Cross-Training Ideas for Hurdlers

For all but a small percentage of elite athletes, the outdoor 2015 track and field season is over. Now we’re in the part of the year when we can detox a bit from all the physical and emotional demands of training, competing, and traveling. But now is not the time to sit around and get fat, right? Right! Now would be a great time to get started on a weightlifting program, to begin to build a cardiovascular base, and also to cross-train – which will be the focus of this article.

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I tell my athletes to take two weeks off after the end of the outdoor season before getting things cranked up again. Two weeks of relaxing and forgetting about track is long enough to look back on the previous season, to plan and prepare for the upcoming season, and to rededicate oneself to going above and beyond previous accomplishments. Yet two weeks is short enough to avoid falling out of shape.

So what is cross-training, what might it consist of, and how can it help a hurdler to improve?

Cross-training is exactly what it sounds like: training in disciplines other than track. Their purpose is to serve as a supplement to running, sprinting, etc., not as a replacement. Here are some of the common forms of cross-training that can prove beneficial to track athletes in general, and to hurdlers in particular:

• Swimming
• Cycling
• Martial Arts (Karate, Tae Kwon Do, etc.)
• Yoga
• gymnastics, cheerleading, dance
• Boxing, wrestling, kickboxing
• Team sports (basketball, touch football, soccer, etc.)

Let’s look at the above list in more detail and discuss benefits for hurdlers.

The obvious benefit of swimming is that it provides cardiovascular conditioning without the pounding that comes with running and sprinting. Track-like interval workouts can also be simulated in the water. This is a time of year when you want to avoid putting too much stress on the legs, as you will be doing plenty of that once track season gets underway. For athletes who are also recovering from lingering aches and pains from the outdoor season, including shin splints and strained muscles, swimming is a very effective way to train while allowing those injuries to heal.

Similar to swimming, cycling is also no-impact and improves cardio conditioning, but I would argue that cycling is even more specifically beneficial to the hurdler because it serves to strengthen four key muscles groups that hurdlers use in a big way: the calves, the hamstrings, the quadriceps, and the hip flexors. To me, the hip flexor exercise is particularly important, since leading with the knee of the lead leg and driving the knee of the trail leg to the front requires a high degree of hip flexor strength. Bike-riding uphill gives the quads the type of burn that increases the hurdler’s explosive power. What I also like about cycling is that it subconsciously teaches the legs to cycle in the front-side-mechanics motion that I discuss in detail in another article in this issue of the mag.

Among outstanding male hurdlers that I’ve coached, the most common activity they’ve taken part in that has helped them in their hurdling is participation in the martial arts. The martial arts help hurdlers in a multitude of ways, such as increasing flexibility, strength, balance, and explosive power. It also helps with the intangibles, such as focus and the ability to stay relaxed under pressure. I also love the fact that the martial arts are all about economy of motion, teaching the athlete to be extremely efficient with the movements.

Yoga is beneficial for largely the same reasons as the martial arts, particularly when it comes to balance, focus, flexibility, and strength. What I like best about yoga is that it teaches you to be aware of your breathing, to concentrate on taking full breaths. It also teaches the hurdler to put the body in awkward positions and to hold those positions. For those of you reading this who haven’t tried yoga, I wholeheartedly recommend it. It can be as exhausting, demanding, and invigorating as a hurdle workout, although from the outside looking in it doesn’t appear to be as “fun” as other cross-training options.

Among outstanding female hurdlers that I’ve coached, the most common cross-training activity they’ve done is gymnastics and cheerleading. Again, the primary benefits include increased flexibility and explosive power. Smaller girls can especially benefit from these activities, because the increased flexibility and power helps to compensate for a lack of height. One girl I coached started with gymnastics when she was like three years old, and could 3-step with ease despite being only 5-2. She ran 14.7 in the 100 hurdles and 43-mid in the 300 hurdles primarily because she was so powerful from all those years of doing gymnastics. Cheerleaders obviously do much of the same types of training as gymnasts, which is why many girls who have a background in one also have a background in the other. Gymnastics isn’t exclusive to females though, as a teammate of mine in college, who was only 5-7, beat my butt in the 110’s plenty of times, and the strength and flexibility he gained from participating in gymnastics was the direct reason why.

While I’m not a big fan of more aggressive activities like boxing, wrestling, and kickboxing, I can see their benefits, and wouldn’t mind if an athlete of mine were to engage in such activity if under the supervision of a qualified coach. I’d say that these methods of cross-training would be best for those hurdlers who approach hurdling from a combative mindset, where it’s “me against the hurdle.” If that works for you, I’m not gonna hate. Your reactive skills will improve, and you will derive similar benefits to those gained from the martial arts.

My favorite cross-training activity back in my day was to play pick-up basketball. I could just run up and down the court and not worry about how far I was going or what my time was. Full-court pick-up basketball is both aerobic and anaerobic. When I played, I made it a point to run the floor every time, whether I was going to get the ball or not. My goal was to run from endline to endline every play. That way, I got in a very good workout, and I got a lot of easy baskets. Overall, team sports like basketball, soccer, and touch football are beneficial because they are lateral-movement sports, promoting core strength (groin strength in particular), and the ability to go from zero to 60 as fast as possible. Also, the team aspect makes the overall experience more enjoyable, as track athletes don’t often get a chance to feel that group vibe.

In regards to how often to cross-train, I would suggest twice a week as a full-blown workout, and incorporate cross-training as a supplement to your regular training another three days a week. For example, if yoga is your thing and you really want to focus on that, you could do a full 90-minute session twice a week, and do shorter 30-minute sessions (targeting specific muscle groups) three times a week after your running workout.

My advice would be to find the cross-training activities that best suit your needs and tastes. Know what you’re trying to accomplish, based on the weaknesses in your race that you want to strengthen, be willing to try something new, and make sure you have fun with it.

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