On today’s edition of Topical Tuesday, I am going to talk about cross training. I’ve mentioned before that cross training is an important part of a runners plan. This is part of your injury prevention and will keep you running longer.
Runners World Magazine defines cross training as the following: “Cross-training, sometimes referred to as circuit training, refers to combining exercises of other disciplines, different than that of the athlete in training. In reference to running, cross-training is when a runner trains by doing another kind of fitness workout such as cycling, swimming, a fitness class or strength training, to supplement their running….” (for the full article go here: http://www.runnersworld.com/tag/cross-training)
So if cross training is combining other exercise of other disciplines than running what would those be? Think about exercises that still use your legs but use them in a different way than running does. Some examples are:
- Cycling – this is one of my favorites. It is amazing how differently this uses your legs and can even help stretch out tight muscles.
- Swimming – a great non-weight bearing exercise
- Elliptical – another one of my favorites
- Hiking or Walking – this works the muscles similarly to running but uses them differently
- Yoga – this is a great way to stretch out those overused muscles
- Dancing – this causes your muscles to move in a different way to move your body
- Strength Training – one of my favorite ways to strength train is looking on Pinterest for different workouts.
- Stairmaster – doing stairs is a great way to get your heart rate up
What are some of your favorites? How do you cross train?
Until next time,
Candace
Running on Second 