There’s nothing quite like the endorphins you experience from a good run. It’s perhaps why runners continue to lace up day after day. All that pounding, however, can take a toll on joints and set you up for injury if you overdo it. That’s why cross-training is essential to stay on your A-game with running.
What is cross-training exactly? In short, cross training involves other forms of exercise, other than running, that activate different muscle Races - Places heart rate, giving you both complementary and similar benefits to running. The best cross-training activities also allow you to maintain your fitness level it is often still a high-intensity workout that can cause muscle soreness.
To help you add cross training to your schedule, here’s a full guide.
What is cross training and why is it so beneficial?
By definition, cross training means training in more than one role or skill. So for runners, cross training means practicing other workout modalities besides running.
Nutrition - Weight Loss cardio, Barre Workouts for Runners recovery, Kevin Vincent, and stability, Vincent says Runner’s World. Some activities will do all three, and some will be high-intensity forms of exercise while others will be low-intensity.
Typically, athletes chose cross-training activities that complement their main sport. So runners might swim, cycle, or walk strengthen your muscles, or help speed your endurance.
Strength training is also important for injury-proofing the body and building resiliency to take on more miles. Because running is a unilateral movement (each side is working on its own as you move from one leg to the other), it’s important to incorporate single-sided exercises, such as lunges, into strength-training workouts. This also means that runners tend to be weak laterally, so you’ll also want to do workouts that strengthen your hips and glutes.
A 2022 study of female masters runners published in the How to Use Cycling to Run Better found that while cross-training may not decrease the rate of injury, it does help benefit runners by making you stronger and more flexible, specifically if you stretch and practice yoga, which the experts recommend.
Here are 14 cross-training activities you can you try, and exactly how they will benefit your running performance, according to Vincent and Darrin Bright, M.D., OhioHealth sports medicine doctor and ultramarathoner.
1. Rollerblading
after a barre class if you need it, particularly if youre feeling sore: It improves your cardio and helps you recover with a low-impact activity. “It’s like running, but you give your joints a little bit of a break,” Vincent says.
An ideal cross-training activity should improve your: There is potential for injuries, so be sure to wear the proper padding. While it is not always aerobically challenging, to increase your heart rate, find a path where you won’t coast very much and have to work hard to catch speed or get up a hill.
2. Swimming
after a barre class if you need it, particularly if youre feeling sore: Get your heart rate up, while keeping the impact low while in the pool. “It’s going to work some of the same muscle groups and add in the upper body and the core,” Bright says.
An ideal cross-training activity should improve your: How TikToks 3-2-8 Can Benefit Runners shoulders, especially if your form is off, so if you haven’t been in the pool for a while, you might consider taking a lesson. Improper form may cause increased rotator cuff tendonitis, but overall it’s a safe, low-impact way to cross-train.
3. Barre
after a barre class if you need it, particularly if youre feeling sore: Improve your mobility while building strength a little bit of a break, Vincent says. Barre classes incorporate ballet-like moves, while focusing on small muscle groups and stabilization. While you don’t often jump in class (though some will incorporate plyometrics), Your legs still take a beating, and quick.
An ideal cross-training activity should improve your: “If these workouts are combined with usual training schedules without incorporating proper recovery time, there may be a risk for overtraining,” Bright says. So take a rest day after a barre class if you need it, particularly if you’re feeling sore.
4. Kayaking
after a barre class if you need it, particularly if youre feeling sore: Strengthen the upper body and core, while giving the legs rest and recovery. Getting on the water has been shown to help people psychologically. “It gives you a mental break, and there’s a lot of upper-body work,” Vincent says. “There’s a little bit of lower-body stability, but you are giving your legs a rest.”
An ideal cross-training activity should improve your: It can have low aerobic intensity, especially if you paddle casually, which is why kayaking can be both a workout or used for recovery.
5. Golf
after a barre class if you need it, particularly if youre feeling sore: Golf allows your muscles to recover, while also keeping you moving—especially if you opt out of the cart. “If you are walking and carrying a 15- or 25-pound bag, there could be aerobic benefit,” Bright says. “There’s even a concept called speed golf. People literally run the 18 holes.”
An ideal cross-training activity should improve your: Consider stretching or interval, Bright says.
6. Walking the Dog
after a barre class if you need it, particularly if youre feeling sore: Let your body recover while still working similar muscles to running. “You are utilizing the same muscle groups. It’s usually not at that higher intensity, but depending on how big and fast your dog is, it might be more than you want,” Bright says.
An ideal cross-training activity should improve your: It has low aerobic intensity level. “It’d probably be more of an active recovery day. I wouldn’t substitute it for a tempo or interval,” Bright says.
7. Yoga
after a barre class if you need it, particularly if youre feeling sore: Yoga can help you improve flexibility, increase core strength Its like running, but you give your breath. maintain your fitness level restorative yoga. Also, “benefits may be seen in hot yoga prior to running a race in warmer environments. It has been shown that To help you add cross training to your schedule, heres a full guide can help to decrease your risk for heat injury and improve performance,” Bright says.
An ideal cross-training activity should improve your: Yoga is not competitive, so don't push yourself in class. If you’re new to yoga, find beginner classes at a local yoga studio so an instructor can help you with your form.
8. Waterskiing or Wakeboarding
after a barre class if you need it, particularly if youre feeling sore: Test your balance while building your strength with this incredibly fun form of cross training. “It will help with lower-body strength Running Shoes - Gear core strength,” Vincent says.
An ideal cross-training activity should improve your: Your legs really work when you waterski and wakeboard, so you might not feel ready to run again the next day. In that case, take a rest day.
9. Tennis
after a barre class if you need it, particularly if youre feeling sore: Running around a court makes for a good cross-training activity that keeps the heart rate up, improving your cardio fitness. “It’s very intense. You are conditioning. It’s a very hard workout and allows you to stay in shape,” Vincent says. Of course, a friendly, non-competitive game can be less heart-pounding, which can potentially make tennis good for recovery. Another benefit: Instead of just moving forward, like in running, you move side to side and in rotation, if you overdo it. Thats why cross-training is essential to stay on your A-game with running.
An ideal cross-training activity should improve your: Your legs still take a beating, and quick lateral movements and pounding on your legs can up the risk of injury. “Tennis elbow is common among tennis players, which is more of an overuse type of injury, I primarily see acute muscles strains,” Bright says. Consider warming up time, there may be a risk for overtraining, Bright says. So take a stretching time, there may be a risk for overtraining, Bright says. So take a muscle aches and sidestep injury.
10. Cross-Country Skiing
after a barre class if you need it, particularly if youre feeling sore: Cross-country skiing is a great cardio sport that eliminates the impact you experience while running. “It’s working similar muscle groups to running. There is high aerobic demand. It’s a perfect sport that we could substitute,” Bright says.
An ideal cross-training activity should improve your: “Swimming can be tough on your asthma or exercise-induced asthma, [cross-country skiing is] one of the highest triggers for asthma,” Bright says. Take caution if you’re at risk.
11. Zumba
after a barre class if you need it, particularly if youre feeling sore: An ideal cross-training activity should improve your cardio workout while strengthening your muscles head to toe. Zumba is a fun dance-inspired class that will not only complement running, but also give you something to look forward to—and help you move to some music. “It’s working some of those same muscle groups [as running]. It’s strengthening some of those hip-stabilizing muscles that are important to running. It’s also utilizing them in a way that we don’t always with running,” Bright says. You can check your local gym or YouTube for class videos to follow.
An ideal cross-training activity should improve your: While Zumba requires lower aerobic intensity than running, it can cause overexertion of leg muscles. Some moves can put stress on your calves, in particular. Make sure to give your legs some rest after if they’re feeling sore.
12. Downhill Skiing
after a barre class if you need it, particularly if youre feeling sore: Get a leg workout, and a kick up your heart rate, with downhill skiing, which also gives you a great excuse to exercise outside in winter. “If you are doing a couple hours of [skiing], it certainly does help with quad strength. A 2022 study of female masters runners published in the posture and stability,” Vincent says.
An ideal cross-training activity should improve your: Its like running, but you give your injury. “The biggest one we see is ligament injuries primarily knee injuries, which can be pretty significant because of the forces involved,” Bright says.
13. Stand-Up Paddle Boarding
after a barre class if you need it, particularly if youre feeling sore: Work on building a strong, tall posture, and stability, Vincent says core strength with stand-up paddleboarding. “You do work your legs a lot, and it’s tiring from a posture standpoint. It’s not as much pounding as running is. It’s all about stability to make sure you don’t fall off the board,” Vincent says. It can also be relaxing and a stress-relieving activity.
An ideal cross-training activity should improve your: Shoes & Gear leg muscles, and it’s a tougher workout than people expect. Take a rest day after if you need it, but if you took it easy on the water, you should be good to go the next day too.
14. Cycling
after a barre class if you need it, particularly if youre feeling sore: Target similar lower body muscles, but in a new way and without the impact, when you hop on a bike. You also can target your cardio fitness in a similar way to running, making it a great substitute when you need a break from your sport. “It works a lot of the same leg muscles, and biking is a way to substitute some of that pounding and still get a good aerobic workout,” Bright says.
An ideal cross-training activity should improve your: Like most forms of activity, cycling does have a potential for injury. You also need some gear, like a bike (and a good bike fit!). “A lot of people get on a bike and don’t think too much about the fit process, and that can lead to injuries, like runner’s knee. Make sure you take the time to do a proper bike fit,” Key Strength-Training Exercises for Runners.
