I Ranked Every Cross-Training Workout for Runners — Here’s What Actually Works

[00:00:00] Okay, so most runners think cross training helps them run better, right? But the real truth, if I can keep it 100 with you, a lot of it is just cardio cosplay. In this episode, I’m gonna break down exactly which activities are actually helping you run fitness and which ones are wasting your time. I even ranked them by how running specific they are based on science.

[00:00:20] And my own real world experience. Let’s go cross-training example activities. Something that I’ve always wondered was how effective was a certain cross-training activity at maintaining or even improving run fitness. So after years of being a triathlete and testing this as well as a lot of research, I’ve landed on what I think is the best guide to cross-training activity and run specific benefit percentage list.

[00:00:41] The biggest takeaway from this list is that I should be incorporating more aqua jogi or deep water running as it’s called. Everyone should. And the second takeaway is around swimming. While great for overall global cardio, not very specific for running. It is not if you’re injured and have access to a pool or gym, you’re better off aqua jogging again, deep water running and doing elliptical than swimming if you can.

[00:01:02] Here’s the full short list of things you can do to cross train specifically for running in the column next to each activity. I’ve put a rough estimate of how close it is to the sport of running AKA running specific. Neuromuscular activation. I’ll just go over this. Aqua jogging running is 90 to 95%.

[00:01:21] Elliptical is 80 to 90%. Run specific benefit stair climbing, 75 to 85% high intensity interval training, hit movement dependent, so it’s very dependent. I’d say it’s 65 to 80%. Hiking Rucking is 70 to 80% hilly terrain with heavy weight. So putting, I don’t know, 20 to 30 kilos in your back, maybe 10 to 20 to start with kilos, that’s about 30 to 40 pounds.

[00:01:43] You can up it as you get more comfortable and your body adapts, adapts, and adjusts. Cycling 60 to 70%. Group class aerobics like Zumba, 50 to 60%, so activity dependent. Walking fast, 50 to 60% Functional resistance training. Like CrossFit, F 45, 55 to 65%, swimming 40 to 65%. Huge range. I think if you do swim sprints, you’ll maintain just like that.

[00:02:05] Global cardio, fitness, explosive sports like tennis, soccer, basketball, rugby, American football, if you play that touch, football, et cetera. Volleyball, probably 40 to 70%, depends on a few things. These percentages represent how closely each activity mimics the muscle usage, cardiovascular demand, and overall fitness gains that translate to running performance.

[00:02:23] Again, this is just a guide based on a bunch of different papers and the general run consensus, and I’ve put it together based on my own experience. It’s near impossible to get exact numbers since everyone is different. The types of training you do is different, how your body adapts, et cetera. I’ve purposefully left out yoga and Pilates because they do not get your heart rate up to the level.

[00:02:40] We need to maintain aerobic base or improve it. While I have done both yoga and Pilates poorly and only a few times, I can say with confidence that the law of specificity is applicable. If you only do Pilates in yoga and decide to run half marathon without run training, you will struggle. Whereas if you did the elliptical, aqua, jogged and cycled only, and then ran.

[00:03:00] You would fare much better. This is because the activities you did were most specific to running. Do not get me wrong, it will still suck the longer and the farther the race is because you haven’t ran the actual distance. But something is always better than nothing off season. Cross train download. Since cross training is even more complex and specific to each person, I created something that is way more interactive and actually useful for runners.

[00:03:24] It’s a free, quick and easy cheat sheet checklist and 30 day. 1% better training and habits planned, so you can use cross training more specifically to help your running in and out of season. See the link at the QR code right here and in the show notes or video description below to download that, and as a bonus, you’ll be subscribed to our weekly newsletter that is totally different than other run newsletters.

[00:03:45] We don’t do the quick fix motivational hacks. Instead, we attack your run life one step at a time with consistency, habits, and all the other tools and tactics to get you to perform better for as long as possible in your life. So go and download that and we’ll get right back into the episode. Alright, rounding it out when cross training for running doesn’t work.

[00:04:04] AKA, the law of specificity. I call this also the triathlete turned runner theory. I’ll be blunt with you. Runners who do whatever workout comes in their head on the day and skip intervals to go on the elliptical or ride their bike are lying to themselves. Why? ’cause most runners that are here want to run their best time or run as far as possible.

[00:04:22] Enter the law of specificity. You will not run your best or fastest time at your highest level by using the elliptical or ergo RO Row machine for 80% of your workouts. You can talk about the marathon, think about the marathon plan for the marathon. We can cheer you for the marathon, but to run your fastest marathon, you need to run close to the pace you want to do the marathon in.

[00:04:41] For as long as possible in your training. The triathlete turned runner theory. Here’s some sports science for you that I thought was very interesting. Mainly because lots of cyclists and triathletes believe doing all their other sports will make them better runners. Here’s some evidence to disprove that.

[00:04:56] Running fitness transfers well to cycling by improving cardiovascular fitness and providing beneficial neuromuscular adaptations. Despite the difference in muscle contractions, running involves more eccentric muscle contractions. The down movement of your stride in running. So as you come down from the stride, each leg, which don’t occur as much in cycling.

[00:05:14] Because your, your body isn’t handling all that load of the body weight coming down on the bike. Running’s very different. However, cycling fitness doesn’t transfer as effectively to running performance due to running’s, higher neuromuscular demands and impact related adaptations that aren’t developed through cyclings.

[00:05:29] Concentric pushing off the pedal. So when you push off the pedal, that is concentric. So that would be like your back foot pushing off as you go to do your stride. But with cycling, you don’t have the catching yourself. When you come down, you’re just pushing on the bike, and that’s why I found out, again, it’s a bit of a theory and some research why.

[00:05:49] Cyclists that turn runners struggle, but runners that hurt. Cyclists don’t struggle as much. You still gotta do the thing. Law of specificity. Final thoughts. Before I went into research this episode, I thought of cross training as honestly a fun, nice to have thing that helps you maintain fitness while you sort it out your life.

[00:06:06] Injury or deloaded from a bit of race focused period of training. Unfortunately, runners usually new ones. Think that they can have workout A DHD and somehow can still run their best time because it worked on their first marathon. But I rarely see times dropping drastically without the running load increasing in tandem after you’ve run your first marathon, I could see a world where someone has perfectly optimized their cross training routine after years of tweaking everything they can manage to avoid injury, push just hard enough on the run and maintain.

[00:06:34] Or even improve their aerobic base via run specific cross-train methods. I’m sure that runner is older and very experienced, and hopefully that runner becomes me. I’d love to hear from you if you agreed with me, disagree or think I was dead wrong on something. Have you cross-trained your way to consistently better?

[00:06:49] Running race times. Hit me in the comments below on Instagram dms to let me know. Wanna know more. You can learn more about base training and its importance at this video here. And again, if you want to really drive this home, I made a more engaging and personal free quick reference guide checklist and 30 day 1% better plan to use crush training better in your running, in and out of season.

[00:07:09] Check the show notes or video description below to get your free download.