Push/Pull Runs - A How To
Thursday, November 27, 2008 at 6:30AM I get a lot of questions about how I do my infamous Push/Pull runs. I am a huge believer in this workout, so I'll post how I do it here.
What is a push/pull run and why do it? A typical triathlete doesn't do enough core workouts to build strength that makes long distances easier. If you have a strong core, you can go farther, faster because you can hold your body together when other people get tired and their form starts falling apart. With all the working out we already do, who wants to spend time lifting weights?
I got really tired of running and running and watching my upper body strength waste away. It is just a little unbalanced to be able to run a marathon but you can't do 3 pullups. Enough said.
Push/Pull runs use muscle confusion and make you one hell of a swimmer. There is a school of thought that "muscle confusion" (Working out in unpredictable ways. Google it.) is a more effective workout. Also, pushups are regarded as probably the best full-body workout. They work your abs, back, shoulders, arms, and lots more. The pull ups work out the same muscles that pull you through the water. Do these workouts for a couple of weeks and you'll notice some real power improvement in the pool.
The bottom line? You feel much, much stronger, your muscles tone up nicely, and you burn off weight faster. And it's fun as hell!
OK, enough talk. What's the workout?
- I started off by doing a set of push ups every mile when I run, 3 times a week. This run is usually a 6 mile run.
- I do the same amount of push ups each mile. 12 pushups might not seem like much once, but the 6th time at the end of 6 miles... that's a workout.
- It is important to pause, drop and do your pushups, and then pop right back up and start running again. The muscle confusion and head rush is lots of fun.
- I suppose you could do pull ups every mile as well, if you carried a pull up bar with you everywhere. Instead, I do them before and after the run, and in the middle if I'm doing my usual three mile loop. I do each set until failure.
- In the end, a typical Push/Pull run will give me around 84 push ups and 25 pull ups mixed in with an hour run, but only adds about 10 minutes to my overall workout. Done 3 times a week, this a huge improvement in overall core strength and stability.
Give it a try and enjoy!
Reader Comments (7)
"It is just a little unbalanced to be able to run a marathon but you can’t do 3 pullups." -- Great point!
Ironically, I just started incorporating push-ups into my running workout yesterday. I'm looking forward to giving this a try. Thanks for the tip.
Hi Brett!
I've started doing pushups every km for one week. It's good and fast, as you said. Let's try some more weeks and see what happens.
Tks!
going to start monday
12
[...] two new things that Coach Brett has got me doing are push-runs and squats to make sure that my upper body and core doesn’t waste away from all the running. [...]
Oooh, this sounds brutal.
Think I'm going to try it...
Definitely going to add this in this weekend. Typically, I run at work during lunch... awesome stress reliever by the way. Since my pulse hangs in the low 40s at rest, I try to get my hear pumping pretty good before I head out with a few sets of pull ups, dips and chin ups. 3 sets of 10 each (10 pullups, 10 chin ups, 10 dips, rest = 1 set) That usually gets the heart pounding pretty good and the arms shaking. Can't wait to see the results throwing the push ups in during the run! Thanks for the tip!
great post and nice site :) Glad I found it.