Cross-training gives overworked muscles, tendons, and ligaments the opportunity to rest and repair before they're put to work again. The other downside to performing the same workout repeatedly is that while some of your muscles are worked regularly, others may not receive the same level of attention.

This can lead to muscular imbalances that contribute to injuries and chronic pain. When you choose a cross-training activity that effectively strengthens any weaknesses you may have, you're giving your body the balance it needs to support an active, injury-resistant lifestyle.

It Can Enhance Motivation. Chances are you keep doing the same ol' workout for one or several of the following reasons:. But after a while, it becomes harder and harder to set new goals and push yourself if there's no change to your routine.

Cross-training is a great way to add challenge to your workout, providing new opportunities to set new goals. For instance, incorporating a new yoga class into your cardio-heavy workout routine won't be easy.

Chances are you won't have the balance or flexibility to do all the poses on your first go-around. But this challenge gives you room to grow, and you may find yourself getting fired up to nail a warrior III or crow pose.

It's Inefficient—and That's a Good Thing. Bodies are pretty amazing. They're designed to conserve energy and perform tasks as efficiently as possible. They do this when a task is repeated regularly by improving neural pathways, developing stronger motor units , undergoing cellular adaptations to enhance energy delivery , and creating "muscle memory" to put oft-repeated tasks on autopilot.

These are all awesome features related to human physiology, but from a fitness standpoint, there's an upper limit to the benefit. The more you repeat a single workout, the more you experience the law of diminishing returns. As your body becomes more efficient, you burn fewer calories and experience fewer adaptations, resulting in the dreaded fitness plateau.

For example, If you start a workout program with the goal of running three miles at a minute-per-mile pace, it's probably going to feel pretty challenging at first, and it might take you a while to hit your goal.

But if you keep at it, your body adapts and you hit the mark. If you then continue to run three miles at a minute-per-mile pace, never adjusting or changing your routine, your body becomes more efficient, and the workout becomes easier and you stop seeing improvements beyond your initial gains—something that becomes especially obvious if you're tracking your progress with an Apple or Garmin running watch.

Cross-training is a way to keep your body guessing. When you introduce new exercises and new routines into your schedule, you're reminding your brain and your body that you haven't mastered these new routines—that your body needs to work harder to overcome its inefficiencies.

These constant changes and adaptations ultimately enhance your level of fitness and help bust you through workout plateaus. It Can Help You Develop New Skills. Let's say you're a cyclist who decides to take up dance on a large scale, you're learning a new skill. But skill development through cross-training goes deeper than that.

In addition to the five health-related components of fitness, there are also six skill-related components of fitness. These athletic skills include speed, power, reaction time, agility, balance, and coordination.

Like the health-related fitness components, the skill-related components are all equally important for well-balanced athletic performance. Cross-training gives you the opportunity to develop skills that might fall outside those of your favorite workout.

Take, for instance, the example of the cyclist who starts cross-training with dance. While cycling is an excellent way to develop power , speed , and balance, it's not necessarily going to enhance agility , coordination, or reaction time.

It Offers Workout Flexibility. When you stop pigeonholing yourself into a single workout routine, you're more mentally and physically prepared to roll with the punches that sometimes interfere with day-to-day workout plans. For instance, if you typically run three days a week and cross-train two days a week by taking a strength training class at your local gym, the next time a big storm prevents you from getting your run in, you can simply mix up your workout schedule and hit the gym for a rain-free routine.

Or if your boxing class is unexpectedly full, you don't have to ditch your workout plans. You can simply hit the cardio equipment or weight room instead.

The more comfortable you are with a variety of workouts, and the more open you are to the benefits of cross-training, the more flexible you can be about your schedule and plans. If you're still not sure how to incorporate cross-training into your weekly workout, use these tips to develop your plan.

Make a Schedule. There's no need to completely upend your current workout schedule to accommodate cross-training. Look at your weekly plan and ask yourself a single question: How can I fit cross-training into the mix?

A good rule of thumb is to include one to two cross-training routines each week. You can do this one of three ways:. The option that works best for you is completely reliant on how much time you have to dedicate to your workouts and what type of cross-training you're hoping to do.

For instance, if you want to add flexibility training to your routine, you could add a yoga class to your schedule once a week, you could replace one of your other workouts with a yoga class, or you could carve out 15 extra minutes on the days you're already scheduled to workout and dedicate those 15 minutes to stretching.

The important thing is to come up with a game plan and a schedule to make cross-training happen. Try New Things. Even when it comes to cross-training, it's easy to get stuck in a rut.

Plan to switch up your cross-training workout roughly once a month. You can do this in four different ways:. Think About Impact. One other way to think about incorporating cross-training is to consider the level of impact your current workout has so you can select a cross-training routine that counterbalances that impact.

You see, high-impact and weight-bearing exercises help build muscle mass and bone density, but they also place greater stress on your bones and joints. If your routine consists heavily of high-impact activities like running and jumping, it's a good idea to cross-train with lower-impact activities like swimming, cycling, or rowing.

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To Boost Running Economy, Try Plyometrics. Your Pistol Squat Guide, Plus Modifications. What is an Anti-Gravity Treadmill? Lululemon Just Dropped New Men's Hiking Apparel. The table below provides a general recommendation for the number of cross-training workouts per week based on your level of experience in a given sport.

While cross-training is very individualized, here are a few sample cross-training workout examples to get you started. These are three options to give you some ideas and get started.

Cross-training is a common strength and conditioning strategy in which athletes use various modes of exercise outside their main sport to enhance specific components of their fitness. Some of the major potential benefits of cross-training include improved cardio endurance, training unused muscle groups, allowing recovery from your main sport, keeping you mentally engaged, and reducing your risk of injury.

When determining the amount of cross-training to do, consider your phase of training and level of experience. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

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