How to Climb: The art of walking up hills FAST! - Sport Walking Top Tips

In this video, Roger gives advice on how you can make walking uphill easier, more efficient and more enjoyable. If you find climbing difficult or avoid hills because they're too hard, this advice will help you overcome your aversion to vert and turn you into a power climber!

Climbing in Sport Walking is one of the essential skills to learn, mainly because so many ultra challenges feature climbs or high terrain. But it's not a mystic skill only held by the few. Anyone can adapt their walking style, train to become stronger and adopt tactics to manage the task better and all these things combine to make climbing more energy efficient and that's what's going to transform your uphill walking ability.

Understand the role cadence and stride length have when climbing. Learn the choices you have when it gets really steep - to use poles or not and be motivated to face your fears so you can find your climbing legs. And when you combine the advice in this video with our 'Free Speed' video, you'll become a demon on the lumpy stuff!

[INVESTYORI]

This is for me the best advice I've found on youtube (even after watching 20 other videos).

[caroleelaschwa]

Great advice… I live on a hilly area and want to get my dog and I into top shape .. not gonna fear the hills anymore

[kristine]

I grew up in a village with hills. A visit to a friend or going to school wasn’t done without ‘climbing’ one. I had the choice: climb 1, 2, 3 or 4. I always imagined going back home. Flying down 🌬️💨.

[keithg]

Thank you for that and thank you for introducing me to sport walking. I've been a runner for over 30 years, particularly trail running. A few years off 70, I'm finding running harder, but I'm really getting into this, it's like trail running, but less high impact on the knee joints.

[serenity]

I try to avoid hills and climbs maily because I get very slow, tired and tend to plod as you put it!, Will try out your advice...

[mariahcaety]

I've managed to make around 10 accents and I can see that your tips are spot on! I made them intuitively, but it's great to see that you encourage them as well! Thanks!

[DnBarPoet]

Very informative and very well explained/demonstrated! I'm a trail runner and with practice this will help me improve my technique and efficiency on the varying climbs I come across. I've looked at a few videos over the years on hill techniques but this has been the best by far! Thanks!

[selloutsam]

My perfect ultramarathon would be uphill the entire way. I hate downhills. Treadmill is my best friend, tons of max incline work.

[nancynahnigoh]

I use zig zag walking up and walking down hill for hurting my knee this technique I followed from my grandparent as they ascending descending the mountains during my childhood times it is good

[lizusedon]

Never heard of sport walking but wow! How helpful that was thank you!
Spent many years trail running but finding it hard on joints so looking at hiking but this looks more fun
👌

[chrisamies]

Very encouraging video, thank you. I am taking more and more to 'brisk walking' rather than running these days - I tend to mix the two especially on trails. I was reminded also of the advice re cycling up hills to take it steadily rather than attempting to rush it.

[TheCikpiah]

thanks this is very helpful.. how to go down hill though

[RamPMonyPers]

As someone who often worked in areas without road access, where climbing and descending hills was the only to get to the workplace, where people expected you to arrive at a certain time and so there was no time to stop and take a breath at the top of a hill, and going to work sometimes meant strapping on a rucksack. this video reminded me of many of the techniques I employed. I never used poles, couldn't get used to them. I did place my hands on my thighs when the slope got steeper, but often the thighs would hurt upon reaching the top of a hill. Didn't know about the swinging of the arms though, would have helped.

[CB]

I love hills. Going up. Not so much going down! I try to get into a sustainable breathing rhythm and slow down down to maintain 60%ish maximum heart rate. It's definitely harder with full on camping gear

[johnwiemer]

Just climbed Mt. Ralston in the Sierras. 2730 rise up to 9200 feet. Poles were absolutely mandatory the whole hike . Not pressing myself too fast was what got me to the summit and back. I'm 69 years old doing this 8.2 miles hike.

[stanleycornelius]

I'll keep this in mind when im doing tentors 55 miles, chrs mate 👍

[michaelwilcox]

How do you use your glutes over your quads?

[TwanVanGemert]

Helpful video, but how do you use the glutes instead of the calves, because my calves explode uphill and not my glutes, and I need the calves for running.

[briandonahue]

Good stuff! Descents set my knees on fire. Need some advice coming down. Thanks.

[yomama]

Thanks man, I’m about to do the 48km Kokoda hike in a few weeks and this is definitely gonna bell out tones mate