CROSS-TRAINING FOR RUNNERS

Runners Who Cross-Train Prevent Injuries, Improve Running Performance

Running is one of the most popular fitness activities world­wide. For clients, it’s a great cardiovascular workout. It’s inex­pensive relative to other sports and can be done indoors and out.

Some consider running a sport for athletes in their 20s and 30s, but running enthusiasts range in age from young chil­dren to senior citizens. There’s a common saying: “Once a runner, always a runner.” Some running enthusiasts have even been called crazy or addicts because of their devotion to running every day. Running “addicts” may be competitive or recreational runners. Competitive runners have a strict run­ning regimen to prepare for multiple races per year; they may accumulate more than 100 miles per week. Recreational run­ners generally run just for exercise or the occasional 5 or 10 km race and may log in anywhere between 10 to 50 miles per week. What’s common among competitive and recreational runners, unfortunately, are injuries.

Repetitive Stress Injuries

A systematic review on lower extremity running injuries, published in the August 2007 issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that the incidence of injuries ranged from approximately 20% to as high as 80% in male long-distance runners. A study published in the February issue of the Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy reported that 55% of recre­ational runners were injured over a time period of one year. In both stud­ies, previous running-related inju­ries increased the risk of developing another injury.

Clients can prevent running injuries by adding different exercises—or cross-training—to a weekly workout schedule. Linda S. Jassmond Lanfear, a certified personal trainer for 25 years and author of several fitness books, says, “Cross-training is critical for runners due to the repetitive motion. The goal of cross-training is to eliminate the muscular imbalances and repetitive stress on joints caused by running forward.”

Pounding the pavement and tread­mill basically shock the body, she says. While some runners consider trail running, rather than road or treadmill run­ning, to be cross-training because it engages core muscles and involves a different running technique (see Focus on Fit­ness in the May issue), trail running still exposes the runner to repetitive stress.

Best Cross-Training Exercises

The most effective cross-training exercises for runners involve activities that address muscular imbalances in the body and are low impact while providing cardiovascular conditioning. For competitive runners, the best cross-training cardiovascular exercise is one that’s similar to running with regard to muscles worked and specificity of movement. These include swimming, water running, indoor or outdoor cycling, weight training, and core strengthening. Water running and cycling are most spe­cific to running. “Activities like swimming, water running, and strength training give runners’ bodies a much-needed rest while strengthening completely different muscles than those used for running,” Lanfear says. Interestingly, these activities also are used in physical therapy and rehabilitation for injured runners.

Here’s a breakdown of why these cross-training exercises are beneficial for clients who are running enthusiasts:

• Swimming: Runners who are good swimmers can get a high-intensity cardiovascular workout while swimming laps. Longer distance swims can improve endurance, while shorter, faster interval swims can mimic running sprints and condi­tion for speed. Swimming also works the upper body and core 

The most effective cross-training exercises for runners involve activities that address muscular imbalances in the body and are low impact while providing cardiovascular conditioning.

Deep-water running allows more freedom of movement than running in shallow water, as it’s beneficial for increasing joint and muscular range of motion. Runners also can mimic their road running techniques and training regimens by changing pace and stride length in deep water.

• Cycling: Cycling allows runners to train at a high cardio­vascular intensity for longer periods of time, using muscular and joint motion similar to running but without the pounding impact. Indoor cycling classes, also called Spinning, are very popular with runners due to the upbeat music and interval training benefits, such as high-resistance climbing and anaer­obic sprinting. Outdoor cycling isn’t as convenient for running conditioning, since it requires an investment in an appropri­ate bike and depends on the availability of cycling paths or safe roads. A consistent aerobic workout and anaerobic interval training also may not be possible with outdoor cycling due to weather, traffic, and cycling routes.

• Strength training: Lifting weights or using other resistance equipment can help runners address muscular imbalances and strengthen core muscles, which are responsible for posture and stability. Stronger core muscles will help improve running form and technique and reduce the risk of back and hip injuries.

Cross-Training Benefits

“Cross-training is even more important for competitive run­ners because they spend countless hours running which, over time, often leads to injuries,” Lanfear explains. And certain injuries, or repeated injuries, can sideline a competitive runner for months or even end their competitive career. Adding dif­ferent activities to their running training not only provides conditioning to improve running but also allows overworked muscles and joints to rest. Recreational runners may log fewer miles and therefore have less repetitive strain on the body, but they’re still susceptible to injury if their only exercise is running, she says. “Cross-training will help both competitive and recre­ational runners achieve muscular balance throughout the body and prevent injury.”

For maximum benefit, cross-training should involve low- or nonimpact cardiovascular activities that replace one or two running workouts weekly to relieve joint stress and reduce the likelihood of repetitive stress injuries. Strength and core train­ing should alternate with or be performed after cardiovascu­lar conditioning at least twice weekly. For runners with limited time, a few core and strength exercises added after a running workout or on rest days are better than no cross-training at all. One simple cross-training exercise Lanfear recommends run­ners perform after a run is to walk sideways in each direction and walk backwards, which strengthen the hip adductors and abductors, and hamstrings, respectively.

Many runners are resistant to cross-training, believing that more miles running equals better performance. Lanfear advises summarizing the fitness benefits of cross-training in simple terms: “Cross-training will make them a more efficient runner, and they’ll be able to run for years without having to stop because they get hurt.”

(Author’s Note: Stretching/flexibility exercise isn’t considered cross-training. Rather, it’s an essential component of any athlete’s training program. Next month’s column will summarize the ben­efits of stretching/flexibility exercises and how they fit into fitness and athletic training.)
 
 — Jennifer Van Pelt, MA, is a certified group fitness instructor and healthcare research analyst/consultant in the Reading, Pennsylvania, area.

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CROSS-TRAINING FOR RUNNERS