Sand Training

Sometimes we see athletes going for a run on the beach. What are the benefits of training on the beach? What kind of training would be better?

Sand training mainly has two characteristics, 1. Higher energy cost 2. Lower impact training stimulus.

From an energy system perspective, sand training is more ideal for the anaerobic system. Studies have confirmed that the aerobic energy cost of training on sand is about 1.5 times higher than that on grass, and the anaerobic energy cost is about 2.5 times higher. This is related to blood lactate accumulation that is 2-3 times higher than normal (Pinnington & Dawson, 2001a, 2001b ). The reason for the higher energy cost is mainly related to the shock-absorbing characteristics of sand, which reduces the SSC efficiency and limits the elastic energy. In contrast, the stimulation of voluntary muscle concentric contraction will become larger, and the sand is unstable, so more motor units will be recruited to assist muscle contraction. Studies have also confirmed that plyometric training on sand has a greater effect on improving voluntary contractions, while involuntary contractions are less effective (Giatsis et al., 2004; Impellizzeri et al., 2008)

Due to the low impact characteristics of sand, there will be less muscle tears caused by exercise. Although the sand will slide down during running, which makes the use of gastrocnemius to produce plantar flexion (that is, the action of pressing the sole of the foot downward) more demanding, the overall load on the musculoskeletal body is relatively low (Miyama & Nosaka , 2004; Pinnington et al., 2005)), so a higher training volume can be arranged for repetition training or technical movement stability training. However, if it is related to technology, we must also consider the impact of the characteristics of the sand on technical performance. I would recommend using the sand for related muscle activation, and then integrating the technology on the flat ground, which is more helpful for the adaptability of muscles and nerves and sports performance. .

Therefore, before training on the beach, you should first consider the training objectives such as energy system, stability, voluntary inner contraction, muscle activation, etc., so as to arrange appropriate training volume and training items.

Finally, choosing a beach is a very important step. A beach with drier and finer sand is ideal. A beach with coarser and wetter sand is actually the same as a beach with peek impact deceleration force (Binnie et al. . , 2013a, 2013b)

author
Chun Wing
Master of Education in Sports and Athletics
M.Ed. in Athletic Performance
B.Soc.Sc. (Hons)
IAAF Lv1 | USATF Lv1 Athletics coach
HK Triple Jump Rank 1
HKG Athletics Coach