The Benefits and Reasons for Cross Training

Cross training is participating, or training, in two or more sports in order to improve fitness and performance, especially in a main sport. Cross training may seem like something for an endurance or elite athlete. However, throughout my years of personal training, I have found cross training invariably becomes an integral and necessary part of fitness training. To share this fact with a client at the beginning of a personal training relationship can be intimidating, but as people progress through their fitness levels, cross training is met as a welcomed, exciting challenge. Let me explain the progression.

When a client first starts a personal training regimen with me, the first goal is to establish a routine and stick with it. This process generally takes three weeks, and coincides with the client’s adoption of a new way of eating. Nutrition changes include 5 meals a day, with a focus on protein, healthy fats and fiber intake, as well as an increase of water consumption. After these first few weeks, and even sooner in some cases, most clients begin to settle into their new lifestyle with commitment and passion. Weight loss is often dramatic during this time, and clients are excited.

At some point, every client hits a plateau. When it happens depends upon multiple variables; beginning weight, frequency of training sessions, and commitment to nutrition changes. Consequently, for one person, hitting a plateau can happen as soon as 8 weeks, for another, not for 6 months. However; the solution to getting over the plateau, in almost every case, is cross training. After a certain point, the body begins to adapt to the nutrition and exercise changes, and comes to expect what it’s been continually given. This is exactly when it’s time for cross training to enter the picture.

Cardio is my number one recommendation as a starting point for cross training. Raising the heart rate, increasing blood flow, and working completely different sets of muscle groups ‘confuse’ the body. When these things are done in tandem, the body uses more energy, and the result is more fat burn. Incorporating cardio into your weekly fitness routine two to three times a week, especially when combined with a weight training session, will not only catapult you from that frustrating plateau, it will push you to your next fitness level and beyond.

At the same time, you will realize additional benefits. Cross training provides the mental boost needed every so often to keep you energized and going on your path to ultimate fitness. Switching to something completely different can rejuvenate your senses and excitement about fitness. Cross training is also very helpful for injury prevention. By giving a rest to muscle groups you typically focus on, you provide a form of active recovery that enhances your overall strength, making it less likely to injure yourself either while working out, or during your daily activities. Another great benefit is that clients are even more engaged and invested in their personal fitness, and often find a new love of running, spinning, biking or other cardio activity.