Cross Training: It’s The Next Best Thing To Running

Cross training and injury prevention
Two-thirds of runners will experience an injury this year. Most of these are preventable.
Cross-training is one of the keys to both injury-prevention and recovery. Activities like water running and cycling can improve your cardiopulmonary system while giving your weight-bearing joints and muscles a rest. As long as training intensities and frequencies don't change, cross-training and land running provide similar aerobic benefits. You can cross-train when recovering from injury and even speed up the recovery process.

Cross training for runners

Water Running
It really works, even if you can't swim a stroke. Water running became popular a few years ago when runners realized that water workouts offered some great benefits-no pounding, good resistance and soothing massage qualities. These days there are all sorts of exercise classes held at swimming pools, from synchronized swimming to programs for senior citizens. Water running is a great alternative workout for runners because it:

- Mimics your running motion
- Provides a workout without the pounding
- Speeds up the recovery from injuries
- Improves your aerobic fitness level

Water running isn't complicated. With the help of a flotation device (ski vest, ski belt, or Aqua-Jogger®) you run in deep water, performing the same workouts you perform on land.
Because the water creates resistance to movement, being submerged is like having an adjustable weight machine surrounding your body. Want to adjust the intensity of your workout? Just change the speed of your arm and leg actions. Faster movements create more resistance and greater intensity. There are some nice side benefits to all this, too. Your legs not only avoid the pounding of running on land, they get a soothing massage at the same time. This increases the blood flow to and from the muscles and helps eliminate muscle tension. Water running is also a great fitness builder. Your heart and lungs are stressed just like when you're on the road.
How to get started
Buy or borrow a flotation device (many pools have Aqua Joggers available). Make sure the water is over your head so that when you "run," your feet don't hit the bottom. The flotation device should lift you so that just your head and neck are out of the water. When you're submerged to your neck in water, your body weighs about 10% of its land weight.
The basic technique
Use the same running motion as on land, bringing your arms and legs through normal or slightly exaggerated arcs. You'll feel a rhythm building, just like on land. Concentrate on staying upright and tall. Maintain a consistent running stride.
A common mistake:
Resist the tendency of your body to roll up into a ball while running. In water, the lungs become the center of gravity/buoyancy and you naturally begin to crunch forward. Be mindful of this and run tall. Keep your hips forward and your head up. Extend your legs fully behind you.
Water running workouts
You can perform your normal land running workouts in the pool. For example, if your outdoor program calls for a 30-minute easy run, then do the same in the water. The benefits are very similar. Unless someone drains the pool, the scenery isn't going to change. To avoid boredom you'll have to be creative. Add variety by interspersing hard running with easy running. For example, warm up with 5 easy minutes, then alternate hard and easy minutes for awhile, followed by a 5-minute easy cool-down. It's fun, and very beneficial. Since there's no traffic to contend with, and no danger of a tidal wave, the pool is a great place to use your headset. (Make sure it's waterproof, of course.)

Cycling inside or out
Riding a bike provides a terrific low-impact workout that:

- strengthens your leg muscles
- helps tired legs recover faster
- maintains or increases your fitness level
- provides easy and intense workouts without the pounding

Like water running, cycling is very effective in helping you maintain aerobic fitness. But because cycling on level ground offers little in the way of "resistance," you'll need to adjust your target heart rate upwards. For example, if you’re running target is 150 beats per minute, up it to 155-160 for cycling. Like water running, cycling allows you to perform a variety of workouts. Take an easy ride and enjoy the scenery. Or mix things up by alternating hard and easy efforts of varying lengths. Have fun with it. And don't forget to stretch after each workout.
Cycling Technique
To get the most out of your cycling, you'll need to use the proper technique. Experienced cyclists push on the downstroke and pull through the bottom of the stroke and upward. Try thinking of pedaling as a circle. Use your thighs to push the pedals down, your hamstrings and calves to pull the pedal back, and your shins to pull the pedal up. Then start the process again. This strengthens the entire leg and protects you against injuries.
Avoid "grinding" in the lower gears.
"Grinding"-trying to pedal fast in the lower gears-is a major no-no, because this hard pedaling doesn't imitate your normal running motion. Grinding can result in unwanted muscle mass in the "quads" and "glutes."
There's a reason cyclists wear those weird outfits.
If you are new to cycling you might wonder why cyclists have a specific dress code. After your first cycling workout in running shorts you will understand the reason. Putting the wrong material between you and the seat will cause chafing. To prevent this, you should wear cycling-specific shorts or tights that do not ride up your thighs and against the seat. The padding in the bike shorts should be a synthetic chamois. Cycling shorts are worn without underwear. The chamois wicks the moisture away and adds padding. The chamois should not have a seam running through the center since that can cause skin irritation. Look for a molded 1-piece chamois or one with 2 curved seams.
Going for a spin
A new twist on cycling that's popular at many gyms is indoor cycling. Indoor cycling combines stationary cycling and aerobics and can benefit your running. Generally, it is done in a class or group setting with an instructor.
Getting set up
Proper positioning on the bike is critical. Set the seat height so that your leg is slightly bent when the pedal is all the way down. Move the seat forward or backward until your knee is directly over the ball of your foot when the pedals are parallel with the ground. Your body should be at about a 45-degree angle with the ground. A hint for guys: To keep your butt from getting sore, keep the nose of the seat up. Gals usually feel more comfortable with the seat pointed slightly down. If you just can't get comfortable, add a gel-padded seat cover to the bike for extra comfort.
The Spin cycle
During a cycling class the instructor will change the pace and position frequently. This enables you to train different energy systems and to use different muscle groups. When the resistance is increased, slide backwards on the seat to generate more power. When you have less resistance and need to spin faster, slide forward to create more leg speed. As always, focus on pushing the pedals all around the complete 360-degree spin cycle

Elliptical Machines
These machines combine stair climbing, cycling and running. It's fun and interesting because it involves the circular motion of running. Like the other cross-training activities, it involves little impact. You work at the heart rates and intensity levels of your running program-without the pounding. The types and durations of workouts are the same as for water running, cycling and spinning. For the most part, you can duplicate your land program.

Stair climbing
Using a stair climbing machine can also help your running. In a recent study, subjects who exercised 30-45 minutes, 4 days per week for 9 weeks at 70-90% of heart rate max on a stair-climbing machine improved their performance in a 1.5-mile time trial by an average of one minute! For specific workouts, most stair climbing machines have computerized training programs and/or training-levels which will allow you to perform a variety of workouts. You should experiment with several of these workouts to find those which match your specific training needs.
(i.e., endurance, stamina, stride, and peak fitness)

Strength Training
This section provides a strength training program that targets those muscles and movements most important in improving your running performance. The idea is to increase your strength to the point at which your body can handle the stresses of running without getting hurt. If you end up getting a little firmer in the abs, hips and buns, then great! In addition to injury prevention, strength training helps round out your overall fitness program. Here are a few of the other benefits.

- Maintain and increase muscle mass
- Add interest and maintain motivation
- Become a better athlete overall
- Improves balance and coordination
- Meet more people

Converting running workouts into cross-training activities
Following a few simple guidelines can make cross-training as productive as a running workout. To simulate an easy-distance run you can simply exercise at an easy intensity for the stated duration. For example, if your schedule calls for a 30-minute run, you would exercise at the appropriate intensity for half an hour in the pool, or on an elliptical trainer or a bike. You'll have to adjust your target heart rate ranges while in water, and you may become more quickly fatigued with the elliptical machine because you're using muscles in slightly different ways. Be sure that you adhere to the same strategies for warming up, cooling down, nutrition and hydration that you usually follow when running. To keep things interesting, include a variety of durations, intensities and recovery periods. In most instances, because cross-training workouts closely mimic your actual running, you can simply equate your exercise duration to the total of miles you would normally run in that time. For example, if your normal 4.5-mile stamina workout lasts a total of 40 minutes, including 15 minutes of intense running and a 12-minute warm-up and cool-down, then the same 40-minute alternative indoor workout would equate to about 4.5 miles. Keep these comparisons in mind as you monitor your training levels to ensure that you don't overtrain.