Trail running elevation training: prepare your climbs and descents
Your first trail shows 1,500 m (4,921 ft) of elevation gain, and your usual runs are almost flat. How do you train legs that will climb, then descend, for hours? The studies give precise benchmarks, and they change how you train.
The KILYO team
The sports coach that reads your workouts
The short answer
Prepare two things separately: the climb, which costs a lot of energy, and the descent, which damages your muscles. On a treadmill, Minetti and colleagues (Journal of Applied Physiology, 2002) measured a running cost 5.5 times higher at +45% than on flat ground, and walking becomes more economical there. So work on power hiking on climbs and regular downhill runs.
Key takeaways
- At +45% grade, running costs about 5.5 times more energy per meter than on flat ground, and walking becomes more economical than running.
- Poles save little energy on steep climbs (2 to 2.8% in a treadmill study), but the effort feels noticeably lighter.
- After a downhill session, markers of muscle damage return to normal within 4 days: give your quads that time before another hard session.
- Without mountains, you can train climbing on an incline treadmill or stairs, and look for any slope for downhill work.
On a trail, elevation does more than slow you down. It changes what your legs have to do: push hard on the climbs, brake for a long time on the descents. A training plan built only on flat ground hardly prepares you for either of these efforts.
Here, the plan starts from what the studies measure, then turns those numbers into training that also works without mountains near you.
What a slope really costs
An Italian team measured the energy cost of running on an incline treadmill in 10 runners (Minetti et al., 2002). On flat ground, it is about 3.40 joules per kilogram per meter traveled, regardless of speed. At +45% grade (45 m (148 ft) of climb for every 100 m (328 ft) of horizontal distance), it reaches 18.93. That is about 5.5 times more.
| Grade | Running (J/kg/m) | Walking (J/kg/m) |
|---|---|---|
| Flat | 3.40 | not reported |
| +45% | 18.93 | 17.33 |
| −20% | 1.73 | not reported |
| −45% | 3.92 | not reported |
A 2017 review confirms that running cost rises in a straight line with positive grade (Vernillo et al.). On descents, it drops to a minimum around −20%, then climbs again on steeper slopes.
Climbing is expensive, and the steeper the slope, the wider the gap with flat ground. Your "comfortable" pace on flat ground has little to do with the pace that suits you on a climb.
Climbing: run or walk?
In the same study, at +45% grade, walking costs 17.33 compared with 18.93 for running. On very steep slopes, walking is more economical than running. This is the basis of power hiking, which trail runners use on the climbs.
Coaches recommend switching to walking as soon as running no longer moves you forward faster than walking, or as soon as your heart rate spikes. Walk briskly, lean your torso slightly forward, put your hands on your thighs if needed. It is a skill you can train, like anything else.
Poles
In 14 mountain runners walking on a treadmill, poles reduced the cost of climbing by only 2 to 2.8% (Giovanelli et al., 2019). However, the perceived effort was noticeably lower, which may delay fatigue during a long effort. Try them on long climbs before you take them to a race.
Descending: the real weak point
Descending tires you in a different way. Your quads brake with every stride, and this lengthening work damages muscle fibers. Very steep descents are not free: running cost climbs back to 3.92 at −45%, compared with 1.73 at −20%.
This damage goes away. After a downhill running session, maximal force, muscle enzyme (CK) in the blood, swelling and pain had all returned to normal within 4 days (2024 study).
A repetition effect seems to exist. In 36 experienced trail runners, those who regularly did downhill repeats had lower CK after a 5 km (3.1 mi) test at −15% (182 vs 290 U/L). They also kept more of their squat strength (+4% vs −9.1%). This is an association, not a cause.
Building your training, with or without mountains
The studies give the cost of slopes, recovery after downhill running, and the benefit of strength training measured on flat ground, not on trails. How to combine all of this into training weeks comes from coaching practice.
The principle: increase difficulty gradually, and don't stack hard climbs and hard descents on two days in a row. Your weekend long run remains the key session, along with its fueling (see our article on long run fueling).
For strength work, a meta-analysis of distance runners (programs of 6 to 24 weeks, 1 to 4 sessions per week) shows that heavy loads slightly improve running economy, and that combined methods help moderately. Plyometrics (jumps) help at speeds of 12 km/h (7.5 mph) or less. Coaches add squats and lunges for stronger quads on descents.
| Your terrain | Key session | For descents |
|---|---|---|
| Hills or mountains | Climbs in active hiking or easy running, then a rolling long run | Easy, relaxed downhill runs once a week |
| City with some slopes | Repeats on the same hill, stairs | Ramp, embankment, or stairs walked down with control |
| Flat terrain | Incline treadmill with active hiking | Strength work for your quads, downhill runs when you travel to hillier areas |
The incline treadmill works well: the 2002 study was done on one. To compare your effort on a treadmill with a flat road, use the treadmill equivalence calculator. To estimate the effort of a specific route, the km-effort calculator gives a flat equivalent:
Free calculatorTrail effort-kmOpen the calculator →What you can do on your next run
- Pick a hill and climb it with active hiking, without forcing yourself to run.
- Notice when your heart rate spikes: that is your signal to switch to walking.
- Finish with a short, easy-paced downhill run.
- Then take four calmer days before your next hard session.
KILYO reads your sessions from your watch and compares your pace and heart rate on climbs, then over time. If your heart rate rises too quickly on hills, or if your consistency drops after a heavy week, it adjusts your plan.
Frequently asked questions
How do I train for elevation if I live on flat ground?
At what grade should I walk instead of run?
Should I use poles?
How do I avoid wrecked quads after a descent?
Sources
- Minetti A. E., Moia C., Roi G. S., Susta D., Ferretti G. (2002). Energy cost of walking and running at extreme uphill and downhill slopes. Journal of Applied Physiology. DOI
- Vernillo G., Giandolini M., Edwards W. B., Morin J.-B., Samozino P., Horvais N., Millet G. Y. (2017). Biomechanics and Physiology of Uphill and Downhill Running. Sports Medicine. DOI
- Giovanelli N., Sulli M., Kram R., Lazzer S. (2019). Do poles save energy during steep uphill walking? European Journal of Applied Physiology. DOI
- Study « Downhill running increases markers of muscle damage and impairs the maximal voluntary force production as well as the late phase of the rate of voluntary force development » (2024). PubMed Central. PMC11129977
- Study « Downhill Running-Induced Muscle Damage in Trail Runners: An Exploratory Study Regarding Training Background and Running Gait » (2026). PubMed Central. PMC12846201
- Meta-analysis « Effect of Strength Training Programs in Middle- and Long-Distance Runners' Economy at Different Running Speeds: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis » (2024). PubMed Central. PMC11052887
Written with the help of AI.
