If you’re an athlete, then you know how tricky it can be to balance your sports performance training with general conditioning exercises. Especially for competitive athletes, you never want to run the risk of exhausting or injuring yourself during cross training sessions. Although cross training is an integral part of any sports performance program, when done incorrectly, it can harm you as an athlete by keeping you from performing at your peak during competitions.
We’re going to take a hard look at cross training and why it’s so important for any athlete who wants to improve their sports performance. There are benefits to cross training that just can’t be ignored. Then, we’ll discuss the best cross training exercises for athletes.
What is cross training?
But first, we have to lay our foundation and define cross training. Without a working definition, it can be difficult to tell what counts as cross training and what doesn’t. So, let’s discuss: what is cross training?
Cross training is an exercise performed outside of the athlete’s usual sport. To be considered cross training, the exercise must be safely and effectively geared towards improving the athlete’s usual sport performance in some way. Weightlifting is a common cross training practice for any athlete.
Great cross training programs will provide the benefit of muscle confusion to the athlete, engaging their bodies in ways that aren’t familiar to them to produce a better exercise stimulus. They will also seek to enhance athletic performance in key ways. Let’s spend a little more time on that subject next.
Cross training benefits
Muscle confusion is far from the only benefit athletes can derive from cross training. Why should you spend time pursuing exercises outside of your sport? Let’s name a few cross training benefits.
Injury prevention
Cross training can prevent injury in many ways. Most notably, mixing up the types of training you do can help prevent a repetitive stress injury, which Nemours Children’s Health reports is especially important for young athletes still growing. Things like swimmer’s shoulder, runner’s knee, tendonitis, and pitching elbow to name a few are all RSIs that can impact an athlete’s ability to play. Cross training, especially weight training, can help support those high-stress areas and prevent injury.
Skill transfer
Cross training, which is by definition training outside of your sport, can still improve your performance in that sport thanks to skill transfer. This is the concept that new skills acquired during cross-training can improve your ability to play your sport. For example, a baseball player could benefit greatly from enhancing their speed through running track.
Build strength
Weight training is something every athlete should do regardless of their sport. Even if you’re a figure skater or a long-distance runner, there are numerous benefits to increasing skeletal muscle. Some of the many benefits include:
Increased bone density
Improved balance
Greater strength
Improved metabolism
Stronger immune system Cross training for runners
There’s more to being an athlete than competition. Running is one of the most popular sports among amateurs, with Livestrong reporting that there are around 50 million amateur runners in the United States. And without access to coaches or sports therapists, cross training becomes imperative to the health of runners.
Cross training for runners is critical to prevent injuries. With 50 million amateur runners in the United States, weight training is more important now than ever before, especially among female populations who have less bone density and are more likely to be discouraged socially from the weight room.
If you’re a runner, make sure you’re hitting the weights at least once a week, and find a program like Slow Weight Training that will help you build critical bone density. Machines like Nautilus or The Smart Fit Method’s proprietary training protocols allow trainees to efficiently, effectively, and safely build their strength.
Want to consult with a personal trainer to determine the right cross training program for you? Book a free session at a Smart Fit Method near you.
Cross training for high school and collegiate athletes
We mentioned young athletes before, but it bears repeating because their demographic represents a unique challenge in the fitness industry.
Cross training is critical for student athletes because it will diversify their schedule, helping them grow safely while preventing burnout. It adds much-needed variety to sports training programs and refreshes the athlete mentally while challenging them and improving their athletic skills.
Student athletes are largely not in control of their schedules, as their parents, coaches, and teachers are responsible for determining the best paths for them. Introducing cross training can help prevent their frustrations with hours and hours spent on athletics so long as the cross training is quick and effective. After all, student athletes also have their studies and their social lives to prioritize on their schedules.
Cross training sessions at The Smart Fit Method take 20 minutes to complete, meaning a program that would normally see the student athlete spending 3-4 hours in the weight room can be reduced to just 40-60 minutes per week. The personal trainers in the studio can help customize a cross training program during the complimentary consultation that will be perfect for your student athlete.
Best cross training exercises
We’ve thoroughly discussed the benefits of cross training, but now it’s time to be specific and define the best cross training exercises. After all, not every program is created equally.
The best cross training exercises will enhance sports performance without producing excess fatigue and won’t risk injury to the athlete. Choose exercises that can be performed slowly like on ARX’s equipment, and ideally have supervision during training from a personal trainer to ensure great form.
Cross training would be meaningless if it only left an athlete exhausted and injured before a competition. The best cross training exercises, therefore, are ones that won’t produce excess stress to the body and can be performed safely.
The Smart Fit Method’s Smart Strength protocol uses ARX technology enhanced by personal trainers to ensure the safest possible workout. Our Cold Hiit protocol is perfect for cross training, too, as the stress it produces on the body actually increases its ability to recover.
Want to see for yourself? Book a free consult and experience the Smart Fit Difference.
