Cross Training

Mix it up to stay sane and improve your running

It's getting darker, colder, wetter, and gloomy. Many of us are coming off a fall of cross country, some big road races, or just enjoying running in the delightful environment that season can provide. We are entering the winter, maybe the longest and most difficult season for running. This could be the perfect time to supplement your training with some cross training exercises.

Running can be a very monotonous exercise and even though many of us love it, it can be beneficial to try something different occasionally. Adding cross training to your routine could help improve your running as well.

Often times people only begin cross training when they are injured in order to stay in shape when they are unable to run. However if they had added cross training earlier, they could have potentially added more variety that could possibly relieve some stress from their training and keep things fresh.

My favorite Cross Training Routines:

Swim, Kick, Jog in the Pool

-15 minutes of free-style swimming

-15 minutes of kick boarding

- 20-30 minutes of Aqua Jogging alternating between hard and easy efforts

- Relays if working out with a group or team

I love getting in the pool to mix it up and get off my feet. I do this with the team I coach often to relieve the monotony of constantly running and to throw some fun variety into our schedule.

MINUTES workout on a Stationary Bike

- 15 minutes of warm-up

- Series of hard/easy intervals on the bike, example: 3 hard, 3 easy, 4 hard, 4 easy, 3 hard, 3 easy etc.

- 15 minutes of warm-down

The one complaint I usually have about cross training on a stationary bike or an elliptical machine is that it can become boring. I like to mix it up by throwing in surges of harder efforts followed by easier segments. This seems to really make the time go by much faster.

What are your favorite cross training exercises or workouts? Discuss it on the training section of our forum!