Cross Country Running

Cross country running is a type of sport which takes place over open, natural terrain in events comprising large groups of runners. No two running courses are exactly the same.
There are differences between cross country running and track running. To begin with, cross country is carried out in open, natural landscapes instead of specially designed track surfaces. The speed is also different particularly because of the long distance that has to be covered over natural terrain. The running style also differs in the areas of leg movement, foot planting and stride length.

Generally, cross country cannot be learned automatically but one must go through special training to acquire the right technique for successful running and the minimizing of injuries. Even a good long distance track runner may not have the same superiority in cross-country races.

Different techniques for are used different surface conditions.

For example, if the ground is wet and soft, the stride should be shorter to avoid skidding. Also, the runner must bend the knees somewhat and point the toes outwards slightly in order to increase ground traction. Running on wet surfaces requires more effort than on dry ground. On hard surfaces the runner must keep the foot pointing in the direction of the run, with a straight line from heel to toe.

The ever-changing surface conditions means the cross country runner is more mentally alert and physically versatile than a track runner.  Training programs consist of workouts on different physical terrains and can take months for those who want to compete professionally. The training not only builds up the physical skills but also boosts the muscle and joint stamina to protect against any damaging effects.

The equipment required for cross country running is very minimal.

Most people run in shorts and vests, although during colder weather long sleeved shirts and sports tights are recommended for keeping warm, provided they don’t hinder mobility. Shoes are the most important part of the running apparel. Cross country shoes are called ‘Cleats’. They are lightweight and typically have metal spikes on the underside, which may or may not be replaceable.

Cross country running events are organized according to gender and age-groups, and competition can comprise of several of these individual events. Aside from the physical training, a competitor must incorporate proper dietary habits in their regime.  Meals should be well balanced, high in carbohydrates but with minimal fatty foods. Drinking plenty of water is important including just prior to the race.

The race usually beings with a large mass of people jogging briskly but over the course the group spreads and thins out as runners fall into their race pace. From the start speed the runner settles into a slower, long-distance pace so as to avoid oxygen debt which may deplete his energy to early.

Runners must stay within a particular distance from the designated path which is marked out with ribbons, paints and flags.  The course normally terminates at a long, narrow walkway called a funnel, whereby runners pass through in single file.

Although our website is mainly for joggers, there are many joggers who like to participate in cross country running events so we thought we would add this page for anyone interested. Be sure and check out our website to see how jogging exercise can help you lead a longer, healthier life.

www.joggingexercise.com

Speed Workouts: Are You Lacking Speed?

Article by Sara Evans

Are you using speed workouts to improve your race times? If you are not, then you are missing out on a big opportunity and could be finishing your next race much quicker.

If you are like most runners, you want to finish that race in the quickest time possible. And, like anything in life, especially sports, there is always room for improvement.

There are a few speed workouts that will always get you results

3 things you can do to improve your speed workouts

Article by Thomas Chamberlain

When performing your speed workouts, there are many things you can do to get the most bang for your buck. This article covers 3 of the most overlooked factors you can include in your workouts to get more speed and quickness.

1: Work on movement efficiency:

Your ability to align your bones the right way when moving is essential to be able to move as fast and explosively as possible. It doesn

Gas Problems? Know How to Increase Subaru Gas Mileage

Article by Sebastian Gaydos

People are always on the lookout for products that provide good value for their money. In tough economic times, anyone would do well to save and spend right. Among other things, people seek ways to cut their fuel expenses. Vehicle owners increasingly need to reduce gas expenses while making the most of their gas mileage.

However, extending gas mileage in cars requires additional costs and a shift in attitude or driving behavior. Interestingly, maximizing gas mileage in a Subaru is easier compared with other car brands. Here is a quick guide on how to increase gas mileage for Subaru vehicles.

Follow the Standard Maintenance Procedures. Experts advise that Subaru owners should religiously follow factory-recommended performance check procedures optimized for each model. Regular maintenance checks and upkeep or replacement of the air filters, spark plugs and oxygen sensors can keep the engine clean will substantially increasing engine efficiency. As a result, gas consumption is reduced while mileage increases.

Wheel Checks. Most car owners take for granted the status of their tires. However, to ensure safety, they should keep tires properly inflated and watch out for signs of wear on the tire tread. Such practices prevent premature deterioration of tires as well as inefficient fuel consumption.

Properly inflated tires can therefore maximize fuel efficiency in Subaru cars. Experts advise that owners should abide by vehicle manuals when it comes to maintenance. They should educate themselves about basic facts like the proper tire pressure. After all, the tire pressure in a Subaru Forester Edmonton residents own may be very different from an Impreza or a Legacy.

Regular Oil Changes. Any Subaru Forester Edmonton residents own should get an oil change for every 3,000 miles travelled. Oil changes maximize the car’s gas mileage by preventing damage to the engine and keeping it running smoothly. With regular oil changes, Subaru owners should be able to drive their cars without any issues while maximizing fuel efficiency.

Drive Responsibly. Drivers should remember to drive in a calm, sensible manner not only to preserve their cool on the road but also to reduce fuel consumption. A United States Department of Energy study shows that aggressive and impulsive driving behaviors i.e. sudden accelerations, changing lanes, speeding and excessive braking lead to fuel wastage. They also greatly reduce the fuel efficiency of a Subaru Impreza Edmonton residents have by as much as 33%. Moreover, drivers who engage in such behaviors face a greater risk of accidents. Patience and maturity therefore go a long way in reducing accidents and inefficient fuel consumption.

How do you get faster? One way to get faster is to learn how to increase your soccer speed in this week’sOnline Soccer Academy soccer training video. This soccer video will teach you ways to get faster and how to run fast! Description: These workouts to increase speed will help you increase running speed. Basically these exercises are sprinting training to increase your soccer speed and will show you how to run fast. Equipment Needed: Two Cones Exercise Player Can Do: Set up a start cone and end cone about 10 — 15 yards apart. We will now do 5 speed exercises to work on our proper running technique. 1st Exercise — Heel Over Knee Walking — 2 Sets Hands on your hips, drive your knee up and down, walk down to end cone and light jog back. Point your toe up when driving your knee up, come down on ball of your foot, do not let your heel touch the ground. When jogging back make sure you are jogging on your toes, not flat footed. A coach needs to look at you and think, that player’s got good technique. 2nd Exercise — Heel Over Knee Skipping — 2 Sets Hands on your hips, drive your knee up and down with a little skip in between. The faster our knee goes up and down the faster we will go. Make sure your knee is past your waistline. 3rd Exercise — Heel Over Knee Fast Knees — 2 Sets Hands on your hips, drive your knee up and down as fast as you can. 4th Exercise — Heel Over Knee Walking with Arm Technique — 3 Sets Does it matter what are arms are doing when we are running …
Video Rating: 4 / 5

The Quick and Easy Abs Workout for Men To Get Six Pack Abs in 14 Days

Article by Harry Davis

I am going to present you how to get six pack abs in only two weeks and I consider it as the best abdominal workout for men. We need to understand that men are different from women for workout for six pack abs in terms of their strength and power.

Many people are trying very hard to deal with their abs workout, it is because the pattern of abdominal muscle tissues are different from those of other parts of the whole body. As muscles require a period of time (about one to two days) to build up after vigorous workout, therefore it makes no sense to do abs routines each and every day. The muscles can build themselves into more powerful muscles after a recovery period.

If you do abs routine each and every day, you just don’t let your abs muscles to rest after exercise that will not take you reach your goal to get 6 pack abs in any period of time whenever 2 weeks, a month, or even a year.

This routine I am going to show you can help you get 6 pack abs in 14 days. I’d often do them Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Although some of the physical exercise required weights in workout routines, in this routine I do not make use of weights.

The Best Abs Workouts for Men should be Accomplished in Under 10 Minutes!

I recommend you to complete this physical exercise program under 10 minutes in order to get most of the benefit it gives. Most people found it is overwhelm to accomplish it under 10 minutes at the first time but you can challenge yourself to reach this goal. It will give you motivation to achieve the goal after several trials.

If you follow this exercise program you can realize why this is the best abs workouts for men.

It consists of two set of exercises, both have their own starting position.

The starting position of the first set is: Lie on your back with hands palm down underneath buttocks to lift the pelvis up lightly and flatten the back. Lift both legs up with knees bent and together to a 90 degree angle.

1. Bicycle Crunch–

Extend one leg out straight and parallel to the floor as you exhale. Opposite knee bent toward chest at the same time. Alternate from side to side, and repeat.

REPEAT 20 TO 30 TIMES.

2. Reverse Crunch–

Stretch both legs straight up and lift the pelvis up at the same time as you exhale. Lower the legs and bent the knee to 90 degree angle. Use your lower abs to do all the work.

REPEAT 20 TO 30 TIMES

Then the following three exercises with the next starting position : Lie flat on your back behind and bend you knee, heels close to you buttock. Place your fingertips lightly behind your ears to hold your head gently.

3. Draped Leg Crunch–

Lift your shoulders and upper back off the floor as you exhale, move you left shoulder toward your right knee. Reverse your movement, move your right shoulder toward your left knee as you inhale.

REPEAT 15 TO 20 TIMES.

4. Reach Crunch–

Lift your shoulders off the floor, bringing your arms over your body and reaching forward to form an angle with your knees. Reverse the movement, lowering your shoulders toward the floor with your arms stretched overhead, but keep your head slightly above the floor.

REPEAT 20 TO 30 TIMES.

5. Reverse Curl–

Keeping knees bent and together, lift your buttocks up off the floor, bringing head and shoulders toward the knee. Still keeping knees bent and together, reverse the move by pulling down the head and shoulders toward the floor.

REPEAT THIS ACTION 15 TIMES.

It is important to make sure you could cool down at the end of every exercise routine to do some slow stretching activities to bring your heartbeat rate down to the level before exercise. Stopping too abruptly may cause blood flow in your limbs and prevent it from returning to heart and causes dizziness. It is best to stretch your muscles after exercise to speed up your body recovery process.

I have been in fitness for a couple of years and I am certain this is the very best abs workout for men I have ever found. With this handy exercise I dear you can get six pack abs in two weeks!

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Speed Workouts for Football Players

Article by Lucas Jonhson

Speed workouts for football are very important in a football preparation. This is because all the football players must sprint on the fields very fast to attack the opposing team players. Nevertheless, team players can just be able to do quick and fast movements only after a long time of regular and consistent football speed workouts. These training workouts for football require a perfectly fit body. So, it is necessary that you do not have any injuries or physical problems when doing these. You should begin the training only after your doctor advice you to do it because you are perfectly healthy and fit.

However, always remember to do warm ups first before the football workouts. By doing so, your body muscles will be ready for the football workouts that are surely heavy. You can do warm ups such as jumping rope, stretching, and jogging for a few minutes.

The so called suicide speed workouts are one of the most recommended because it’s one of the finest speed workouts for football because they effectively help in developing endurance, fitness, and strength of a player to meet the requirements at a professional level. In this suicide sprint, the challenge is to lessen the time taken for the sprints to finish.

Then there is also the long stairs work out. In this workout, you have to run up the stairs until your reach the top and return back down as quickly as you can. The time taken for finishing one complete cycle or running up and down will be noted. After a few repetitions you can take a break and do 10 to 12 repetitions and even 15 repetitions with constant practice, experience, and added stamina. This is one of the most effective workout training for speed in football.

Another is the squat-jumps exercises. This is done by squatting as low as possible while maintaining perfectly your body balance and then jumping as high as possible in the air and returning back to your first position by making a land on the balls of your feet. And last but not the least is hurdle workouts which are truly enjoyable speed workouts for football.

Whether you are a football player or any other kind of athlete, increasing your speed will dramatically increase your performance in your sport. Start training for increased speed and quickness today be checking out some of our training programs below.

More Speed Workouts For Football Articles

Bat Speed: What It Is And How To Get It

Article by Jon Doyle

The term “bat speed” is all the rage these days among players, coaches, instructors and parents alike. Everyone is searching for the “Holy Grail” of hitting…bat speed.

But wait, not so fast. Bat Speed is important, but a VERY generalized term. Let’s break it down so you understand it and how to develop it…

When most people say “bat speed” they picture Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield or any MLB with world-class bat speed putting a hurting on a baseball. This is obviously the goal every hitter has. But please understand this is the end result, the culmination of hard work, being a student of the game and yes, of course, great genetics.

It’s not like you can take your average high school player, add 5-10 mph on their bat speed and all of a sudden they are Manny Ramirez. It simply doesn’t work that way. While you can argue that player would be better, he still would have average mechanics and vision.

Now, I do believe if you increase your bat speed you have a better shot at raking than if you didn’t. It certainly gives you a leg up on the competition and allows for a certain amount of error, which as you know will help any hitter.

What I’m worried is bat speed is becoming like the radar gun for pitchers. Now all someone cares about is how fast their bat speed is on the bat radar machine. One question…Who cares?

Swinging as hard as you can in a cage without having to make contact with a ball has absolutely zero carryover to hitting. Sure your “bat speed” may have increase, but your mechanics are now down the toilet. I’ve seen it happen over and over and over again. And despite my warning the players, coaches, instructors and parents are left shaking their heads why Johnny is barely hitting his weight.

Hard to believe, yes. But, sadly, also true.

I’ll make this statement and some self-proclaimed “expert” will argue with me but “You don’t need world-class bat speed to be a world-class hitter”. It certainly helps, but is not mandatory…

However…”You do need world-class Game Bat Speed to be a world-class hitter”

That’s right “game bat-speed”. Or how quick you can dial it up when you actually have to see the ball, locate it, decide what pitch it is, figure out if it’s in your zone and then pull the trigger. All in the matter of milliseconds. Some call it natural hitting ability. Others call it instinct. It’s possible to have average, or even below average “bat speed” and have outstanding game bat speed.

And it’s VERY common to see players with great bat speed during practice and batting practice and then be terrible hitters. These players are called 5 o’clock hitters because they mash at 5 o’clock (the time pro teams take BP before a 7pm game) and stink when game time rolls around.

You don’t want to be a 5 o’clock hitter do you? Nobody likes that guy…

Here are 3 things you need to work on if you want to develop game bat speed, which is the REAL money-maker in hitting…

1. Baseball-Specific Vision

I don’t care how fast your bat is, if you don’t pick up the ball early you can forget about becoming a great hitter. Sadly, 99.9% of coaches and instructors get this ALL wrong. You can’t get it by sitting in front of a computer screen, hitting different colored baseballs (did I miss something? Does a baseball change color?) or any of the gimmicks sold today.

2. Proper Dynamic Flexibility and Range of Motion

This one is so overlooked its ridiculous. Coaches and instructors spend hours upon hours trying to force hitters to do things their body simply cannot do. You can teach rotational hitting till you’re blue in the face, if the hitter who you’re teaching does not have proper dynamic range of motion throughout their hips, shoulder and lower body you can all but forget they will EVER pick up the mechanics. It’s IMPOSSIBLE! Spend time developing dynamic flexibility and range of motion before you begin to engrain poor mechanics that will be impossible to break.

3. Ability to Generate Force

Here’s another one that the greats do naturally and the coaches and instructors miss. If you can’t generate force from WITHIN you won’t be able to put a hurtin’ on the ball. You’ll simply be a “soft contact” hitter, unable to generate game bat speed and put the ball into play with authority.

Learn correct strength and conditioning drills to do with your players in order to develop this. Not machines, not stupid “balance” exercises or bodybuilding workouts. Specific methods that will develop world-class force generation.

Get these three aspects in order and you’re well on your way to explosive game bat speed and huge triple-crown category numbers!

Plyometric Training and Volleyball

Plyometric training and volleyball go together if you want to reach your full potential. Not only with volleyball, but with any sport, the correct training will help you to achieve your goals. What plyometric exercises are designed to do is improve the functions of your nervous system. It helps to produce fast and powerful movements. Plyometric exercises are movements that load the muscle and then contract it very fast, using innervation, elasticity, strength, and the tissues that are all around the muscle, to give you the ability to jump higher, hit harder, and run faster. The purpose of plyometric exercises is to help you to increase the power of your muscle contractions.

This type of exercise is used to focus mainly on improving your jumping ability. Without this exercise you will not reach your full potential. If you are to increase your game to your full ability, then “Plyometric training for volleyball” is what you have to do.

Your full jumping height will not be realized unless you use plyometrics. This should be used along with a training program that helps to build all the parts of the body that are needed for you to keep injury free. Without the proper training for your particular needs, you can be injured. Your goals will not be achieved, unless you take the right steps to assure you don’t become injured.

Nutritional balance is a very important part of any training program. If you don’t use the proper diet, along with your training, it will be all for nothing. Its your diet that builds your muscle, not weight training. You must have a training program that teaches not only “Plyometric training for volleyball”, but also the proper diet. Your diet may be the one most important ingredient of any training program.

Plyometric training helps to toughen your muscles, tissues, nerve cells and tendons in a certain way that allows the muscles to lengthen, then rest, and then allows an explosive shortening movement with everything working together. This type of exercise is meant to increase the muscle movement, not strength, to create an explosive movement.

So, if your question is do you need “Plyometric training for volleyball”, the answer is this. You only need plyometric training, along with your correct diet, if you want to train to your full potential. Take the guess work out of wondering if you are doing all you can do to achieve your goals. Some athletes train very hard and never reach their goals thinking they are at their limit.

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Training Zones for Football Fitness

Article by Darren

The below information should help provide you with guidelines for designing fitness and conditioning sessions with specific training objectives. Due to the intermittent exercise profile of football, players require a strong aerobic base in addition to capabilities to perform maximal bouts (i.e. sprints) and must be exposed to various training zones. The energy systems of a player therefore have to be trained with this profile in mind. An easy way to determine if the workrate matchs the desired training zone is to using Heart Rate (HR). Calculate Training Zone Via Resting Heart Rate

For charts, please refer to Soccer Training Zones and Drills

Fig 1. 3 Basic Training Zones and for a Trained and Un-Trained Player

The diagram above (Fig 1.) displays the training zones for a trained and untrained player (20yrs). The zones are indicated for the Trained Player only. The Un-Trained Player would hit these zones earlier. This chart above displays the three basics training zones. We can however go into more detail (as described below and displayed in Fig 2.) and sub-divide these zones. The zones are set based on percentages of generally one of three values:

Lactate Threshold VO2 Max Maximum Heart Rate

Fig2. Detailed Training Zones with Heart Rate for U-11 to U-21 ages.

Zone 1: Recovery Also known as: Overdistance Intensity: Very Low % Lactate Threshold: 65%-84% % VO2 Max: 55%-65% % Max Heart Rate: 60%-70% RPE Scale: 6-9

Used for: These are the easiest workouts, used to promote recovery after harder workouts. It is also generally the intensity level used during the recovery period of interval work and long slow distance (LSD) runs.

Zone 2: Endurance Also known as: Extensive Endurance Intensity: Moderate % Lactate Threshold: 85%-91% % VO2 Max: 66%-75% % Max Heart Rate: 71%-75% RPE Scale: 10-12

Used for: Used for long, endurance workouts and easy speed workout; builds and maintains aerobic endurance.

Zone 3: Lactate Threshold Also known as: Intensive Endurance Intensity: Moderate Plus % Lactate Threshold: 92%-95% % VO2 Max: 76%-80% % Max Heart Rate: 76%-80% RPE Scale: 13-14

Used for: Used for Tempo workouts, training in Zone 3 is usually done in the preparation and base phases. Generally, in the later phases you want to bump up to Zone 4.

Zone 4: VO2 Max Intervals Also known as: Anaerobic Threshold, Race/Pace Intensity: Race/Pace % Lactate Threshold: 96%-100% % VO2 Max: 81%-90% % Max Heart Rate: 81%-90% RPE Scale: 15-16

Used for: Intervals, hill work, and tempo work. Intervals in this zone generally have work-to-rest ratio of 3:1 or 4:1. Training at or slightly below your Lactate Threshold (a.k.a. Anaerobic Threshold) helps your body lean to “recycle” the lactic acid during high intensity work. This level is where you cross over from aerobic training to anaerobic training which is called the anaerobic threshold or AT. This is the point where the body cannot effectively remove lactic Acid from the working muscles quickly enough. Lactic Acid is a by product of glycogen consumption by the working muscles.

Zone 5a: Threshold Endurance Also known as: Superthreshold % Lactate Threshold: 100%-102% % VO2 Max: 91%-93% % Max Heart Rate: 91%-93% RPE Scale: 17

Used for: Intervals, hill work, and tempo work; typically used after some Zone 4 time has already been done. Zone 5 workouts are very short because it is difficult to maintain this level for any length of time.

Zone 5b: Anaerobic Endurance Also known as: Speed Endurance % Lactate Threshold: 103%-105% % VO2 Max: 94%-98% % Max Heart Rate: 94%-98% RPE Scale: 18-19

Used for: Intervals and hill work to improve anaerobic endurance. Intervals in this zone generally have work-to-rest ratio of 1:1, for example, a 20 second sprint followed by 20 seconds of easy recovery (Zone 1).

Zone 5c: Anaerobic Capacity Also known as: Power % Lactate Threshold: 106%+ % VO2 Max: 98%-100% % Max Heart Rate: 98%-100% RPE Scale: 20

Used for: Short-term Sprinting. Intervals in this zone have a work to rest ratio of 1:2 or more.

Find More Speed Training Workouts For Football Articles

Plyometric Exercises Can Increase Golf Swing Speed

Article by Scott Cole

Copyright (c) 2010 Scott Cole

Plyometrics have been an important component in the training routine of elite athletes. These exercises help improve their power and explosiveness. Golfers are now incorporating these exercises to help increase their golf swing speed, which will result in more distance off the tee.

Plyometrics are simply exercises that involve loading and contracting the muscles rapidly. By doing this you help develop the force and speed in which the muscles can act and react.

A common plyometric exercise for the legs is one where the athlete jumps from the ground onto a box or chair, then back to the ground, and right back up to the box.

For golfers, there are quite a few plyometric exercises that will help increase golf swing speed. The most beneficial of these are going to involve the legs, hips and core.

For the legs, an exercise similar to the box exercise is adequate for most golfers. Squat jumps are such an exercise that is good for less than elite athletes. Starting from a standing position, with the feet shoulder width apart, you simply squat down low, then explode up and jump as high as possible. When you land, try and land more on the balls of the feet, and immediately drop down into the squat position. Do this for 6 to 10 repetitions, and for up to two sets. If you have any knee or ankle issues, this is probably an exercise to avoid, as it is high impact. Performing these on a padded surface is recommended.

For the hips, a good exercise involves some martial arts exercises where you perform both inside and outside crescent kicks into a heavy bag. These exercises will help to develop speed on the inside and outside of the hip. You simply do these kicks as fast as possible, usually in sets of ten. For more information on how to perform this kick, do a simple search on the internet, as a description of the move is too long for this article.

In the case of the core, the most popular plyometrics exercise involves a rotational throw of a medicine ball, either against a wall or with a partner. Another good exercise in this regard is a similar move, but with the use of exercise bands or tubing. Performing these exercises with some speed will help produce the desired result of learning how to turn the body more quickly in the transition from the back swing to the down swing.

One other exercise that will help develop some explosive movement in the upper body involves old fashioned push ups. Remember those push ups where you explode up and clap your hands? That is a essentially a plyometric push up. If you can elevate your entire body off the floor, including your feet, then you are getting the most out of this exercise. However, you can get results simply by doing this from your knees.

Once you have developed some increased strength through regular strength training exercises, if you add in some of these plyometric exercises, you will see even better results.

Video Rating: 4 / 5

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