If you're bored with old-fashioned running, or if you feel that it's not a complete workout, you might want to try crunning, a new fitness craze that's taking Australia by storm. No, it does not mean crying while running, it's actually a cross between crawling and running that involves getting down on all fours and moving as fast as you can.

    The bizarre workout, best described as your thighs' worst nightmare, was invented by Australian fitness enthusiast Shaun McCarthy. We're not sure what prompted him to come up with the bizarre activity, but he seems convinced that it will revolutionize fitness. "The only thing that crunning's changed about fitness is that it's changed everything about fitness," he says.

    The short video of him crunning through Melbourne that he posted on Facebook makes the activity look more like a spoof than a serious workout, but it seems to have inspired others to take up running on all fours as well. McCarthy only went public with crunning five weeks, but it has been getting quite a lot of attention online and he claims there is a steadily growing movement in Australia.

    But is crunning a better fitness activity than jogging or running? It would appear so, as McCarthy has been saying in interviews that crunning is a more complete workout because it includes the upper body as well. "It really works your thighs and shoulders at the same time," he said, adding that he believes it burns more calories as well.

    However, some think it's just a fad and might even be harmful if done incorrectly. "Physiologically, humans weren't built for quadruped mobility like apes," fitness coach Kevin Dean said. "Because we're bipedal/upright, our wrists have different structures than our ankles. I can see broken noses, bad wrist/repetitive injuries, and shoulder problems (arising from crunning)."

    McCarthy suggests wearing protective gloves to avoid damage to your hands while crunning, and taking things slow. "Do not outcrun yourself – it could be bad for your neck or back," he said. Or, you could just stick to traditional running.

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

    噩梦

    èmèng

    nightmare

    a condition, thought, or experience suggestive of a nightmare

    恶搞

    ègǎo

    spoof

    a hoax, prank

    澳大利亚“人猿酷跑”掀健身热潮

    如果你对跑步这一老式的健身方法感到厌烦，或者你觉得这不是一个全面的健身方式，你可能会想尝试下“酷跑”这个新花样，“酷跑”正风靡澳大利亚。当然，“酷跑”并不是边哭边跑。事实上，它结合了爬行和跑步的特点，要求你俯下身四肢着地，尽可能地快速移动。

    这个怪诞的健身方法简直是大腿的梦靥，其发明者是澳大利亚的健身爱好者肖恩·麦卡锡。我们尚不明确是何原因促使他想出这个奇怪的锻炼方式，但麦卡锡似乎坚信“酷跑”将为健身运动带来革命。“‘酷跑’为健身带来的唯一改变就是它改变了一切，”麦卡锡说。

    “麦卡锡在脸谱上上传了他以“酷跑”方式穿行墨尔本的视频，但视频让人觉得更像恶搞而不是健身，不过还是吸引了一些人跟风，用他的办法锻炼。麦卡锡公开“酷跑”视频才五个星期，在网上已经获得不少关注。麦卡锡表示，目前澳大利亚用“酷跑”健身的人数日渐增加。

    但“酷跑”真的比慢跑或者长跑更好吗？好像是。麦卡锡在采访中表示，“酷跑”是更全面的健身方式，也锻炼了身体的上半部分。“‘酷跑’同时活动了你的大腿和肩膀”，他说，他相信“酷跑”能燃烧更多的卡路里。

    也有人认为这不过是一时兴起，如果运动不当还会造成伤害。“从生理结构看，人类并不适宜像猿那样四足移动”，健身教练凯文·迪恩说。“因为我们是直立行走，手腕的构造不同于脚踝。我看到有些人学习“酷跑”时，鼻子受伤，手腕受伤，反复受伤，肩膀也因此出问题。”

    麦卡锡建议“酷跑”时戴保护性手套避免受伤，要慢慢来。“不要‘酷跑’过度——它可能会对你的脖子和背部造成伤害，”他说。或者，你还是坚持传统的跑步就好了。