The Barefoot Running Book - Jason Robillard [53]
Reprinted with permission from author.
© 2010 Mark Cucuzzella, MD, FAAFP. All rights reserved.
Cross Training
The Barefoot Workout
“Everyone is an athlete. The only difference is that some of us are
in training, and some are not.” —George Sheehan
The workout suggested in this section is just one of many workouts that will have a positive impact on your running. Any cross training is beneficial with some runners electing to ride a bike, swim, participate in yoga or Pilates, or a myriad of other activities. The general idea is to engage your body in different movements which will result in maintaining and strengthening those body parts that are not engaged while running. This will help promote a resiliency to injury, increase recovery time, and ultimately increase overall running performance.
Here are the guiding principles that guide The Barefoot Workout:
High intensity workouts produce better results.
Workouts should leave you feeling physically exhausted and covered in sweat. This is not a “country club” workout.
All exercises should promote strength
across multiple planes.
Most exercises require coordination and balance, thus work, and build all the stabilizer muscles throughout your body. This also works your core muscles which are critical to running. For myself, I avoid most exercises that allow only a single plane of motion (Nautilus machines, etc.)
Variety is essential.
On any given week I may do 20-60 different exercises. This assures ALL muscle groups are used. Based on my experiences, this is the best possible weight training method for running.
Many of my exercises and theories about weight training were developed based on the teachings of Crossfit® (http://crossfit. com) and Crossfit Endurance® (http://crossfitendurance.com). I highly recommend both programs to all runners. A good friend, Pete Kemme, was also instrumental in the development of this program. His creative inspiration and desire for masochistic workouts fueled my own desire to design The Barefoot Workout. Finally, Dean Jewett of Jewett Strength and Conditioning (http://www.jewettstrength.com) helped influence the development of this workout.
The Barefoot Workout Format
There are five different “formats” I use for my cross training workout. Each of the formats is designed around the principles stated above and provide variety which will keep the workouts fresh and entertaining.
When doing this workout, I suggest randomly picking a method by placing the names in a hat. Once chosen, leave that format out until all formats have been chosen.
For each workout format, you will be asked to choose a number of exercises from three groups which are listed in the next section, along with a brief description of each exercise.
Tabata Format: The Tabata protocol was developed by Izumi Tabata, a Japanese researcher. His protocol was originally used to train skaters. I adopted the format because it presents an interesting challenge that builds strength and cardiovascular endurance.
The format is simple: Do an exercise for 30 seconds, then rest for 20 seconds. Repeat this cycle eight times. The original Tabata research was based on 20/10 second intervals, but I’ve had better results with the 30/20 intervals.
When doing the “Tabata workout” pick two exercises from the first group, two from the second group, and one from the third. Do these five exercises in any order.
Here’s a sample of the Tabata format:
Exercise #1 is pull-ups. Start a timer or watch. Do as many pull-ups as you can in 30 seconds. When the 30 seconds expires, rest for 20 seconds. When the resting time ends, do as many pull-ups as possible in 30 seconds, then rest for 20 seconds. Repeat this cycle eight times. After the eighth cycle, rest for one minute. After the one minute rest period, move on to exercise #2. Repeat this process until all five exercises are completed. Advanced Tabata workout: Add more exercises.
Interval Format: The interval format introduces the element of running mixed with high intensity exercise intervals. This format requires