For you to look and feel your very best it is essential that you maintain an exercise routine. However, just as important is choosing the right exercise plan. Diversity is one of the key tricks to keep your mind and body challenged. Cross training with many different exercises is a critical component to any athletic training program.
Here’s why cross training is important:
The Five Categories Of Exercise
First of all, you need to understand the five elements required in a well-balanced fitness plan. While most folks think of the aerobic and strengthening classes common at many gyms, that is only part of the story. For good health, you need to stretch your muscles, build up your core and practice your balance.
Many exercises accomplish one or more of these categories. Keep in mind that you don’t need to invest the exact same amount of time to each of the five. Strength training and aerobics are the most well-known for good reason!
The Impact On Your Overall Fitness Levels
Most exercise plans repeat the same set of motions every time. Sure, maybe the music changes up a little and a few moves are rotated in and out. However, a standard aerobics class or weight lifting routine will get you on the treadmill of boredom. That is a sure-fire way to set yourself up for failure.
In addition to the mental “blahs,” you will experience a physical plateau. This is one of the reasons many folks attempting to lose weight hit the spot where they are no longer burning much if any, fat. Even if a person isn’t attempting to lose weight the benefits of any workout will diminish over time without plenty of variety in the mix.
How Mixing Exercises Can Help Prevent Injuries
Your cross-training workout will use more muscles in better ways when you incorporate a variety of exercises and resistances into your routine. Repeating the same moves with the same weights will only strengthen the specific muscles being activated during the sequence. The smaller muscles in the area can often become under-developed as a result.
This imbalance can increase your risk of falls and other injuries. It is essential to your health that all of your major and support muscles are stretched and strengthened. You will achieve more fluid motion and better balance by including your core muscles into your stretching and strengthening program.
One of the benefits of mixing up your exercise routines is that you will experience a variety of cardiovascular challenges. As a result, your body will more readily adapt to a variety of physically stimulating events with greater ease. For instance, the adrenaline rush associated with an emergency situation.
How Diversity Relates To Job & Sports Performance
Though athletes often focus their workouts on moves specifically related to their sport, this is a big mistake. Athletes who intentional diversify their workouts improve their performance during practice and events. In competitions where fractions of a second count, these incremental benefits can really add up!
Cross training also helps people in professions, like a fireman, that require a high level of functional strength and athletic abilities. Working out the lesser used muscles can improve coordination and reduce the risk of injuries.
Planning For An Assortment Of Exercises
While you might think that you will need to make complex charts and drive to various locations throughout the week to diversify your workouts, that doesn’t have to be the case. Though you can create all of that additional stress in your life, why would you want to? CrossFit training is one of the few options available that addresses these important aspects of your fitness.
No matter what your current fitness levels and ultimate goals, you can tailor the workouts to your needs. CrossFit Milo provides the variety you need in a supportive environment designed for success and good health! See what classes we offer here: http://milofitnessfactory.com/classes/
