Cross Training For Fitness And Fun
Everyone knows that exercise is good for you, but there can also be too much of a good thing! That’s why many people have turned to cross-training workouts. Cross training allows you to get plenty of exercise without the pain, injuries, and boredom of doing the same exercise routine day after day.
So, what is cross training anyway? Technically, cross training means performing two or more types of exercise in one workout or alternating types of exercise in successive workouts. But basically, cross training simply means mixing up your workouts a bit to get a better overall workout.
For example, if you are currently running, you may add weightlifting on certain days and opt for a bike ride or step aerobics on other days. Specific types of exercise can provide the components for a total body workout by enhancing cardiovascular fitness, building muscle, reducing body fat, and aiding in flexibility. However, in order to see all these gains you will probably need to cross train.
The diversity your body undergoes from performing a variety of sports allows you to challenge or overload your system much better than simply pursuing one type of exercise.
There are other bonuses unique to cross training. The sheer variety of exercise choices provide both physical and mental stimulation – a good shield against mental burnout. By trying new activities you avoid staleness and find yourself using new muscle groups and trying new movements. In fact, your fitness level may improve simply because with all those activity choices, you’ll find yourself exercising more.
Reducing the Risk of Injury
Now you may be convinced of the reasons why cross training increases your level of fitness and enjoyment. But perhaps one of the biggest benefits of cross training is how it reduces your risk of injury.
When you focus your workout on just a few areas of the body, you risk wearing down those parts. For example, running works your legs and your heart a great deal, but puts strain on your knees and feet, increasing your risk of Achilles tendinitis, shin splints and stress fractures. Or you may get chronic pain in the knees, heels, or even the hips. These pains are signs that the tendons and ligaments in these areas are wearing down.
Needless to say, when exercise hurts, you tend to do it less. Cross training enables you to keep exercising even when one body part is injured. Just because your elbow is sore from tennis, doesn’t mean you can’t go inline skating or biking. If there is one primary benefit of cross training, it is that it promotes consistency and regularity. People who cross train can continue to exercise regularly even when faced with a minor injury.
Choosing the Best Cross-Training Exercises for Your Needs
The best way to choose your exercises is to first determine your goals. Are you training for a specific sport or event? Then you will need to choose exercises to work specific muscle groups. You also should talk with a trainer about a specific cross-training plan. Trying to lose weight? You’ll want to focus on exercises that will burn the most calories. Here are some brief guidelines for noncompetitive cross training.
Stretching is an integral piece of cross training that is often overlooked due to time constraints and lack of appreciation for its benefits.
Stretching helps your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints prepare for the activity to come and to rest from previous intense activity.
The preparation helps your body transition from a resting state to an active state and back again.
Stretching also reduces the soreness you feel the day or two after you exercise. This is crucial to your ability to exercise consistently.
For stretching exercises ask the trainer at your gym or find a book or video that contains stretching instructions.
Weight training is an essential part of any cross-training routine because it builds the strength necessary to perform the variety of activities.
If your goal is muscle tone, lifting weights will help you achieve that goal by intensely working specific muscle groups.You can achieve or maintain muscle tone without building bulky muscle by lifting low to moderate amounts of weight for many repetitions two to three times per week. Bulky muscle is achieved by lifting increasingly more weight for fewer repetitions.
If burning calories is your goal, lifting weights will also help by increasing your lean muscle mass, which helps your body burn more calories, even when you are not exerting yourself. Yes, this does mean that
your body will burn more calories when you are sitting at your desk than it used to.
Weight training also strengthens the muscles that you use (including the muscles you don’t realize you use) during aerobic and endurance activities such as running, cycling, hiking, skiing, soccer, basketball, tennis, aerobics, etc. For example, people who take aerobics classes can improve strength and stamina for the jumping and leaping moves they perform in class by adding light-weight, high-repetition weight training.
For weight training advice specific to your needs, speak to the trainer at the gym where you will be training.
Aerobic activities also are essential for cross training because they improve cardiovascular fitness and are the mainstay of calorie-burning workouts.
To burn calories and thus reduce body fat, you need to raise your heart rate and sustain it.
Eventually you will build endurance and be able to perform aerobic activity for longer periods of time.
Novice exercisers should beware of trying to go for too long in their first attempts at aerobic activities.
Steady endurance training is particularly effective in reducin
g body fat. Cross-trainers also have the opportunity to choose from many options for cardiovascular training.
Think about which muscles you are using in each aerobic activity so you can alternate activities appropriately. You don’t want to work the same muscles intensely the same way every day. For example, cyclists can benefit from a slow, steady run that builds cardiovascular endurance and stretches out their legs that have been confined to the pedaling motion. Conversely, runners can benefit from a bike ride that provides some cardiovascular benefit while reducing the wear and tear of running on the knees and feet.
Team sports like basketball, soccer, and rugby can help you increase the intensity of your workouts by providing competition and the length of your workouts by adding personal enjoyment.
There are a variety of aerobic activities to choose from. Keep in mind that your weight helps determine how many calories you will burn. For a given level of exercise heavier people generally burn more calories. To get the most out of a cross training program you may want to work with a knowledgeable athletic trainer or fitness coach. Professors or staff at a nearby college or university may help you find the kind of expertise you need to soundly guide your exercise planning.
Running and Cross-Training
We now know that cross-training helps runners reach a higher level of fitness, and it can help to improve running performance. The list of cross-training activities.
Fitness Crosstraining
Now you can train as you want and reach your fitness targets with the FT60’s personalized training program. It sets new targets by adapting to your personal training habits.
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Cross Training for Climbing Fitness
So at times we have to alter our training to fit with our lifestyles. So whilst we may not be able to make it to the climbing wall every night, there may well be somethings that we can do.
By: Sean Lombardo
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About The Author: Sean Lombardo is a fitness enthusiast whose aim is to help people achieve their fitness goals. His website at BellyFatBurning.com offers weight training, fat loss and nutrition advice for beginner and advanced fitness levels. Subscribe to Sean’s FREE weekly newsletter at BellyFatBurning.com and get the report “Top Secret Fat Loss Strategies Revealed” as a gift. They are both jam packed with tips and techniques guaranteed to help anyone achieve their fitness goals
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[...] Cross Training For Fitness And Fun To get the most out of a cross training program you may want to work with a knowledgeable athletic trainer or fitness coach. Professors or staff at a nearby college or university. [...]