Should You Cross-Train?

When many people look at areas of their lives where they want to improve, physical health and fitness is a popular choice. When you exercise, you enjoy a lot of benefits like increased energy, strength and a longer life. But boredom can often be big obstacle to the goal of physical fitness. It’s easy to see why, since 45 minutes on a bike machine, treadmill or elliptical can feel very monotonous.

But for people that want the same variety in their fitness as they get in their life, there’s something called cross-training. What is it, and is it for you?

How It Works

Cross-training is the combination of different exercises from other sports of competitive activities in order to achieve more versatility in both strength and health. For runners, this means that while running is still going to be a mainstay of exercise and training, this may be combined with swimming, strength training, cycling, or some other activity.

By doing this, participants enjoy a mix of different activities that exercise many different sets of muscles, ensuring greater overall strength and endurance. Rather than just strengthening legs, as runners do, swimming can also build up arm and back muscles, and all of this still ultimately benefits running.

How To Prepare

If you’re thinking of getting into cross-training, the two most important things you can do for yourself are ease into it slowly, and make sure you’re prepared. Don’t go for full, intensive routines that run for long periods of time, you can damage yourself this way. Conversely, don’t go into this without proper measures. Ensure you have the appropriate gear like cross-training socks that will serve well running just as well as on a bicycle.

With the proper clothing and equipment, you can enjoy more sustained, consistent performance in your cross-training activities, and they can even help you during the recovery periods. Gear like Pro-Tect cross-training socks will make sure that you get off to a proper start.