How To Begin Cross Country Training

The technique of running cross country is a lot different than running on a flat ground. You've got to remember that you'll be running uphill, you're going to be running downhill, and also the surface is different. So if we start from the shoes, it's important that if you're running in wet conditions, that you have the right footwear to be able to get a grip, particularly going down the hill.

Technique of the arms running uphill is very important because the arms have got to be pumping a lot more, whereas when you're coming downhill, you almost let gravity take you down. So when you're running uphill, you use more of your hamstrings and your glutes which are the muscles at the rear of the leg. When you're running downhill, you mostly use your quads so that your quads take a pounding.

Strength is an important issue and a lot of runners ignore the strength element. So it's worth going into the gym and getting stronger as well. If we look at this endurance runner, he's got similar posture to the middle distance runner, but if you notice, the arms are working less fast because we want to get a rhythm, and the heels are coming up but they're not coming up too high because it's hard to maintain over a long distance.

But the posture is still upright and he's got a rhythm to his running. Our endurance runner is breathing less heavily than our middle distance runner because they're working at slower speeds. So this is a calf stretch.

You put one leg back and put the heel on the ground so it's nice and elongated and you're stretching the calf and the achilles and if you want to increase the stretch, you just bend the knee slightly. Hold for ten or fifteen seconds and then change. To summarize for cross country, remember you've got to have the right footwork.

You've got to get stronger so both sides of the legs, front and back, the quads and the hamstrings, and you'll also get your core strength a lot stronger. |This VideoJug film will instruct you on how to properly train for cross country running. So watch and learn some great tips!.