Many athletes try to spice up their workouts by cross-training in another sport. A runner might jump on a bicycle, for example, or a cyclist might go for a run.
But sports research suggests that most efforts at cross-training don’t result in a better performance and probably don’t reduce injuries, according to the latest Personal Best column by Gina Kolata. The real benefit comes when athletes mix resistance training into their workouts.
In a review of published studies, Dr. Hirofumi Tanaka, an exercise physiologist at the University of Texas in Austin, found that resistance training improved endurance in running and cycling. The effect occurred both in experienced athletes and in novices.
A more recent study of experienced runners by a group of Norwegian researchers confirmed that weight lifting could increase performance. One group did half squats with heavy weights three times a week while continuing a running program. The other group just ran. Those who did the squats improved their running efficiency and improved the length of time they could run before exhaustion set in.
Similar studies also have found the effect in cyclists, but not in swimmers, Dr. Tanaka said. Swimmers do get faster, however, when they try a very specific type of resistance training, done while in the water, that concentrates on the movements they use in their strokes.
It is not known why weight lifting would improve performance, but investigators speculate that it may train supporting muscle fibers in the legs, allowing runners or cyclists to use them to augment muscles that get tired.
To learn more about scientific research into cross-training, read the full column, “Perks of Cross-Training May End Before Finish Line,” and then please join the discussion below.
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