Lydiard Method/Uphill Bounding

Triathlon Forum
1

Just wondering if anyone has experience with the Lydiard method or uphill bounding as prescribed by Lydiard.

I read the article in Triathlete mag and it makes good sense to me as a novice runner.

2

i’ve done Lydiard-esque type of bounding and hill drills. i have not, however, read the article in Triathlete mag, so it’s difficult for me to comment specifically. but in general, hill repeats, or drills, are very good for developing efficient form and building strength. they will put a “good” hurtin on ya, without the pounding of the track. (your impact forces running uphill aren’t as severe). they are always a part of my early season buildup just prior to hitting the track.

3

Uphill bounding or running is, in my view, by far the best method of teaching and working running form. I’ve posted this many times on various threads, especially last year’s plethora of POSE method discussions. Bottom line, try running hard uphill while landing on your heels or swinging your hips and/or arms wildly side to side. You’ll find you can’t do it. You quickly learn to contain all superfluous motion and use only those which serve to drive you forward (and of course up).

I use uphill running almost exclusively when working with my novice runner Marines. . .

My personal three best tools for learning good endurance form:

  1. Uphill running to get rid of trends that hinder forward motion
  2. Striders to teach/boost/maintain leg speed and efficiency at speed
  3. 15+ mile runs to teach endurance running form, and literally takes the wasteful bounce out of your running stride.
4

I don’t have any hills around here, but I do have a nice little football stadium. Do you think that might do the same trick?

matt

5

I couldn’t find the link to the article in May’s Triathlete but it boils down to this.

3 runs per week, two 90 minute sessions and one 2 hour plus session.

This is the base which he recomends for as long as possible.

Then he adds a hill phase for about four weeks where one of the two 90 minute runs is replaced with a hill bounding workout.

Then later a speed phase where the other 90 minute session is replaced by tempo runs or track work, all the while maintaining the 2 hour plus run.

This makes a lot of sense however I am implementing my own version of this plan. The primary variation being short brick runs done at moderate tempo in hills.

Any thoughts or input?

6

Now that you mention it I can see the logic in what you are saying. The article emphasized only the physiological adaptations to uphill bounding rather than the technical aspects. What you are saying makes perfect sense.

I noticed that once I got a bit of a feel for the uphill bounding I was automatically doing a high knee drill and I was naturally focusing on coordinating arm carriage with leg stride; tossing my hand forward in a straight line. I didn’t even connect this to the hills.

Thanks for the insight, I can definitely work with that!

7

Stadium stairs will work, but tend to force a potentially unnatural rhythm to the stride. Far better, and please don’t shoot me for saying so, is running on a treadmill set at 4-8% incline. You get to work at whatever your natural rhythm is, rather than conforming to whatever the pitch and measurements of the stairs demands.

8

I couldn’t agree more. There is absolutely nothing that is better then running hill repeats to refine your form and strength, and of course lengthen your stride once you hit the track. I have my runners run at least 4 weeks of hill repeats before hitting the track- a couple of weeks of 2 minute hill repeats - 10-15 reps, and then faster reps of 30" all out -

Semper Fi Bri

Mike - USMC

9

Any thoughts or input?

One thought – people like to cut corners. They do the 2-hour run and cheat the 90s down to 45-60.

Don’t.

String together 6 weeks of 1 120 and 2 90’s, plus 2-3 other runs. You’ll be doing the hill work in a whole nuther league.

Volume matters. There are no shortcuts.

10

Stadiums work ok, but overpasses and parking garages work better. If you are tall watch your head. When I lived in Baton Rouge a guy showed me that trick. He was amazing with his cycles. He would run a dog 38-40 min 10k or be out of site for months, then at big races pop a 31 or 32 min 10k and smoke us all, then he would vanish till next time using the Lydiard system.