Cross country workouts for youth teams, with video, setup and coaching points, at age-appropriate volumes. For 8U to 14U.
4 drills · 36 minutes if you ran them all
After the warm up jog, run the drill set from the video over 20 to 30 meters: A skips, B skips, high knees, butt kicks and straight leg runs, two reps each with a walk back.
Tall and quick, foot lands under the hip. The drills teach the form you want them to keep when they are tired.
Watch: McMillan RunningLine the team up on grass and lead the dynamic warm up from the video: walking lunges, knee hugs, leg swings, skips, backward runs and strides, 20 meters each. Keep it moving and finish with four relaxed strides.
Big, loose movements. Wake up the hips and hamstrings before the real running starts.
Watch: Championship ProductionsStart every practice with 8 to 10 minutes of easy jogging as a group at a pace where everyone can talk. Finish at the start of the drill area and go straight into drills or strides.
Talking pace. If they cannot chat, they are going too fast for a warm up.
Watch: McMillan RunningRun the lunge series from the video before a workout: forward, backward, side and rotating lunges, five each side, then a short set of leg swings. Keep knees behind the toes and chests tall.
Slow and under control. This is strength and mobility, not a race.
Watch: Championship Productions7 drills · 135 minutes if you ran them all
Run Jeremy Sudbury's progression: an easy run that builds for the last stretch and finishes with one hard, controlled effort to the end. Scale it for youth: 12 to 15 minutes total with the last three minutes quick.
Patient early, strong late. The last part is a race finish, so keep form and run through the line.
Watch: Championship ProductionsOn a grass loop or trail, run 12 to 15 minutes of fartlek: one minute fast, one minute easy, or let the coach call pickups to the next tree or cone. Keep the fast parts controlled.
Fast means quick and relaxed, not all out. Easy means jogging, not walking.
Watch: McMillan RunningRun 12 to 15 minutes continuous where the coach calls gear changes: two minutes steady, one minute faster, back to steady. Finish with easy jogging and a walk.
Change gears without changing form. Shoulders stay loose when the pace goes up.
Watch: Championship ProductionsRun 15 to 20 minutes where every five minutes the pace picks up one gear, starting easy and finishing at tempo effort. The coach calls the changes. Younger runners do three segments of four minutes.
Start slower than feels right. The last segment should be the fastest, not the first.
Watch: McMillan RunningRun 20 to 25 minutes at a steady effort between easy and tempo pace, on a flat loop or trail. Middle schoolers do 15 to 20 minutes. Keep groups together and finish with an easy jog.
Steady, not hard. If anyone is breathing heavy they have slipped into tempo, back it off a notch.
Watch: McMillan RunningRun 3 to 4 reps of 4 to 6 minutes at tempo pace with a 1 to 2 minute easy jog between. Use a loop or the track so the coach can see every rep. Younger runners do 3 x 3 minutes.
Same pace on every rep. The rest is short on purpose, so the first rep should feel easy.
Watch: McMillan RunningAfter the warm up, run 12 to 20 minutes continuous at a comfortably hard pace, about what they could hold for an hour. Younger runners do 10 to 12 minutes. Keep the team in pace groups and finish with easy jogging.
Comfortably hard: they could say a few words but not hold a conversation. Even pace, no surging.
Watch: McMillan Running4 drills · 51 minutes if you ran them all
On a gentle grassy downhill, run 4 to 6 relaxed reps of 20 to 30 seconds practicing the downhill form from the video: slight forward lean, quick feet, no braking. Walk back up.
Let gravity help. Quick light feet and a relaxed upper body, do not lean back and brake.
Watch: McMillan RunningFind a hill that takes 30 to 60 seconds to run up at a strong effort. Run 6 to 8 repeats up, jogging or walking down for recovery. Younger runners do 4 to 6. Finish with an easy jog on the flat.
Short quick steps, drive the arms, eyes up the hill. Effort stays the same on every rep even as the legs get tired.
Watch: McMillan RunningSet a cone 20 to 30 meters past the top of a hill. Run 5 to 6 reps where the runner keeps pushing over the crest to the cone before easing off. Jog down for recovery.
The race is won over the top. Keep the effort going past the crest while everyone else is relaxing.
Watch: McMillan RunningOn a moderate hill, do 4 to 6 runs of 20 to 30 seconds focusing only on form cues from the video: lean from the ankles, quick cadence, arms driving. Walk down between each.
Lean into the hill, not at the waist. Shorter stride, faster turnover, let the arms do the work.
Watch: McMillan Running3 drills · 85 minutes if you ran them all
Use this run to teach the most important lesson: easy days are easy. Run 20 to 25 minutes at a pace where the whole group can talk, with the coach checking pace by listening for conversation.
If they can talk in full sentences, they are doing it right. Slow is not lazy, it is how you recover for the hard days.
Watch: McMillan RunningRun 20 to 30 minutes easy, then finish with four to six strides of 20 seconds on flat grass with a walk back between. The strides wake up the legs after the slow miles.
Easy run, then relaxed fast strides. Strides are smooth and quick, never a sprint.
Watch: McMillan RunningOnce a week run the team's longest run at an easy, talking pace on soft ground where possible. Middle schoolers run 25 to 30 minutes, younger runners 20. Keep groups together and finish feeling like they could do more.
Easy pace the whole way. The long run builds the engine, it does not test it.
Watch: McMillan Running5 drills · 57 minutes if you ran them all
Set up the fitness stations from the video around the field: push ups, lunges, planks, squat jumps and a short running loop. Groups rotate every 60 seconds with 30 seconds to move between.
Good form at every station, count reps not time if form slips. Keep the energy up and the groups moving.
Watch: Championship ProductionsAfter the run, go through the stage one core routine from the video as a team: planks, side planks, bridges and bird dogs, 20 to 30 seconds each. Two rounds.
Flat back, hips level, breathe. Hold still and let the core do the work.
Watch: McMillan RunningOnce stage one is easy, move to the stage two and three routine: leg raises, mountain climbers, plank with reach and single leg bridges, 30 seconds each. Two rounds with a short rest.
Slow and controlled beats fast and sloppy. Keep the hips still when the legs move.
Watch: McMillan RunningRun 6 relaxed strides of 60 to 80 meters while a partner watches for the form cues in the video: tall posture, arms swinging front to back, feet landing under the body. Switch partners after three.
Run tall, relax the shoulders, land under you. One cue per stride.
Watch: McMillan RunningOn flat grass or the track, run 6 to 8 strides of 20 to 25 seconds, building to fast but relaxed and easing off, with a walk back between each. Do this after an easy run.
Build smoothly, hit fast and relaxed, then coast. Nobody strains.
Watch: McMillan Running4 drills · 32 minutes if you ran them all
Jog easy for a few minutes, then gather and go through the stretching series from the video: hamstrings, quads, hip flexors, calves and glutes, 20 to 30 seconds each side.
No bouncing, breathe into the stretch. This is where tomorrow's run gets easier.
Watch: Championship ProductionsFinish practice with the flexibility drills shown: leg swings, hurdle walkovers, hip circles and lunges with a reach, ten reps each. Keep the group together and moving slowly.
Smooth and controlled through the full range. If it hurts, back off.
Watch: Championship ProductionsClose practice with the recovery steps from the video: a few minutes of easy walking, light stretching, water and a snack within 30 minutes. Talk the team through why each step matters.
Recovery is part of training. Walk it out, drink, eat, and sleep tonight.
Watch: McMillan RunningAfter the cool down jog, run through the World's Greatest Stretch sequence as a team: lunge with a reach, elbow to instep, hamstring rock back and a twist, five slow reps each side.
Slow and deep. Hold each position for a breath before moving on.
Watch: McMillan RunningVideos are linked, not hosted, and belong to McMillan Running and Championship Productions. Drill write-ups are by Cheat Code Coaching. Durations are what we run them at with a youth team; adjust for your group.
Every drill here is already in the Cheat Code Teams Practice Builder for Youth Cross Country. Drag them into a plan, tap Start practice, and the clock, the whistle and the next drill are on your phone and your lock screen.