Editorial Note
As a response to the huge response of interest to our article posted earlier this week titled Cross-Training Alternative: Pool Running, Maclay coach Gary Droze decided to share with us a training guide he has put together on cross training with the bike and aqua-jogging--which includes analysis of proper aqua-jogging techniques and form. Enjoy!
SAMPLE SUPPLEMENTAL TRAINING EXERCISES
SHORT HILL REPEATS
40-80 meters
strong arm drive
2-4 sets of 6-10 runs, with full recovery between sets
BOUNDING
20-40 meters
longer than normal running stride
very tall posture
ARM RUNNERS/FRENCH CURLS/ROWS
find a weight that produces fatigue in about 30 seconds
OR in about 30 repetitions
REVERSE CRUNCHES/LEG RAISES
2-4 sets of repetitions to fatigue
HYPEREXTENSIONS
NOT to full fatigue (10-20 reps)
NOTES
SPECIFICITY is the key…whenever possible, choose an exercise that mimics running form, frequency, and intensity.
Expect to be quite sore the first 2-3 times you do the exercises…the soreness will gradually become less severe.
Try not to let the exercises interfere with your higher intensity running days…do them right after hard runs if possible, and back off when you start to taper for big races.
As you get stronger, add weight and/or repetitions!
SAMPLE ALTERNATIVE TRAINING ROUTINES (bike, water run)
| Run Workout | Bike Alternative | Water Run Alternative |
| Long Easy | 1-3 hours @ 70% | 45-90 min @ 70% |
| Anaerobic Threshold | 40 min @ 80% OR 4x10 min @ 85% | 20 min @ 80% OR 4x5 min @ 85% |
| Lactic Acid | 8-12 x 2 min @ 90+% with 4-10 min recoveries | 8-12 x 1 min @ 90+% with 2-5 min recoveries |
| Pure Speed | 10-20 x 30 seconds very high RPM, low gear 1.5 min recoveries | N/A |
GENERAL NOTES
Toe clips on the bike make it much more effective for using all the muscles in your legs.
Regardless of workout, always hold at least 85 RPM on the bike.
Consider doing arm runners during long easy bike rides.
Make sure your water running form mimics real running (tall posture, running arm swing, full back-kick)…have somebody observe you from the side.
MUSIC is very effective for helping you sustain good efforts when cross-training.
SPECIFIC NOTES ON WATER RUNNING FORM
The keys to elevating your heart rate and transferring the effort to running success are FORM and FREQUENCY…
FORM from head to toe:
- Tall posture from the waist, with very little forward lean.
- Arms driving past the hips, low in the water, during backswing. Should basically mimic arm drive of a 400-800m race. NO DOG PADDLING! As your hands reach your hips, it helps to cup them and quickly push water behind you.
- Mentally divide your stride into two components: leg drive (front) and back kick (rear). For the leg drive, resist the tendency to lift your knee very much; that will happen naturally in the water, without any effort. Instead, focus on driving your lower leg (shin) forward. This will open up your stride. It's crucial for a good workout. For the back kick, make a real effort to swing the lower leg all the way through, pretending that you are reaching for the pool bottom and bounding across it. From a side view, an observer should see your knee obviously behind your butt on the back kick. A good rule of thumb is to de-emphasize the front part of your stride and over-emphasize the back part. This is because you literally must push water out of the way during your back kick. It should look from the side like a running stride.
- Are you remembering to stay tall? Good!
- Let your feet just flop. Any big effort to dorsiflex or plantarflex your toes may lead to tendonitis and/or calf cramping.
FREQUENCY equals intensity:
- Count your cadence (rpm) during medium effort. I do it by counting every time my left hand passes my torso for 60 seconds.
- Assuming that you maintain good form even as you increase your cadence, higher cadence will equal higher heart rate.
- Generally speaking, 40-50 rpm is easy-medium pace, around 60 rpm will feel like temp-to-5k effort, and once you approach 70 rpm, you are doing speedwork…assuming that stride stays open.
- As cadence goes up, resist the tendency to lean forward and start flutter-kicking. You'll go faster, but the resistance drops.