How I Spent My NYC Winter....

CROSS TRAINING FOR RUNNERS AND TRIATHLETES

It’s a dark freezing morning in NYC but I’m creating large puddles, sweating as I’m wearing my triathlon kit while The Who’s Baba O’Riley blares over the speakers at the Reebok Sports Club on Columbus Avenue. Myself and 30 other people used most of this 70’s rock classic as a progressive standing climb, using 3 categories of resistance with a cadence ranging from a high of 110 at tempo and the goal to go below 55 on the vertical climbing.  But now we’re in the last minute of this tune where the songs tempo changes and is pleading for the cyclist to sit back down, change their body and hand position to come off their climb and spend the last 60 seconds pushing through a dynamic hard 60-second racing interval that might make you toss your breakfast.

Welcome to my spin class! Welcome to your hell :)

I’ve been teaching spin classes throughout the city for nearly 10 years now and I still bring a tremendous passion to the class because I love being on the bike instructing and I love listening to great tunes while riding!

This blog post will explore various cross training (XT) options a runner and/or a triathlete can use to create, sustain, and add a greater fitness component to complement their running or the disciplines that the triathlon requires.  During a NYC winter when the trees of Central Park are bare, there might be ice sheets hanging from the rocks overlooking the Northern Hills, and getting out of your warm comfortable bed and out to the park can take on a more challenging component when you’d rather be a bear and stay in your warm cave surrounded by pizzas and ice cream and your favorite blanket :)

Spinning is a great non weight-bearing activity that can burn 400-600 calories over a 45 minute ride. A spin bike has a fly wheel that weighs over 40 pounds and your resistance is manipulated by the turn of a knob (usually colored red) atop the frame at the base of the bike. Turn the knob to the left and your resistance becomes easier.  Turn it to the right and you create greater resistance and a slower leg turnover or a lower cadence produced by your pedal strokes.

A good instructor should not only bring good music but should also offer and clearly communicate a class structure throughout.  The format may include hill based interval sets, seated/standing climbs, sprints and more based on experience and how well they can motivate the other freaks of spin :)

Although I teach throughout the year, I particularly like teaching in the winter because I love the workout, the conditioning aspect it offers my legs and cardiovascular system and I’m inside wearing my triathlon gear using my cycling shoes bathed in sweat vs. being out in the elements dressed in layers determined to keep my heart rate elevated to help me stay warm.

Key Tip:  Spinning is fun, anyone can do it but one key tip for a novice is to let your body/mindset adapt to greater resistance levels gradually over several classes to allow for a proper ramp up period.

If being outside in the winter elements floats your boat then let’s look at another great XT option which is Cross Country Skiing

Fellow Flyer and running/triathlon coach Mikael Hanson of Enhance Sports is a long time XC skiing fanatic who swears by the activity not only for the enjoyment but for its benefits that include using muscles in the shoulders, back, chest, abdomen, buttocks, and legs. Cross-country skiers can burn as many as 600 to 900 calories per hour. The kick and glide technique, combined with the poling motion to propel you along, can provide a more complete workout than running or cycling, both of which also emphasize lower body muscles.





Key tip:  If you are a beginner, you should gradually build up the amount of time you spend at it.  Otherwise you run the risk of overuse strains (such as tendonitis) of the shoulder, knee, and arm. To prepare for a season of cross-country skiing, it's best to combine activities that primarily strengthen the upper body (rowing, swimming) with those working the muscles in the lower body (cycling, running or brisk walking) to promote overall muscle tone.

Let’s go back inside a nice warm locale for some……..Yoga!!!

Yoga has been practiced for more than 5,000 years, and currently, close to 11 million Americans enjoy its health benefits. The following is from Web MD’s webpage regarding yoga:

Most Westernized yoga classes focus on learning physical poses, which are called asanas. They also usually include some form of breathing technique and possibly a meditation technique as well. Some yoga classes are designed purely for relaxation. But there are styles of yoga that teach you how to move your body in new ways. Choosing one of these styles offers the greatest health benefits by enabling you to develop your flexibility, strength, and balance.

• You’re never too old to improve flexibility

The series of yoga poses called asanas work by stretching your muscles. This releases the lactic acid that builds up with muscle use and causes stiffness, tension, pain, and fatigue. In addition, yoga increases the range of motion in joints. It may also increase lubrication in the joints. The outcome is a sense of ease and fluidity throughout your body.

Yoga stretches not only your muscles but all of the soft tissues of your body. That includes ligaments, tendons, and the fascia sheath that surrounds your muscles. And no matter your level of yoga, you most likely will see benefits in a very short period of time. In one study, participants had up to 35% improvement in flexibility after only eight weeks of yoga. The greatest gains were in shoulder and trunk flexibility.

• Yoga and Strength

Some styles of yoga, such as ashtanga and power yoga, are more vigorous than others. Practicing one of these styles will help you improve muscle tone.

But even less vigorous styles of yoga, such as Iyengar or hatha, which focuses on less movement and more precise alignment in poses, can provide strength and endurance benefits.

Many of the poses, such as downward dog, upward dog, and the plank pose, build upper-body strength. This becomes crucial as people age. The standing poses, especially if you hold them for several long breaths, build strength in your hamstrings, quadriceps, and abdominal muscles. Poses that strengthen the lower back include upward dog and the chair pose. When practiced correctly, nearly all poses build core strength in the deep abdominal muscles.

• Yoga Can Help Posture

With increased flexibility and strength comes better posture. Most standing and sitting poses develop core strength. That's because you're counting on your deep abdominals to support and maintain each pose. With a stronger core, you're more likely to sit and stand "tall." Another benefit of yoga is the increased body awareness. This heightened awareness tells you more quickly when you're slouching or slumping so you can adjust your posture.

• Yoga Benefits Breathing

Because of the deep, mindful breathing that yoga involves, lung capacity often improves. This in turn can improve sports performance and endurance. But yoga typically isn't focused on aerobic fitness the way running or cycling are. Taking an intense power yoga class that gets you breathing hard in a heated room, however, can provide an aerobic benefit.

Most forms of yoga emphasize deepening and lengthening your breath. This stimulates the relaxation response -- the opposite of the fight-or-flight adrenaline boost of the stress response.

For more on yoga on the Flyers blog, click here.

Swimming with the sharks…

Or at least sharing lane space with others who swim throughout the year swimming is one of the best workouts any of us can do for a host of reasons that include cardio elevation, recovery from running and cycling, the opportunity to increase your strength and fitness levels through getting into the pool on a regular basis or even open water swimming on those occasions we are traveling and have the opportunity to get an open water swim in.

Strength/Functional Training

One of the best cross-training activities we all can develop and engage in is strength/fuctional training.  Over the years I’ve written a few articles on the merits of strength/functional training but whether you hear it from me (including on the Flyers blog -- just click here) or fellow Flyer and Fitness Trainer Brett Cohen of Integrated Training Systems (click here for Brett Cohen on the Flyers blog) making winter, or, as many treat it, “off season” strength work a top priority pays huge dividends for any athlete looking to set new goals and establish new PR’s come spring/summer and autumn racing.

But how do you go about it? What type of structure should a single or multi sport athlete choose to either strengthen trouble areas that some might have a history of chronic injury with or what can be used as a sport specific routine?

I’ve listed a few movements that many regard as being the most valuable exercises runners and triathlete’s alike can and should engage in.

Congratulations if the reader is regularly working with any of these whether to have an interest or commitment in the virtues of regular strength work and keep repetitive injuries running can invite at bay or for those who have suffered injury but who now recognize the importance and necessity of regular strength work.

One of the biggest culprits causing injuries to runners is not strengthening their gluteus.  When we’re not out running many of us have jobs that require us to sit for hours on end which can lead to gluteus muscle atrophy. Without strengthening our gluteus we leave ourselves open to injuries like lower back pain, tight (IT bands), tight hip flexors as well as possible accompanying compensation injuries.

• Squats

One of the top strength exercises for any runner and triathlete to work with are Squats!

Squats will work and strengthen your gluteus, your quadriceps, calves and your hamstrings.

How to Do It: Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes facing straight ahead or angled slightly outward. Slowly bend the knees and lower hips towards the floor, keeping your torso straight and abs pulled in tight. Keep your knees behind your toes; make sure everything's pointing in the same direction. Do not go lower than 90 degrees.

Work with 2-3 sets of squats using a repetition range of 6-12.

Performance Tips:  Many people begin a squat in the wrong position which immediately places them at a disadvantage.  Sit back as far as you can before you bend your knees. We have all heard the term “sit back” when squatting but it is especially important to start to sit back at the beginning of the squat.   This will ensure that you start the lift correctly. The first motion of a good squat is pushing the hips/glutes to the rear, not bending the knees first. This will require that you have strong hips, strong hamstrings and a very strong low back. Remember that if you begin wrong, you will end wrong.

For a squats demonstration, click here.

• Bridges

The pelvic bridge is an easy-to-do exercise, it is highly useful in maintaining strength in the low back, and it's useful in a low back pain prevention programs. Pelvic bridging is also a great exercise that strengthens the quadriceps muscles the hamstrings, the abdominals and the gluteal muscles.

How to Do It: Lie on a flat surface such as a carpeted floor or fitness mat. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor with your feet six to eight inches apart. Your palms should be flat on the floor alongside your body. Relax your upper body and back while you draw in your abdominals and squeeze your pelvic floor muscles. Exhale as you press your hands and forearms into the floor and slowly push your pelvis up towards the ceiling. Hold in an up position for a slow count of three. Inhale as you slowly lower your body back to the start position. Keep your abdominals tight to avoid sagging in the low back or glutes. Perform two to three sets of 12-15 repetitions, allowing 30-60 seconds rest between sets

A more advanced type of bridge is the one-legged bridge. This can be challenging as it requires one-leg strength and stability through the back and hips. Start in the basic bridging position with one leg extended straight out on the floor. Tighten the abdominals and raise your buttocks off the floor with one leg, bringing the extended leg up so that your thighs are parallel to the ground.

Whenever performing a bridge always make sure that you push through your heels, elevating your pelvis so that you form a straight line from knee to shoulders. Avoid pushing your pelvis up so high that you place weight on your upper back and neck.

One type of bridge I really enjoy involves using a 55-65 cm stability ball where my legs are on top of it up to my calves. The variation I like best is 2-3 sets of tilts where the feet are pointed toward each other.  For another variation, place both heels together and splay your toes wide apart.  The most traditional version is to place the feet straight up as you work through the tilt. Your spine should always be in a neutral position and active breathing is important here, inhaling as you contract your gluteus to raise your hips and exhaling as you slowly release the contraction and lower your hips and gluteus.

For a bridge demonstration, click here.

• Planks

So much has been written about planks and the benefit they offer by way of "core stability". Planks do work as an excellent core movement (in addition to helping you perform a better push up) and you can add variations to planks that will offer greater stimuli and the opportunity for adaptation by performing a plank on a stability ball, by lifting a leg 2-3 inches off the surface (without compromising form) or by including a light weight (2-8pounds) and incorporating shoulder raises into a side plank.


The plank is used in Pilates and Yoga and works the abs, back, arms and legs. The plank also targets your internal abdominal muscles.


How to Do It: To do prone isolated planks, lie face down on mat with elbows resting on floor next to chest. Push your body off the floor in a pushup position with body resting on elbows or hands. Contract the abs and keep the body in a straight line from head to toes. Hold for 30-60 seconds and repeat over 2-4 sets.

For a demonstration, click here.

• The Push Up

So much have been written about planks and the benefit they offer by way of "core stability." Planks work as an excellent core movement (in addition to helping you perform a better push up) and you can add variations to planks that will offer greater stimuli and the opportunity for adaptation by performing a plank on a stability ball, by lifting a leg 2-3 inches off the surface (without compromising form) or by including a light weight (2-8pounds) and incorporating shoulder raises into a side plank

How to Do It: Position yourself face down on the floor, balancing on your toes/knees and hands. Your hands should be wider than shoulders, body in a straight line from head to toe. Don't sag in the middle and stick your butt up in the air instead focus on keeping a plank position from head to toe. Slowly bend your arms and lower your body to the floor, stopping when your elbows are at 90 degrees. Exhale and push back up. Variations can include incline, decline, or wall pushups.

Performance Tip:  For someone who is just beginning to perform a push up, start out on your knees with your knees slightly apart and work on your technique before graduating to a plank position using on your toes.

For a demonstration, click here.

• Lat Pull Downs

The lat pull down works on the major muscles of your back (the latissmus dorsi), which helps you burn calories and, of course, strengthen your back.  As a triathlete, I need to develop both shoulder strength and strong lats to support my swimming technique and increase my aquatic endurance or the ability to handle a 2.4 mile Ironman mass swim, so lat pull downs are an integral part of both my own program and that of my athletes. (Another great bonus of developing lat definition is that it can make your waist appear smaller).

How to Do It: Sit on the lat pull down machine and hold the bar with palms out and wider than shoulders. Pull your abs in and lean back slightly. Bend your elbows and pull the bar down towards your chin, contracting the outer muscles of your back. Do this exercise 2-3 times a week using enough weight to complete 10-12 repetitions.

Performance Tips: The biggest error I usually see among those attempting the lat pull down is that they don't keep their back straight but rather angle their backs away from the pull down station presumably to compensate for trying to pull weight down that might be heavier than they are ready for.  Another tip is hand and grip placement on the bar itself. Varying your hand grip (both overhand and underhand) from narrow to wide will allow you to work your lats, upper back muscles and biceps differently, allowing for great variation in your program.

For a demonstration, click here.

If you don't have access to a gym, but do have a bench and free weights then try a one armed row instead.

For a demonstration, click here.

Conclusion

There are obviously far more choices we can make when it comes to developing a cross training program but the intent here was to offer a few ideas that some readers may have been curious about but have yet to try and are fun, will compliment our running without the weight bearing pounding we put ourselves through with running.

I hope you will give at least one of these a chance and if you already are working with at least one of the above then congratulations and good luck in all your endeavors!

-Scott C