As part of our COROS Coaches service, we have received questions about adding cross-training into a running plan. Below, you will find two aerobic workouts for all levels and abilities.

The Workouts

Incorporating biking or swimming into your running routine can be an excellent way to cross-train and give your body a break from high-impact workouts.

Use cross training to help improve your Base Fitness while giving your running muscles a break.

Training Benefits

Adding aerobic cross-training to your running routine can offer several benefits to enhance your overall fitness and running performance. Here are some of the advantages:

• Improved Cardiovascular Fitness: Activities such as cycling, swimming, or an elliptical machine can elevate your heart rate and provide an excellent workout. This helps increase your aerobic capacity, which can improve your running endurance.
• Reduced Risk of Injuries: Cross-training provides an opportunity to reduce the risk of overuse injuries associated with running. By incorporating lower-impact activities, you can maintain or even increase your cardiovascular fitness.
• Active Recovery: Cross-training on recovery days or as part of active recovery can promote blood circulation and help your body recover more efficiently.
• Mental Refreshment: Adding variety to your training routine through cross-training can keep your workouts mentally stimulating, helping you stay motivated.
• Increased Training Volume: Cross-training can increase your overall training volume without overloading your running muscles.

Coaching Insights

• Replace any base or aerobic endurance runs in a COROS Training Plan with one of these workouts.
• Ensure that the chosen cross-training activities align with your goals. To improve endurance for long-distance running, aerobic cross-training activities like cycling or swimming can be highly beneficial.
• When adding cross-training for active recovery, it is still important to add full rest days into your routine.
• Pair aerobic cross-training with a strength routine.
• Pay attention to the intensity and volume of cross-training workouts. Ensure that they complement the running training without causing overtraining.

Incorporating cross-training into a running plan requires thoughtful planning and customization based on individual needs and goals. A well-designed cross-training program can improve performance, reduce injury risk, and increase overall fitness for runners. If you have questions about incorporating cross-training into your running routine, email us at coach@coros.com, and we’ll be happy to share insights!