Cross-Training can tune-up your whole body. Strengthen heart, bones, muscles, and joints. Improve cardiovascular (heart-related) fitness, build muscle, reduce body fat, and increase flexibility.

In cross-training, 2 or more types of exercise are performed in 1 workout or used alternately in successive workouts. No single exercise offers all the potential benefits of exercise.

Example: Jogging enhances aerobic fitness (which improves cardiovascular health and requires sustained use of large-muscle groups like those in the legs).
Jogging contributes little to developing muscle mass, especially in the upper body. Weight training increases muscle mass without promoting flexibility.

Cross-training may lead to optimal effort, because peak performance in any physical activity usually involves more than 1 physical attribute. Combine various activities to sharpen reflexes and better the end result!

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The Cross-Training Edge:
How can it help you?
1. Add variety to your workouts to keep you interested. Run and swim as well as exercise on various machines or on in-line skates.
2. Develop your entire body, rather than specific parts or energy systems
(aerobic vs anaerobic).
3. Distribute the load of training among various body parts, thus reducing the risk of injury. Keep training while you are injured. When one body part is injured, you can train using different muscles and joints.

Plan Your Program
Perform different types of exercises for a specific period:
- Aerobic fitness (rhythmic movement of large-muscle groups for extended periods): Walking briskly, walking with hand weights, jogging, running, swimming, water walking or running, water exercises, bicycling, cross-country skiing, rowing, in-line skating, ice skating
- Anaerobic fitness (entails intense bursts of muscle activity): Sprint in above exercises
- Muscle strength (contracting the muscles against a fixed resistance without moving the joints): Weight training (free weights or machines), isometrics
- Muscle endurance: Low-resistance high-repetition weight training, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, other calisthenics
- Flexibility: Stretching, yoga

To improve aerobic fitness, for example, you can bike for 30 minutes.
To increase strength, you can lift weights for 30 minutes.
Do one form of exercise each day, or both on the same day.
If you do both on the same day, you can change the order in which you do them.

Keep your mind-body connection alert with change!

You can easily tailor cross-training to your needs and interests. Just select exercises of different types, then build a program.

Create a cross-training program for all-around conditioning. Boost aerobic fitness, muscle strength, muscle endurance, and flexibility, and also assist in weight control by helping you burn calories each day. Of course, you can take a rest day once or twice a week depending on your training level and goals.

Stay in shape and manage your weight!