1. Conditioning for kids
  2. Cross country, 7 to 10 year olds

Cross country conditioning for 7 to 10 year olds

Cross country conditioning for 7 to 10 year olds at home means aerobic base, finishing kick and hills & terrain through 14 drills picked for the age. At 7 to 10, cross country conditioning is body weight, in short bursts and games: a session stays within 30 minutes at 7 and 8 and within 45 at 9 and 10, on at most 3 to 4 days a week. Why: Organized sport should total no more hours a week than the child's age in years, with two rest days a week (NATA youth sport specialization recommendations).

For parents and coaches: the physical drills that work at home for 7 to 10 year olds, one session to follow and the load rules the app applies to the age group.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated November 5, 2026

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At a glance

The drills
14 physical-focus cross country drills work at home for 7 to 10 year olds, 7 of them cross country's own. 1 of them are jump, bound or sprint drills, which a plan limits.
How it is built
At 7 to 10, cross country conditioning is body weight, in short bursts and games: a session stays within 30 minutes at 7 and 8 and within 45 at 9 and 10, on at most 3 to 4 days a week.
Load rules
A plan of 7 to 13 year olds holds at most one jump, bound or sprint drill, so legs recover between sessions. No weights, bands or machines: body weight, a ball and open space.
What you need
Most used: watch (2 of the 14 drills), bottom stair or low step (1), cones (1), cones or markers (1), gentle grassy hill (1), list of things to spot (1), open space or park (1), park (1). 3 drills need nothing but space. 3 are for two, and a parent can be the partner.

cross country's own

Cross country conditioning drills for 7 to 10 year olds

These drills build the body for cross country itself: aerobic base, finishing kick and hills & terrain. Every one is open to 7 to 10 year olds by the app's age gates and works at home with one parent.

aerobic base

Aerobic Base

finishing kick

Finishing Kick

hills & terrain

Hills & Terrain

pacing

Pacing

Every sport

Athletic drills cross country players share

Speed, balance and control carry across sports. These athletic drills are the same for every sport, picked from the ones open to 7 to 10 year olds.

aerobic base

Aerobic Base

finishing kick

Finishing Kick

A 23-minute session

A conditioning session for 7 to 10 year olds

A warm-up, 1 drill and a cool-down: 23 minutes. A plan of 7 to 13 year olds holds at most one jump, bound or sprint drill, so legs recover between sessions.

  1. 1Cross Country Warm-Up, Ages 7 to 10An 8-minute moving warm-up for cross country players aged 7 to 10: easy running, moving stretches, balance and soft landings, then cross country moves. Before practice, never still stretches first.8 min
  2. 2Talk Test JogIf you can chat, it is right.10 min
  3. 3Cross Country Cool-Down Stretches, Ages 7 to 10A 5-minute cool-down for cross country players aged 7 to 10 after training: an easy walk, then gentle stretches for the legs, hips and lower back, each held for a slow count of 10.5 min

Healthy load

How much cross country conditioning is healthy for 7 to 10 year olds

At 7 to 10, cross country conditioning is body weight, in short bursts and games: a session stays within 30 minutes at 7 and 8 and within 45 at 9 and 10, on at most 3 to 4 days a week.

A plan of 7 to 13 year olds holds at most one jump, bound or sprint drill, so legs recover between sessions.

No weights, bands or machines: body weight, a ball and open space.

Organized sport should total no more hours a week than the child's age in years, with two rest days a week. (NATA youth sport specialization recommendations).

The research behind it

Questions and answers

What is cross country conditioning for 7 to 10 year olds?

At 7 to 10, cross country conditioning is body weight, in short bursts and games: a session stays within 30 minutes at 7 and 8 and within 45 at 9 and 10, on at most 3 to 4 days a week. The 14 drills below are physical-focus cross country drills that work at home.

What cross country conditioning drills can 7 to 10 year olds do at home?

A few to start with: Nature Scavenger Jog, Run-Walk Builder and Talk Test Jog. Most used: watch (2 of the 14 drills), bottom stair or low step (1), cones (1), cones or markers (1), gentle grassy hill (1), list of things to spot (1), open space or park (1), park (1). 3 drills need nothing but space. 3 are for two, and a parent can be the partner.