Cycling "How To" from John Howard: Hill Repeats

John Howard at Bonneville: Setting the bicycle land speed record of 152.6 mph in the Bonneville Salt Flats. 20 July 1985.


Photo: John Howard

HILL REPEATS: This edition of Cycling "How To" from John Howard will give you the basics for structuring workouts with hill repeats to build into your routine.

John Howard, USA Elite Cyclist, Olympic Athlete, Decorated Ironman Triathlete, Pan-Am Games Gold Medalist, Bicycle Land Speed Record Holder, and founder of The FiTTE system, has joined forces with the San Diego Century Bicyle Tour to help you become the best endurance cyclist you can be. John has established a reputation as one of the country’s best cycling coaches and he has coached such cycling greats as Brad Huff, Denise Mueller, Scott Tinley, Scott Molina, and Mark Allen. With his training program in hand and access to John for FiTTE advice, you’ll have the tools you need to go farther faster and reach all new heights of performance.

What is a hill repeat: After warming up, a hill repeat workout can include 3 to 10 or more repetitions of a hill section, climbing in a seated or standing position.

Why hill repeats? They may be uncomfortable and they may hurt. But, they will build strength faster than most anything you can do on the bike.

Select your workout hills: My suggestion—if you live in a hilly area—is to locate a variety of hills for a variety of different types of hill repeats. Look for a short steep hill, and a longer more gentle climb for sustained efforts. If you do not live in a hilly area, highway overpasses will work just fine. If this doesn’t work, or you live in a colder climate, just add a 3-5 inch block under your front wheel to simulate a climb.

The fartlek workout: My favorite type of hill repeat is actually not a repeat but a series of hills. I will ride a course with a variety of hills and simply increase my tempo by 5-10 beats per minute up these different grades. Some are done while standing, others are done while sitting to work muscles differently. The technical term for this type of workout is “fartlek” a Swedish word that broadly defined as “speedplay” and used often in running workouts too. Intervals done in fartlek fashion are certainly more fun but with less discipline. You can decide what works best for you.

If you are interested in contacting John visit his website at http://www.johnhowardsports.com/

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editor: Greg Hendrickson
Greg's Blog: WatchMyRace
Photo: John Howard