It’s so easy to fall in love with your favorite exercise and then never want to switch it up – once you find something that makes you feel great, and you start to get good at it, your first thought might be to go with what you know and stay in that safety zone.
Let’s say you love yoga – so you go every single day and get better and better (thus never trying anything else); or running brings you happiness, so you keep at it and your endurance builds, but you never step foot in a yoga studio.
While it’s exciting to notice those physical changes and become an expert in your favorite exercise, it can sometimes be dangerous to your body – at the very least, it can inhibit serious growth!
Ultramarathoner, running coach, and Peloton cycling instructor Robin Arzon told POPSUGAR, “I see so many runners who only run, so many yogis who only get on the mat, so many cyclists who can’t do a push-up.” She noted that it’s not ideal for your physical safety – nor your physical progress – to only do one type of workout all the time.
Here are the key ways you can benefit from cross-training, and what you’re missing out on if you skip out.
Personal Growth
Staying in your comfort zone is never conducive to growth; it benefits you emotionally and mentally to challenge yourself by trying something new – especially if you know you won’t be good at it. “It’s humbling,” said Arzon. “Put me in a barre class, and I’ll be humbled! It’s those moments when we are humbled where we really grow.” She also noted that these moments help “explore our edges” and that’s when the most personal development occurs.
Looking to dig deeper and take your life in a positive direction? Sign up for a new class!
Mental Growth
Learning a new workout is good for your brain; science supports it. Picking up a new physical challenge is not only good for your fitness and your body, but it actually promotes neurogenesis – new cell growth in your brain!
A combo of two types of exercise can be extremely useful for treating depression or anxiety – take running and yoga, for instance, which has been proven to lessen feelings of depression. It pays to cross-train!
Physical Growth
Arzon also mentioned that cross-training is ideal for recovery, safety, and moving your body the way it’s meant to move – with “different planes of movement and physical modalities.” Cross-training can keep your body from hitting a plateau, and also provides more time for your body to recover.
“Any workout done exclusively can lead to an overuse injury and decreased results,” says Tom Holland, exercise physiologist. “Cross-training, engaging in an activity with different cardiovascular demands and muscle activation patterns, can increase endurance, strength, and flexibility while allowing you to continue favorite activities with less risk.”
Injury Prevention
Cross-training is a huge factor in injury prevention. You need to work different muscle groups to protect different parts of your body that may be overworked, overused, and abused (runners, you know that’s your knees!). San Francisco trainer Caroline Jordan talks about this in every one of her classes, and emphasizes the importance of conditioning and strength training the glutes and hips to prevent runner’s knee.
Weight Loss
This mixed training can also be a key factor in weight loss. A woman named Andi lost 40 pounds by consistently mixing up her workouts and never doing the same thing for too long.
Working those different muscle groups and combining a good balance of strength training and cardio will help you drop those unwanted pounds, so get to work, girl!
Source: Pop Sugar