Whether you’re recovering from an injury or traveling and can’t really get out to to run, there’s always other opportunities to run without succumbing to the “dreadmill”.
How does pool running help runners as another cross training tool?
Studies have shown that aqua jogging can enable a well-trained runner to maintain running fitness for up to 4-6 weeks.
- In one study, a group of ten runners trained exclusively with deep water running for four weeks and compared 5km race times pre deep water running and post deep water running.
- The researchers found no statistical difference in 5k time or other markers for performance, such as sub-maximal oxygen consumption or lactate threshold.
- In a second study, researchers measured the effects of aqua jogging over a six week period.
- This time, 16 runners were separated into two groups – one who did aqua jogging workouts and the other who did over land running.
- Using the same training intensities and duration, the researchers found no difference between the groups in maximal blood glucose, blood lactate, and body composition.
Below you’ll find information regarding Water Running. If you don’t take that step, then you’ll stand still and never know what you are capable of accomplishing. When training, it is extremely important to focus on your running form. Here are a few tips to ensure you’re keeping good running form so that you can perform at your best:
- Carry your arms low and relaxed at your side. Keep your arm swing fluid, and avoid rigidity in the shoulders and a high arm carriage. This will help you avoid shoulder sway (aka shake & bake) that can waste energy and build up lactic acid in the shoulder.
- Swing your elbows backward in as straight a line as possible (think about beating the drum) Lateral elbow motion can hinder efficiency and counteracts the idea that all body parts should be moving in the same direction as you are running. Efficient arm action is essential and important to running. Their motion makes a small, but critical contribution to lift, which increases as your pace does. When we focus on our core, the arms decrease the horizontal excursions of this point, in both side-to-side and forward directions. This allows you to maintain a more constant horizontal velocity, resulting in a lowered energy cost, which is crucial during a distance race. The arm action is the acceleration of the arm, effecting lift and momentum.