Cross-training involves combining different forms of exercises with the goal of improving overall health and fitness. Unlike traditional workouts, cross-training exercises aren’t tailored to a specific single goal such as getting faster or gaining muscle. Instead, they’re meant to work more muscle groups in the body, leading to increased physical capability and evening out potential muscle imbalances. Since you’re doing more with your body you’re guaranteed to have higher athletic and fitness levels than individuals who are just having a regular workout at the gym. Here are some of the key benefits of joining a cross-training program.
1. Higher Level of Physical Fitness
A balanced cross-training program incorporates aerobic exercises that strengthen your heart and improve your cardiovascular capabilities, strength training exercises to help you build and tone muscles, and a variety of flexibility exercises to improve your balance, posture, and keep your muscles agile. In addition, you benefit from increased metabolism which raises your natural immunity, improves blood circulation, leads to high energy, and makes you look younger.
2. Reduced Risk of Injury
The possibility of incurring an injury increases when you repeat the same exercises for a long period of time. By consistently mixing up the workout routine, cross-training reduces the amount of stress on muscles, tendons, and weight-bearing joints, drastically reducing the possibility of injury.
If you’re training for a specific sport or competition, cross-training will give your main muscles a break to recover from the high-impact workouts and target a different set of muscles to balance out your body.
3. Enhanced Exercise Adherence
One of the reasons why many people drop out of fitness programs is because they get bored of going through the same routines week in week out. In fact, a research study by the University of Florida found that people who participated in varied workouts enjoyed their sessions much more and were more likely to stick to the exercise regimen than those who were limited to the same exercises.
In this regard, cross-training provides both variety and structure, the two main components cited in the study responsible for enhanced exercise adherence. By consistently changing the type of exercise, the frequency, and the intensity, the body is forced to continually adapt and make adjustments. This eliminates the boredom aspect and promotes fitness.
4. Enhanced Weight Loss
Individuals seeking to lose weight to raise their confidence can enroll in a cross-training program to safely burn significant calories in a relatively short time. That’s because cross-training can help you work a variety of muscle groups by incorporating strength, cardio and flexibility exercise all in one session.
If you’re extremely busy with your job or family and can only manage to dedicate 30 minutes or so of your day to the gym, cross-training can still provide tremendous value in helping you attain your goal. Consult a qualified trainer to recommend and help you implement an effective workout that will enable you to trim that body fat and get the physique you want. Gauntlet Fitness offers a variety of full-body workouts that make every session feel new and different. Whether you’re looking to improve your overall fitness, build muscle, or just lose weight, we can help you achieve your goal regardless of your fitness level.