Sometimes, there just aren’t enough hours in the day to go for a long run. Life can occasionally get in the way of our exercise regimes but there are still a number of ways to maintain a high level of fitness and improve both speed and stamina without having to leave your home.
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Bunny Hops
This is an exercise favoured by Usain Bolt, who recommends five sets of 20 reps. It is vitally important to ensure that your thighs are parallel to the floor throughout, as this helps build up lower body strength. He was victorious in three different events at the 2012 Olympics in London, and defied the bookmakers’ athletics odds in the process. With bookmakers setting odds according to specific historical and statistical data, it is not very difficult to see why. He was a hugely popular figure throughout his career, and he was always well backed whenever he took to the track.
However, his consecutive defeats to fellow countryman Johan Blake at the Jamaica Olympic Trials had put a dampener on his preparations, and some pundits had cast doubt on his ability to turn the tables in London. The bookmakers reacted accordingly, and with the pair reconvening in the 100 metres, the odds on Bolt to beat his rival were set at around 8/11. It was a tough one for the firms to price up: with the highly marketable sprinter clearly a cut above his rivals, and having won gold in Beijing, he was always destined to be favorite. However Blake’s form was a huge concern, and having beaten him twice in quick succession, they were understandably wary of his presence in the field. Bolt predictably blew away his competitors with a winning time of 9.63m in the 100 metres, and cemented his reputation as the world’s greatest sprinter, and punters who snapped up those generous odds were left absolutely delighted.
You don’t need to a professional sprinter to benefit from bunny hops, nor do you require professional equipment as any kind of low-level bench will suffice. Bunny hops are predictably tough-going, but sticking with the exercise will be hugely beneficial in the long term, and it’s a great substitute for a run, particularly for those who tend to train on uphill gradients.
Jump Rope Training / Skipping
Although this is an exercise normally favored by boxers, jump rope training also has significant benefits for runners. It is one of many ways of building up cardio endurance, and is a quick and easy way of working on important muscle groups.
Skipping ropes are very affordable, and this exercise can also help improve reflexes, co-ordination and footwork. There are numerous benefits to jump rope training, and just 15 minutes per day is enough to build up a high level of all-round fitness.
It also helps build up strength in key areas such as the ankles and calves, which should be hugely beneficial to those runners who are still working their way back to full fitness following an injury.
Mountain Climbers
This is an exercise which is favored by many athletes as it tends to target several different muscle groups and joints. They also help significantly increase your heartrate, but similar to burpees, they aren’t easy.
Most muscle groups in the body are strengthened by mountain climbers, with the quads, hamstrings and hip abductors all benefitting. It can also help injury avoidance, with all core areas receiving a decent workout in the process.
Similar to bunny hops, several reps of these are highly recommended, with a short rest period in between. Your glutes and quads will really reap the rewards, making it the ideal replacement for a quick run.
With the ever-increasing popularity of HIIT training, there are now numerous ways of compensating for the lack of a run. They offer very similar benefits to 30 minutes of pounding the sidewalk, and are quick and convenient for runners of all abilities.
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