Transform Your Running with This Hill Interval Masterclass - Lee Grantham

Aug 13, 2025

Quick summary of Transform Your Running with This Hill Interval Masterclass from Lee Grantham – a solid watch! Below is the breakdown so you can try the hill interval workout today. For the full experience, watch the original video.

Key training concepts

Effort‑based pacing – focus on staying in a target heart‑rate zone (Zone 3 = 150‑165 bpm, Zone 4 = 166‑180 bpm) rather than a fixed speed.
Short, high‑intensity hill repeats – 2‑minute uphill bursts with 60 seconds easy recovery.
Progressive consistency – aim to hit the same effort from the first rep onward; avoid “shocking” the system with big pace jumps.
Form awareness – keep elbows tight, hands forward, and stride short to protect muscles on steep grades (6‑7 % average gradient).

Workout structure (the core session)

Reps	Hill interval	Duration	Rest	Target HR zone
20	Uphill climb (~460 m)	2 min	60 s	Primarily Zone 4 (can drift into Zone 5)

Total volume: ~10.8 km of climbing (≈800 m vertical gain) + 20 min of recovery → ~40 min total.

How to adapt:

If 20 reps feels too long, start with 5–8 reps (10–15 min total) and build up.
For speed‑focused training, keep the 2‑minute effort but shorten the rest to 30 s.
For endurance, increase rest to 90 s and add a few extra reps.

Practical tips you can use right now

Set a heart‑rate alert at the top of Zone 3 (≈165 bpm). When you cross it, back off a little – the goal is sustainable effort.
Use a 60‑second countdown for recovery; the short break trains your body to clear lactate quickly.
Monitor stride: on steep sections keep steps short and quick; avoid over‑striding which spikes HR and fatigue.
Breathe deliberately – exhale through the mouth, inhale through the nose during the 60‑second recovery to reset breathing.
Film your form (even on a phone) to catch arm drop or excessive forward lean; small tweaks improve efficiency.

Example you can run today

Warm‑up: 10‑15 min easy jog on flat terrain
Then:
- 2 min uphill (~460 m) at effort that keeps HR ≤ 170 bpm
- 60 s easy jog or walk back down
Repeat 5 times (or 20 times if you’re ready)
Cool‑down: 10 min easy jog + stretch

Adjust the number of repeats to match your current fitness – the structure stays the same.

Ready to level up your hill training? Try the interval set above, tweak the rest/rep scheme to suit your goals, and log the paces in the Pacing app so you can see progress. And don’t forget to watch Lee Grantham’s full video for deeper insights and motivation! Happy running!