Will Cross Training Make Me Slower

Audio Transcript

Coach Tony: Hello everyone and thank you so much for tuning in.

If you have a question that you’d like one of expect coaches to answer in an upcoming episode, you can submit it at runnersconnect.net/daily.

We’d love to help you train smarter and faster, so please don’t hesitate to ask whatever has you curious.

Today’s question is from Sarah in Germany.

Sarah: I train about three to four times a week as a runner and if I increase my running frequency more than three to four times a week, I tend to get injured.

I like to work out so rather than just run three to four times a week and take the other days off, I do cross training like spinning. Will doing cross training make me slower?

Tony: No. It’s not going to make you slower. If you have high resistance and a lower cadence and are basically spinning at a lower R.P.M. with a higher resistance, that could make you slower.

I think that could make you injured also, but if you’re doing more keeping it more aerobic. If you’re spinning maybe 90-100 R.P.M. pretty good rate but the resistance isn’t super high, then I don’t think that that’s not going to hurt you. It’s going to get some aerobic capacity going.

The best way to really look at this and answer this question is, freshness.

I think by mixing things up, keeps you fresh. I have done a number of iron man, half iron man and I found that I could train a lot more volume because I wasn’t running all the time.

I was training for a marathon, as part of an Iron Man, yet I’m maybe only running three or four times because I’m doing a lot more time in the pool and on the bike so you’re mixing things up.

I think whenever you kind of mix some stuff up, you just introduce some freshness and I think that’s an important factor and how you speed, how you race and everything else.

If you go into a race and you’re not fresh, you’re not mentally enjoying the event that’s before you, then in a lot of ways who cares about the fitness you have, because if mentally you’re not excited for it, your performance is going to suffer.

There’s something to be said about having a level of freshness and your mind being fresh.

If you’re running three to four times a week, you’re basically running every other day. I think what’s going to happen is when it’s that day to run, you can be excited to run.

You do some cross training on other days and I just think it keeps your mind healthier and can keep your body healthier, using a little bit different muscles, overall strengthening the body.

If you want to do some cross training, you can even do some weight lifting to keep you strong. I think a lot of it really should be high repetition low resistance. For example, if you’re spinning on the bike, spin at a higher rate but keep the resistance low. Try to stay in the saddle versus low resistance in getting out of the saddle. Try to keep it more aerobic, use some muscles differently but don’t push things

For example, don’t go a really high resistance [inaudible 00:05:07] and stand out of the saddle for 20 minutes. That’s going to start to introduce some injury.

Whatever cross training you do, try to keep the impact and resistance low and turnover high. Keep it aerobic and I think it’s a good thing. It just keeps us fresh and you can definitely help with injury.

I would not say it’s going to make you any slower.

I’m sure you can talk to some people it’s going to say it is going to make you slower, but I think it really comes down to again what are you doing?

If you’re keeping it aerobic and you’re not really making it too much extra stress on the body, then I think you’re going to stay injury free and you’re going to stay mentally healthier.

It’s a good thing to do and I would encourage it for a lot of people, because I think for people running six or seven days a week, it is not feasible because of injury and as much as people love to run, it’s nice to mix it up a little bit.

I wish you well and I thank you for the question from Germany Sarah.

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