Most people think of parachutes as lifesaving devices. But among some fitness enthusiasts, they can also be speed-improving ones.
Runners attach them to their upper torsos and, as they sprint, the billowing chutes add a little novelty to the workout.
Fitness experts say parachutes can become a key part in a balanced exercise program.
“Over the years, it’s become more common because people are always looking for ways to improve their speed,” said Dean Lotz, a trainer in Memphis who has worked with athletes from all four major sports leagues and has a patent out on a sprinting parachute.
And besides, they can just be flat-out fun, said Gary Schofield, director of sports performance for Quality Sports Training in the Atlanta area.
“Any time you have a device on, it increases the enjoyment of the drill,” he said.
As Schofield explained it, there are two types of ways to do speed training. In assisted speed training, devices like bungee cords help runners move faster. First the runners pull back and put tension on the cords, and then they run forward with the cords helping them accelerate. That ultimately helps them better accelerate on their own.
Parachutes are in the category of resisted speed training, which involves slowing the runner. “You have to recruit more muscle fibers in your body in order to run because you have something holding you back,” Schofield said.
Mini-parachutes can be found online at such sites as www.jumpusa.com, www.strength-systems.com and www.shapeupshop.com. They cost $50 to $80, with training videos about $20.
One Chicago gym, Equinox Fitness, is holding outdoor workouts through September that mix speed-training with parachutes along with segments of hopping through hoops and doing jumping jacks and pushups. Equinox can be reached at 312-254-2500.
The workouts take place at Rosenbaum Garden, at Oak Street and Lake Shore Drive, at 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 9 a.m. Saturdays. They are free for members and cost $25 for non-members, with packages available.
In one recent workout, trainers had participants run a relay race with parachutes. As soon as one team member finished a distance of about 40 yards, he or she had to take the device off and have a teammate put it on and race the other way.
“It’s better than sitting on a treadmill, especially in the summer months,” said participant John Breen, 29, of Chicago.
Trainers said that a lot of the athletes they work with are pleased with the results of parachute training. Johnny McCully, regional personal training manager for Equinox, said many Olympic athletes probably have at one point or another run with parachutes.
But he and other fitness experts added that it will also help the more casual fitness buffs.
“For those people, it’s going to give them more endurance,” Lotz said. “They won’t be as fatigued when they play their sports on the weekend.”
There are different ways to exercise with the chutes, depending on what one is trying to accomplish. Some people like to run with large parachutes, while others prefer multiple ones. Some do series of sprints of 20 or 50 yards, while people training for a marathon might wear a parachute over a few miles, McCully said.
Schofield said that he has runners go through various parachute drills, depending on what they are trying to accomplish. For instance, people interested in sports like basketball or football might backpedal or weave with a parachute on to increase their top speed in those activities.
It’s important not to have so much resistance that runners find themselves slowing down by 10 percent or more. After that, Schofield said, they start to alter the mechanics of how they run and lose some of the benefits.
Lotz said that he has runners go for 100 yards at three-quarters speed and then gradually decrease the distance but increase the pace.
But conditioning coaches said people should mix parachute sprinting with other forms of exercise. While they can help runners attain a higher top speed, they can’t help with acceleration or starts.
And, perhaps not surprisingly, fitness experts recommended working with personal trainers for parachute work, saying that the trainers could better tailor a plan for an individual’s goals. “In order to do it effectively, you’ve got to know what you’re doing,” Schofield said. “There’s a lot more to it than putting on a device and running.”
