Krav Maga as Cross Training for Running:
Building Power, Stability,
and Mobility while Dropping Injury Risk
As runners, we face a wide range of challenges that can all be solved with the right kind of cross training.
These challenges include overuse injuries, strength imbalances (particularly for lateral or transverse movement), gaps in upper body and core strength, and the need to develop balance, coordination, and stability. However, finding the right cross training activity is a challenge. So, we’re glad you’ve found our Krav Maga gym where we offer cross training that is safe (low injury risk plus prehab training), welcoming and inclusive (all ages, genders, body types, and experience levels) that will make you not only a better runner, but also a stronger, safer, more confident person. All of our coaches run regularly, some of us competitively, and many of students are runners of all levels from Couch to 5K aspirants to marathoners.
Here are just a few of the ways cross training with Krav Maga builds you up as a runner:
1. First and foremost, you’re at low risk of injury! One of the main reasons to stay away from any
cross-training activity is that it raises your injury risk. At Alpha Krav Maga Boston we stress the importance of minimizing injuries. We appreciate that all our students have lives outside of martial arts—they’re parents, teachers, law enforcement officers, and construction workers, among others—who
can’t risk getting injured. We make sure every student knows how to train hard, but also train
safely. We insist students use appropriate protective equipment, we warm up properly and teach prehab techniques such as mobility exercises and passive stretching after workouts. And finally, but most importantly, we have a unique school culture where all our students are invested in building each other up—not winning points in sparring or dominating each drill—so that classes are respectful, safe, and fun regardless of age, gender, body type, or experience level.
2. Runners widely neglect—but also know the need for—at least one day per week of upper body
strength training. Core strength is critical to running in order to stabilize the upper body for
improved running efficiency, absorbing downforce throughout the gait cycle, and keeping the
chest and airway open for efficient breathing. Transverse core strength, shoulder, and arm
strength are also critical for generating body rotation so that runners can stabilize the
asymmetric forces of running while driving the leg through each stride and maximizing forward
momentum. Many of our students who are daily runners report improved core and arm
strength translates to much more efficient running, hiking, and other activities outside the gym.
3. Krav Maga improves mobility and reduces the risk of running overuse injuries. Running is
overwhelmingly linear, sagittal (forward) movement, which commonly produces overuse injuries
from repetitive motions. Krav Maga exposes runners to a healthy dose of transverse (rotational)
and lateral (side to side) movements, opening ranges of motion in joints that get tight from
repeating the same gait cycle over and over while running. Many of the techniques in Krav Maga
act as dynamic stretches, particularly ground fighting that incorporates deep hip openers,
multidirectional lunges, and other rotation in the hips and shoulders. As an example, one of our
students regularly runs three or more laps of the Harvard Stadium, and finds our ground fighting
“flow drills” invaluable for returning range of motion to his hips and ankles.
4. Krav Maga builds balance and stability. Many of our techniques require coordination and
planting on one leg, whether to deliver a kick or perform a takedown “hip throw.” Further,
runners often wear built up, supportive footwear while out on the road or trail, but in Krav
Maga we typically train in much more minimalist gym shoes or even barefoot, which builds foot,
ankle, and lower leg strength and mobility. This improved stability, coordination, and lower leg
strength transfers into better foot placement while running, particularly on trails and uneven
surfaces. It also improves running efficiency and reduces injury risk. To illustrate, one of our
coaches completed a 50-mile ultra-trail marathon, which included training runs up and down
multiple 4000+ foot mountains like Mt. Washington and Lincoln. He made it through the nine-
month training period and the race without any injuries, which he attributes to the strength and
stability developed while practicing Krav Maga.
5. Our Krav Maga techniques build explosive power that transfers into faster sprints, better
climbing ability for tackling elevation gain, and stronger kicks to the finish for race day. Krav
Maga’s striking is based on dynamic, ballistic movements that build Type-IIx muscle fibers, or
the kind of speed work that is often neglected by aerobic endurance athletes. Krav Maga
compliments your aerobic long runs because it stresses the body in all the ways long duration
steady state aerobic conditioning cannot.
6. Finally, Krav Maga is a fun and social way to relieve stress. Running mile after mile can get
stressful, repetitive, and socially isolated; Krav Maga introduces a new, social environment
where you can get your heartrate up while taking your mind off of weekly mileage and without
the hassle of checking your fitness watch every three minutes. You don’t need to overthink
calorie or fluid intake, or stress about time spent in or out of your aerobic zone. You can let the
coach take over, so you don’t have to worry about planning your run route, and let out tension
and stress by throwing punch combinations on the heavy bag.
Cross Train with Us
All that to say, whether you’re training for a 5K or an ultramarathon, Alpha Krav Maga Boston provides a
perfect cross training compliment to your workout schedule. Don’t bore yourself to death cross training with YouTube Pilates videos on repeat! Connect with us for your cross training to become a better runner, to have fun, and to make yourself safer and more confident along the way.
Let me know what you think of this down in the comments, I personally read and reply to all of them?
To your success,
Dennis Amato and the Team at Alpha Krav Maga Boston
