Cross-Training for Runners

Running is great exercise for your entire body. But running can also lead to injuries—more than half of runners experience some type of pain or injury annually. While Summit Orthopedics is here for diagnosing and treating all types of running-related injuries for people throughout the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, understanding the causes of running injuries can help people avoid frustration.

One common cause of injury is the repetitive nature of the sport. When you run, you use the same muscles over and over again.

Repetitive use causes some muscles to become very well developed, but other muscles aren’t always as developed as they should be, leading to overuse injuries, joint pain and other problems. One of the best ways to prevent running injuries is to adjust your workouts to strengthen your entire body, known as cross-training.

What Is cross-training?

Cross-training for runners involves performing a range of different types of exercises and sports. Varying your workout can reduce the risk of overuse injuries such as runner’s knee. Additionally, switching up your running workouts with lower-impact exercises can give your joints a break.

Any lower-impact exercise and something that you enjoy can be a good form of cross-training. But some types of cross-training activities may have added benefits for runners, such as boosting performance as well as injury prevention.

Cross-Training Workouts for Runners

Any cross-training program should have three components:

• Aerobic activity, which boosts your heart rate just like long runs
• Flexibility exercises, which keep muscles loose
• Strength training, which builds muscle

Your best bet is to work with an expert to develop a training plan based on your own goals. Runners trying to improve performance will need different training plans than those who simply want to stay injury-free. Certified athletic trainers, physical therapists and sports medicine specialists can all help create a plan that fits your needs and your specific physical capabilities. Many workouts will include a range of programs such as:

• Biking. Whether taking a bicycle on a scenic trail or hitting a spin class, cycling is a great way to get a low-impact aerobic workout.
• Dance. Ballet, hip-hop dance and Zumba are all fun ways to work your body in different ways.
• Elliptical and stair machines. These machines can keep your legs in shape, provide less impact to your knees, and work different muscle groups than running.
• Pilates. There’s a reason Pilates first became popular with injured ballet dancers—it’s great for improving flexibility and core strength while being gentle on your joints.
• Stretching. Aim for at least 5 to 10 minutes of stretching exercises daily to boost your flexibility, on top of stretching before and after any workouts.
• Swimming and water aerobics. Exercising in a pool provides a great cardiovascular workout with minimal impact to your joints. If swimming isn’t your thing, try water aerobics or resistance training workouts in water.
• Weight lifting. Hitting the weight room is beneficial for runners. You don’t need to power lift to reap the benefits of weight training, but make sure to focus on all your muscle groups, not just your leg muscles. Aim for 30 minutes at least twice a week.
• Yoga. Vinyasa (flow) or power yoga can provide a cardio workout while boosting flexibility. Gentle or yin yoga classes offer deeper stretching that can help relax IT bands and other tight places.

Cross-Training Tips

It can feel intimidating to adjust your regular workout routine, but the benefits of cross-training are worth the adjustment. A few helpful tips can ease runners into making cross-training part of their routine:

• Alternate your training. Just like you need to vary longer and shorter runs while training for a race, you shouldn’t go all in at the gym all the time. Schedule easier training days and harder days and keep a healthy balance between them.
• Don’t rush into your new training. Starting new workouts slowly is the key to safe progress. Make sure not to increase the intensity, length and frequency of your workouts by more than 10% weekly.
• Make sure you wear the right shoes when working out. Cross-trainers provide better stability for weight-lighting and sports with multi-directional movement compared to running shoes. Wearing the right shoes for the activity is crucial to injury prevention.
• You don’t need pain to gain. While starting a new exercise routine may leave different muscles sore after your workout, it shouldn’t be painful during it. If you’re experiencing pain while doing certain exercises, you could be doing them wrong or have an undiagnosed injury. Pushing through the pain doesn’t make you stronger, it only increases the risk of worsening injury.

Schedule an appointment with a Summit Orthopedics sports medicine provider.