Gym, Boxing & Running Faster: Cross Training To Make You a Better Athlete?

Most runners run.

Seems fairly obvious.

They run intervals. They run easy. They run long. They run up hills, down hills and occasionally run when their Garmin tells them they shouldn’t.

But there is another way to become a better runner.

Become a better athlete.

That might mean getting stronger. It might mean learning to move better. It might mean boxing, lifting, cycling, swimming, hiking or doing something that doesn’t involve staring at a GPS watch for 45 minutes.

And there is some pretty good science behind the strength-training part of this.

But before we get into that, let’s talk about boxing.

Can boxing make you a better athlete?

Boxing is one of those sports that looks simple until you try it.

Stand there.

Move your feet.

Punch the other person.

Punch a bag.

Easy.

Then someone rings the bell or your timer sounds starting the interval and suddenly you’re trying to coordinate your feet, hips, shoulders, hands, breathing, balance, reactions and brain while somebody is actively trying to ruin your afternoon.

Boxing demands a mixture of aerobic fitness, high-intensity anaerobic work, repeated efforts, coordination, balance, movement and power. Research on boxing shows that both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems contribute significantly to the demands of the sport. 

That makes boxing interesting for runners.

Not because punching things is some magical shortcut to a faster 10K.

It isn’t.

But because it trains qualities that running doesn’t necessarily challenge in the same way.

You have to move laterally. You have to accelerate and decelerate. You have to produce force quickly. You have to stay balanced.

You have to react. And you have to keep doing it when you’re stuffed.

That’s useful athletic training.

Harry Garside is a pretty good example

Here’s where it gets interesting.

Australian Olympic boxer Harry Garside decided to have a crack at the Sydney Marathon.

In 2025 he ran 2:39:22, improving his previous marathon time by around 16 minutes. 

That’s about 3:46 per kilometre for 42.2km.

Pretty handy for a bloke whose primary sporting background is boxing.

Then in 2026 he went faster again.

2:36:36.

That’s another 2 minutes and 46 seconds knocked off his marathon time — roughly 3:43/km for the entire distance. Harry himself posted the 2:36:36 as a personal best following the 2026 Sydney Marathon. 

Now, we’re not going to make the ridiculous claim that boxing magically turned Harry into a 2:36 marathon runner.

It didn’t.

A marathon requires marathon-specific training. Harry clearly put serious running into his preparation. But his story does demonstrate something interesting:

Being a high-level athlete isn’t necessarily about being good at one movement.

It’s about developing a broad range of physical qualities — then applying them to whatever challenge you’ve decided to take on.

And that’s something most of us could probably learn from.

What does this have to do with running?

Quite a lot. Running is incredibly repetitive. That’s part of its beauty.

Put one foot in front of the other. Repeat approximately 20,000 times.

But that repetition can also mean you’re repeatedly asking the same muscles, joints and movement patterns to do the same job.

Strength training gives you something different. And this isn’t just gym-bro folklore.

A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis covering 31 studies and 652 runners found that several forms of strength training — particularly high-load and plyometric training — could improve running economy. 

Another 2024 review covering 38 studies and 894 runners found that high-load and combined strength training could improve running performance, although the researchers also found that these improvements weren’t necessarily accompanied by increases in VO₂max. 

That’s an important distinction.

Because getting faster isn’t simply about building a bigger engine. It’s also about becoming better at using the engine you’ve got.

Running economy: the bit runners should know about

You’ve probably heard of VO₂max. If you have a Garmin you’ll be all over it.

It’s basically a measure of how much oxygen your body can use at maximal effort. It’s useful, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.

Imagine two runners with the same VO₂max.

Both have the same theoretical engine. But one runner uses less energy to maintain a particular pace (we all know someone who looks effortless).

That runner has better running economy.

Think about two cars travelling at exactly 100km/h.

One needs 7 litres per 100km.

The other needs 10.

Same speed.

Very different fuel bill.

Running works in a similar way.

If you can run at the same pace while using less energy, you’ve got more in reserve. That’s one reason running economy matters so much.

So how can strength help?

There isn’t one magic explanation.

Research suggests improvements can come from several factors, including better force production, neuromuscular coordination and changes in how the body handles and returns force during running. The relationship between biomechanics and running economy is complex, but research supports the idea that how efficiently you move matters. 

In simple terms:

You become better at putting force into the ground without wasting as much of it.

That doesn’t necessarily mean becoming a massive human. We’re not suggesting every runner needs to start deadlifting like they’re trying to separate the Earth’s crust. It’s about becoming stronger and more capable for the job you need to do.

Research consistently points towards strength training being capable of improving running economy and, in some circumstances, running performance. 

But what about boxing?

Here’s where we need to be sensible.

There is much stronger evidence for strength training improving running economy than there is for boxing specifically making runners faster.

They’re not the same thing. Boxing isn’t a replacement for running. If you’re training for a 10K, you still need to run. If you’re training for a marathon, you definitely still need to run.

And if you’re trying to take your 10K from 50 minutes to 45, your biggest gains are unlikely to come from abandoning running and spending four days a week punching a bag.

But boxing can be an excellent addition. It gives you a different training stimulus. It challenges your conditioning. It develops coordination and movement. It involves repeated high-intensity efforts.

And, perhaps most importantly, it can make training more interesting.

That’s not insignificant. The best training program in the world is useless if you hate doing it.

Boxing isn’t just cardio

This is worth making clear. Boxing isn’t simply another way of getting your heart rate up.

A boxing bout, bag, ring or otherwise, involves substantial aerobic contribution, alongside anaerobic energy systems. Research in highly trained amateur boxers found very high heart rates during simulated 3 × 3-minute bouts, with aerobic metabolism providing the largest share of energy while anaerobic systems also contributed significantly. 

In other words:

Boxing can hurt.

Scientifically speaking, a systematic review of 25 studies also found that amateur boxing produces considerable physiological and biochemical demands, particularly during competition and sparring. 

So if you finish a boxing session wondering why your lungs, legs, shoulders and brain are all filing separate complaints, you’re not imagining it.

The goal isn’t to become a specialist at everything

There’s a trap in modern fitness. Everything gets divided into categories.

You’re a runner. You’re a lifter. You’re a cyclist. You’re a CrossFitter or HYROX athlete. You’re a boxer. You’re a triathlete and so on.

But real people don’t necessarily work like that.

You might run three times a week. Gym strength work twice. Perhaps boxing on Wednesday. Hike on Saturday. Ride your bike when the weather is good.

And occasionally carry a stupidly heavy backpack up a mountain because someone thought that sounded like fun.

That’s not necessarily a bad training program.

That’s being fit for life.

And there’s something to be said for becoming a more complete athlete rather than endlessly optimising one tiny metric.

Become a bit more of a warrior

We’re not talking about putting on a headband and act like Rambo. We’re talking about capability.

Can you run? Can you lift something heavy? Can you move quickly? Can you climb? Can you carry something? Can you keep going when you’re tired? Can you try something you’ve never done before? Can you handle yourself physically?

That’s a pretty good definition of being fit. This is what the Military have done for years. Making capable athletes (soldiers). Other sporting codes have or are starting to work towards this too.

And perhaps that’s what makes someone a better athlete. Not necessarily being the best runner in the group. Just being capable of doing more stuff.

Harry Garside’s journey from Olympic boxing to running a 2:36:36 marathon is a pretty bloody good reminder that athletic ability doesn’t always have to stay inside one box.

And yes, your socks still matter

This is a sock website, after all. Here’s where our philosophy comes in. The right tool for the job.

We wouldn’t recommend the same sock for a 100km trail race, a winter expedition, a boxing session and sitting on the couch.

Actually, we might recommend the couch sock for that last one. But the same principle applies to training. Don’t just train one thing.

Build strength. Build fitness. Build coordination. Build durability. Build skills. Challenge your body in different ways. Then when you decide to go for a run, you’ve got more than just running fitness behind you.

You’ve got an athlete.

And that’s probably a better goal than simply becoming someone who can run a little bit faster, because the best athletes aren’t necessarily the ones who only do one thing really well.

They’re the ones who are capable of doing a lot of things well.

And that’s what we’re chasing at GearSocks.

Socks for people who do stuff.

Useful Links & Further Reading

Strength training and running economy
Llanos-Lagos et al. (2024), Effect of Strength Training Programs in Middle- and Long-Distance Runners’ Economy at Different Running Speeds: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis, Sports Medicine. PubMed research paper⁠

Strength training and running performance
Llanos-Lagos et al. (2024), The Effect of Strength Training Methods on Middle-Distance and Long-Distance Runners’ Athletic Performance: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis, Sports Medicine. PubMed research paper⁠

Boxing physiology
Finlay et al. (2023), Acute Physiological, Endocrine, Biochemical and Performance Responses Associated with Amateur Boxing: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis, European Journal of Sport Science. PubMed research paper⁠

Boxing energy demands
Research into the metabolic and physiological demands of 3 × 3-minute boxing bouts. PubMed research paper⁠

Running biomechanics and running economy
Van Hooren et al. (2024), The Relationship Between Running Biomechanics and Running Economy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PubMed research paper⁠

Harry Garside — 2025 Sydney Marathon
Harry ran 2:39:22 at the 2025 TCS Sydney Marathon. 

Harry Garside — 2026 Sydney Marathon
Harry’s 2026 result: 2:36:36 PB.