Fitness•Sep 15, 2023

4 Tips To Maximize the Benefits of Your Cross-Training Routine

By The Sculpt Society

Diversifying your fitness routine. A concept that may sound daunting or confusing, but nonetheless one that will only benefit you and your body as you discover what fitness routine works for you. While you can do The Sculpt Society workouts on your own week by week, we recognize that many of you supplement additional forms of exercise, like running, in your routines on a regular basis. A personalized fitness plan can help guide you toward options that match your goals and energy levels. Choose activities you enjoy and that fit into your lifestyle so it’s easier to stick with them. And remember: The goal is to move more and stress less, so find what makes you happy and go with it.

What is Cross-Training?

Cross-training means a variety of exercises you can substitute for running or supplement in addition to running to improve overall conditioning. These cross-training exercises help to build stamina, increase overall fitness, and keep you healthy. It can mean anything from swimming, to yoga, to hiking. Strength and mobility work especially can help to decrease the possibility of overuse injury and help to support positive physiological health when incorporated into our strength workout plan. Read on for the benefits of prioritizing cross-training in your fitness routine.

Overuse Injury Prevention

Overuse injuries are extremely common for runners of any level. Cross-training programs provide a break from the normal impact of running, thereby giving the muscles that are most commonly used, or even overused, a break. This helps to correct any muscular imbalances that can be formed from solely participating in running. By strength training opposing muscle groups, you will be able to continue running without as much of a risk of overtraining.

Builds Aerobic Fitness

Working to build your aerobic capacity will not make you a stronger and faster runner, but improve your cardiovascular system. Rather than focusing on lowering your heart rate, building aerobic fitness requires increasing your heart rate to an elevated state for an extended period of time without the high impact stress your body gets through running. Cycling, walking, swimming, and rowing are all examples of great ways you can cross-train with the intention of increasing your aerobic fitness.

Active Recovery

Part of cross-training is engaging in an active recovery movement regularly. Not only will this make your high-intensity days more effective, but it will help to relieve any feelings of soreness. Think about engaging in low-impact, low-intensity exercise that increases blood flow to your muscles. Find the balance of getting your body moving to get the blood flowing while also being gentle enough to allow your muscles proper recovery time. This can look like mobility exercises, walking, pilates, or low-impact sculpt classes: lean into what your body is craving and with it! Our bodies instinctively know what we need, and it's so important that we honor these feelings by engaging in active recovery.

Mental Motivation and Mindfulness

Not only will cross-training make you a more effective runner, but it will also give you the opportunity to build your mental strength. Running is a mental game as much as it is physical. Making it mile to mile for distance runners or sprint to sprint for those who prefer shorter distances, your mental strength is what will help you reach those goals. Engaging in any sort of physical exercise helps to improve mental clarity through the release of endorphins. Depending on whether you want to find calm in the midst of chaos or find release after a stressful day, your cross training is what will get you there. Consider taking a yoga class or doing a meditation to strengthen your mental clarity and feel calm. If you are searching for that stress release, lean into the aggression by trying a higher intensity workout like dance cardio.