HPL Grade Program A 6-Week Hill Climb & Descent System for Runners $47 — Instant Digital Download
Climbing is hard on the lungs. Descending is hard on the legs. Every downhill stride loads the quads eccentrically — absorbing force instead of producing it — which is exactly the kind of loading that causes the worst post-race soreness and the highest injury risk in hilly terrain. Most runners train uphill and show up race-day undertrained for the way down, then pay for it in the quads for a week after.
The HPL Grade Program trains both sides of the hill on purpose.
Six weeks. Five sessions a week. Two skills, trained deliberately:
Uphill Power — short-to-moderate steep hill repeats at high effort, building climbing strength and power
Downhill Technique — controlled descent drills focused on cadence, footstrike, and reducing braking, form before speed
Recovery & Prehab — the day most hill programs skip. Eccentric quad strength, calf and Achilles work, lateral hip and ankle stability, and a foam-rolling protocol built specifically around what descending does to the legs
Long Climb — sustained uphill effort at an aerobic-to-threshold pace, building the climbing endurance short repeats can't
Combined Climb-Descent — race-simulation sessions that put both skills together once the legs have built the resilience to handle it
Two benchmark checkpoints — Week 3 (Climb-Ready) and Week 6 (Grade Benchmark) — measure uphill speed, downhill speed with form intact, and how quickly quad soreness resolves after the hardest descent session. A program that only makes you faster while leaving your legs wrecked for a week isn't actually working — this one tracks both.
Who it's for: Cross country and trail runners racing on hilly courses, and any distance runner who wants to stop dreading the downhills. Athletes should already be running a consistent aerobic base — this is a terrain-specific specialization block layered on top of existing mileage, not a beginner's introduction to running.
What's included:
Full 6-week, 5-day/week training calendar
Uphill power and downhill technique protocols
A complete recovery system: eccentric quad strength, calf/Achilles care, hip and ankle stability, mobility protocol
Two benchmark testing days with clear pass/repeat criteria
Equipment and safety guidance for training on grade
Built by HPL Training Lab, based in Akron, Ohio.