have more than enough for a great hill sprints session."Fred's hill" was one of my most and least favourite parts of Clumber Park, just a few miles from my school back in the UK. We would "jog"there quite jovially as a team, the jokes perhaps distracting us from the hills prints we knew faced us on arrival.
The Power of Hill Sprints
It was simply a stretch of forest that took somewhere in the region of 40 seconds to cover and had a beautiful6-8% elevation. This hill was the perfect setting for our hill sprints workouts.
These hill sprints would not only build strength in our legs, but as my teachers would tell me each time, they would also build "character" and "strengthen the mind." I blindly believed them, as googling their theory wasn't an option in the 90s, and we had an insane level of trust.
I was promised that this type of hills prints training would deliver the results we wanted for the upcoming CrossCountry season or the fast-approaching athletics season. The results from previous seasons sat in the back of my mind, perhaps as a barter deal for what was coming in the next 30 minutes of hill sprints.
The Simple Rule of Hill Sprints
"Hard up, easy down" were the orders for our hill sprints - nothing else. There didn't need to be more.We knew what hard was, the coaches knew what hard was. Their request was simple, our compliance was expected.
30 years later, on our final day in Iten, we were treated to a similar approach. A couple of the best athletics coaches in the world, a few of the fastest humans in the world, Tom, Skinny, and I - all in a forest. We jogged gently to it, found a stretch of incline, and did our hill sprints - running hard up and easy down for 30-40 minutes with little being said, then ran home. They knew, and we knew, we got better.
April 2024, on a hill in Greece, justHolly and I, and the same act played out. I had never seen Holly so happy after a run before. So much so that when I suggested hill sprints a few weeks back, she was excited like a kid at Christmas. The same went for today.
The Beauty of Hill Sprints
Today it was just the two of us in person, but I felt like everyone was there! So many faces and runners flashed through my thoughts as we made our way up the incline "hard" and down it "easy," one hill sprint after another until we were done. The birds sang for us, the scents somehow wrapped themselves around us, the sun rose and filtered through the trees, there were even raindrops from time to time, creating momentary images of beauty.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes all you need is a stretch of road with a small gradient. It’ll provide a great hill sprints session and make you physically and mentally stronger.
FUN - Honesty - Simplicity - Smash Life - Mental Toughness - Hard Work
Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Tempo
This week will be dialling into that Tempo effort (7/10 RPE) for 6 mins blocks. You will take a 1 min recovery after each block and repeat the sequence 5x.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 400m repeats at 5km pace. After each 400m you get a 25sec rest.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
Today we have intervals in the morning and evening. We will be running 800s and 400s. Try to run your 400m efforts slighly faster than you 800m efforts.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be doing hill repeats on the canal bridge. Efforts will be short and sharp, working on your power. 10-12X
20secs at 9/10;
2mins walk back to starting point.
WELCOME TO HELLLLL WEEKKKKKK!!!!
Relax. Pack your bags with whatever training kit you own, and come ready for everything we throw at you! It will be wild and hard, but you will get through it! Let's Gooooooo!!!!!
Monday:
We kick the week off with a partner WOD featuring the Assault bike and the Barbell and then a chance to max out your Power Clean!!
Tuesday:
Tuesday, everyone's favourite, heavy back squats! The workout will be an oh my legs and lungs type of feeling!
Wednesday:
Wednesday, we are pressing in the strength, giving you a chance of a 1 Rep Max. Strongman conditioning where the harder you work the more rest you will get!
Thursday:
A twist on a HERO workout where you will only be moving your body weight! Do not let that fool you!
Friday:
Friday will be one for the books! Heavy Barbells combined with some Box Jumps and Wall Walks into an AMRAP of something that will be sure to bring the fire to your legs!
ENGINE
Working on building powerful, resilient legs. Expect a mix of heavy leg-focused strength work designed to improve muscular endurance and replicate race demands.
GYMNASTICS
This Tuesday we're going upside down with handstand holds and handstand push-ups, testing balance, strength, and control. Then, we’ll lock in that overhead power with strength work.
On Thursday, we’ll visit the bar for pull-up progressions! Strict, kipping, and butterfly will appear, followed by lat and core supersets.
HYROX
Working on building powerful, resilient legs. Expect a mix of heavy leg-focused strength work designed to improve muscular endurance and replicate race demands.
MOBILITY
Keeping on that hip mobility, we will work through the same drills as the previous week, but now start upgrading the strengthening drills. Making sure we keep everything locked in place!
PURE STRENGTH
This week in pure strength, we start the week with some weighted push-ups, followed by rest-pause sets on the bench press. On Wednesday, we are progressing the loading on our RDL max set.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week, we are spending time working on the split jerk technique in weightlifting. Spicy complex of power clean, front squat, jerk. Finishing off with an EMOM power clean. Make sure not to miss out.
Monday Ride
A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Long Ride
Our weekly endurance ride.
Please email Rob Foster for more details.
Time: 05:59 am
Location: Bottom of the Stick, Al Qudra.
If you have a stretch of road with as mall gradient, you have more than enough for a great hill sprints session."Fred's hill" was one of my most and least favourite parts of Clumber Park, just a few miles from my school back in the UK. We would "jog"there quite jovially as a team, the jokes perhaps distracting us from the hills prints we knew faced us on arrival.
The Power of Hill Sprints
It was simply a stretch of forest that took somewhere in the region of 40 seconds to cover and had a beautiful6-8% elevation. This hill was the perfect setting for our hill sprints workouts.
These hill sprints would not only build strength in our legs, but as my teachers would tell me each time, they would also build "character" and "strengthen the mind." I blindly believed them, as googling their theory wasn't an option in the 90s, and we had an insane level of trust.
I was promised that this type of hills prints training would deliver the results we wanted for the upcoming CrossCountry season or the fast-approaching athletics season. The results from previous seasons sat in the back of my mind, perhaps as a barter deal for what was coming in the next 30 minutes of hill sprints.
The Simple Rule of Hill Sprints
"Hard up, easy down" were the orders for our hill sprints - nothing else. There didn't need to be more.We knew what hard was, the coaches knew what hard was. Their request was simple, our compliance was expected.
30 years later, on our final day in Iten, we were treated to a similar approach. A couple of the best athletics coaches in the world, a few of the fastest humans in the world, Tom, Skinny, and I - all in a forest. We jogged gently to it, found a stretch of incline, and did our hill sprints - running hard up and easy down for 30-40 minutes with little being said, then ran home. They knew, and we knew, we got better.
April 2024, on a hill in Greece, justHolly and I, and the same act played out. I had never seen Holly so happy after a run before. So much so that when I suggested hill sprints a few weeks back, she was excited like a kid at Christmas. The same went for today.
The Beauty of Hill Sprints
Today it was just the two of us in person, but I felt like everyone was there! So many faces and runners flashed through my thoughts as we made our way up the incline "hard" and down it "easy," one hill sprint after another until we were done. The birds sang for us, the scents somehow wrapped themselves around us, the sun rose and filtered through the trees, there were even raindrops from time to time, creating momentary images of beauty.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes all you need is a stretch of road with a small gradient. It’ll provide a great hill sprints session and make you physically and mentally stronger.
FUN - Honesty - Simplicity - Smash Life - Mental Toughness - Hard Work
If you have a stretch of road with as mall gradient, you have more than enough for a great hill sprints session."Fred's hill" was one of my most and least favourite parts of Clumber Park, just a few miles from my school back in the UK. We would "jog"there quite jovially as a team, the jokes perhaps distracting us from the hills prints we knew faced us on arrival.
The Power of Hill Sprints
It was simply a stretch of forest that took somewhere in the region of 40 seconds to cover and had a beautiful6-8% elevation. This hill was the perfect setting for our hill sprints workouts.
These hill sprints would not only build strength in our legs, but as my teachers would tell me each time, they would also build "character" and "strengthen the mind." I blindly believed them, as googling their theory wasn't an option in the 90s, and we had an insane level of trust.
I was promised that this type of hills prints training would deliver the results we wanted for the upcoming CrossCountry season or the fast-approaching athletics season. The results from previous seasons sat in the back of my mind, perhaps as a barter deal for what was coming in the next 30 minutes of hill sprints.
The Simple Rule of Hill Sprints
"Hard up, easy down" were the orders for our hill sprints - nothing else. There didn't need to be more.We knew what hard was, the coaches knew what hard was. Their request was simple, our compliance was expected.
30 years later, on our final day in Iten, we were treated to a similar approach. A couple of the best athletics coaches in the world, a few of the fastest humans in the world, Tom, Skinny, and I - all in a forest. We jogged gently to it, found a stretch of incline, and did our hill sprints - running hard up and easy down for 30-40 minutes with little being said, then ran home. They knew, and we knew, we got better.
April 2024, on a hill in Greece, justHolly and I, and the same act played out. I had never seen Holly so happy after a run before. So much so that when I suggested hill sprints a few weeks back, she was excited like a kid at Christmas. The same went for today.
The Beauty of Hill Sprints
Today it was just the two of us in person, but I felt like everyone was there! So many faces and runners flashed through my thoughts as we made our way up the incline "hard" and down it "easy," one hill sprint after another until we were done. The birds sang for us, the scents somehow wrapped themselves around us, the sun rose and filtered through the trees, there were even raindrops from time to time, creating momentary images of beauty.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes all you need is a stretch of road with a small gradient. It’ll provide a great hill sprints session and make you physically and mentally stronger.
FUN - Honesty - Simplicity - Smash Life - Mental Toughness - Hard Work
One-Hour Workout: Revving Your Swim Engine
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