There are 3 basic keys to becoming a  better  athlete: proper  nutrition, appropriate  shoes, and constant motivation.   Keeping your mind and body healthy  will allow you to train more  consistently and effectively, which makes you  better.  These weekly  reviews aim to educate readers on product available  to fulfill their key  requirements.

P90X and CROSS-Fit

Ever wonder why you just can't break through on race day?  It could be because of a muscle imbalance.  I had one caused by injury last year and it's taken several months to get straight.  But..*

The other day I was scaling a trail climb affectionately known as the "Death Trail."  Don't bother picturing the biggest or worse hill you've ever run because I assure you it wouldn't compare.  The thing is brutal - and someone did almost die two weeks ago when they fell off the side of the trail.  As I approached the top this guy was stumbling down the rocks toward me in a CROSS-Fit tshirt.  He sees me and shouts a few frat-style phrases of encouragement as I run past.

This exchange started me thinking about the slogan "the sport of fitness has arrived."  Well, isn't that the crux of distance running?  It's a sport of fitness.  If you're out of shape you're gonna get smoked.  So you have to wonder if it would be useful to use their training techniques as part of your running crosstraining.

The basic approach to P90X style workouts (Insanity, and 10-Min Trainer) and the CROSS-Fit cult is the idea of 'muscle confusion.'  This is a ballistic approach to exercise where muscle groups are stressed both in parallel and in sequence without allowing the body to recover between sets or moves.  The results are you get ripped; especially for runners because of our low body fat and high pain thresholds.

Core strength and plyometric coordination are two major components of the training regime of any elite runner.  There are no soft Olympians.  Muscle-confusion workouts provide an incredibly effective approach to doing core work for a runner.  The results are great and the style of exercise is similar to what we are trying achieve on the track or the XC course - pushing and pushing and pushing in uncontrolled environments.  So implimenting some of these techniques can really improve your running efficiency and speed.

Other benefits include mitigation of muscle deficiencies.  Say one calf is stronger than the other, or more commonly, your hamstrings and glutes are weak and do not fire properly to offset the work of your quads.  If you have a muscle imbalance you will not run up to your full aerobic potential.  Doing ballistic exercises and hard-core plyometric routines like P90X will help cure these deficiencies/imbalances.

So study the available routines, and decide which ones will fit into your training schedule.

But be warned: there are several cautions when incorporating these types of exercises into your running.  First, you will be heavily taxed in supporting muscle groups like your hip flexors.  If you go run a hard workout the next day you'll be very likely to get injured.  Next, you're killing your ability to recover between hard workouts or long runs...so you have to be very careful about when you do the muscle-confusion workouts.

Third, you're going to be working very hard which means greater need for hydration and sleep and electrolytes.  If you already have poor eating habits or sleeping patterns this could set you up for overtraining and eventually; injuries.

Lastly, there is the potentially lethal threat of rhabdomyolysis.  This is when broken muscle fibers release proteins into the bloodstream and clog up your kidneys, or stall your heart from beating.  Combining high levels of running with muscle-confusion style workouts put you at risk for this to occur.  However, it is very rare and if you follow my first three warnings you will be just fine.

For the record I use "Tony Horton's 10-Minute Trainer" for cross training and core strength.  It's like the short version of P90X.  Because the workouts are only 10 minutes long they fit better into a heavy running schedule.  Also the condensed workouts make you more cut instead of swoll, because no matter how good you look with your awesome guns, that extra weight you're carrying is a waste if you're trying to run fast.  I find the 10-minute Trainer gives me the positive benefits with much less of the negative side effects or risks.

Now go do your abs!!