Health Topics for Sports Medicine

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

UI Family Care

Cross training

Many people mix sports for fun and fitness. Working out routinely with more than one physical activity is called cross training. It eliminates the boredom of doing the same workout every day. Injured people do not have to stop exercising. They can continue with another sport that does not hurt the injured area.

Cross training decreases the risk of injury, yet adds intensity to a program. More calories are burned per week. People get strong and fit faster. Cross training uses more muscle groups. For example, running builds the lower body. Swimming works the upper body and improves flexibility. Alternating these sports gives great benefits. And, it prevents overuse injuries.

Variety is enjoyable and increases fitness. A variety of activities can be traded with walking and running. Indoor and outdoor cycling help build strong quadriceps. Focus on rhythmical and continuous exercises that work all the major muscle groups in the legs, arms, and torso.

Competitive soccer builds muscle power and speed. Aquarunning and aquawalking are very good for injured people. Make water workouts feel at least as vigorous as land workouts. Stair climbing improves hill running and leg power. Aerobic dance improves coordination and quickness. Avoid high-impact aerobic dance if prone to stress fractures. Cross-country skiing is a terrific whole body and cardiovascular workout. Walking 40 minutes produces the same systemic benefits as 15 minutes of jogging. Speed and agility are improved through racquet sports.

Follow these rules to get the most out of cross training:

• Substitute new activities for the old activities. Increase the total number of workouts only after successful adoption of the new activities.
• Start with just 20 minutes of exercise in the new activity and build up time slowly.
• Avoid activities that might hurt existing injuries.
• Go for hard workouts only after your body has adapted to cross training. For example, interval training can be done on a bike, stairclimber, or ski machine. Hard workouts on these machines will help improve aerobic fitness. They do not overstress the legs like running does.
• Stop when overtired. Fatigue is a sign that the body needs rest. Cross training will not be any help if it only contributes to overtraining.

Last Reviewed 2005

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

HIL File SPOR3325.rf2 VRS# 7515 Data Version 7.0 Copyright 1998, 2000 McKesson Health Solutions LLC. All rights reserved.