Cross-training is a training method that combines elements of sports gymnastics, athletics and weight-bearing exercises, such as barbells. The variety of cross-training attracts many people to them, but sometimes the unhindered imagination of the trainers leads to a lack of results. Read what cross-training is and what its rules are. The information comes from the book Cross-training Method, published by Aha !. The service wformie24.pl took the patronage over it.

Cross-trainingis an endurance and strength training, a combination of varied and intense exercises aimed at increasing the body's efficiency. The term "cross-training" is often used interchangeably with "crossfit", but these disciplines, although similar to each other, are not the same.

Cross-training: how is it different from crossfit?

CrossFit is actually a special type of cross-training, but often without proper methodology.

1.Crossfit, or actually CrossFit, is actually a proper name for a training program developed by Gregg Glassman. The workouts offered by most fitness clubs are based on the original sets of exercises by the American trainer. Cross-training is a broader concept - it concerns combining various types of effort and disciplines. Although the assumptions of both workouts are similar, cross-training is not a brand, but an exercise method with its rules based on exercise physiology. Crossfit trainers, unfortunately, often ignore them at the expense of making their activities more attractive and to the detriment of exercisers, who are usually not prepared for such a variety of activities.

2.Both crossfit and cross-training are based on demanding and intense exercises, including elements of weightlifting, sports gymnastics and athletics. Their goal is to build strength and condition while losing weight, and the exercise involves as many muscles and tendons as possible. Although both types of training take place in small, often very close groups of people, crossfit focuses more attention on competition with others, turning everyday exercises into competitions. In cross-training you "compete" mainly with yourself, it is more about improving your own skills than competing.

3.Cross-training putsa lot of emphasis on burning calories and building muscle, but all exercises are safe, including the most advanced ones. Great care is taken to ensure that they are not injured. In crossfit, however, as the complexity of the techniques performed increases, the risk of injuries also increases. For example, in crossfit, the idea is to lift as much weight as possible, even if the risk is greater and we will not be able to lift it more than once, while in cross-training we will lift less weight more times.

4.During standard crossfit exercises, participants are given, for example, an hour for training. During this time, they perform hard work, often beyond the limits of their actual physical abilities. There is a stereotype - the harder and more exhausting the training, the better. The idea behind cross-training is to gradually increase the general endurance of the exercisers by selecting the appropriate training method. The exercises are not chosen haphazardly, but constitute a well-thought-out sequence of activities that beginners must master to advance to the next level of advancement. Therefore, before, for example, you go to doing WOD with barbell lifts, kettlebells and battle ropes (as is often the case with organized crossfit training), first you work separately on the technique of individual exercises and only then combine them in WOD.

Read also: Crossfit - how to create a training plan?

Rules for cross-training

Cross-training do not start with very complicated exercises right away - focus on technical mastery of the basics.

1. Progressivity

Many sports clubs at the outset offer their charges a very varied, but also complex training program, for which, as beginners, they have not acquired the appropriate skills. Such an attitude, however, is contrary to the progressiveness of the training cycle and in the long run it does not serve to improve the technique or develop the trainee. It takes months to master the elements of weightlifting, sports gymnastics and athletics, so in the first phase of training, exercises aimed at mastering the techniques, especially when it comes to weightlifting, should be a priority.

This progressivity is also related to physiology: most WODs focus on the development of many motor skills, and the most demanding of them require a methodical and gradual increase in overall endurance.

2. Diversity

Diversity increases the player's motivation, surprises him and prevents him from falling into routine. Can nothowever, should be higher than the other rules, a compromise between repeatability and diversity should be achieved.

3. Continuity

Keeping in shape requires repeating effort exercises over several sessions, and the session should be organized thematically. So it is proposed to move away from randomness in circuit programming and return to a functional training plan that results in continual skill advancement. Diversity yes, but systematized.

4. Exercise and rest

Another rule that you need to remember in the case of cross-training (and not only) is post-workout regeneration - regardless of whether it concerns rest after one type of exercise or after one series of exercises. Why? Regeneration allows the body to return to intense work and, moreover, most of the progress that training causes occurs when you rest. The regeneration process therefore also requires detailed planning. Read also: How to choose the training load?

Interferences in cross-training, or how to combine exercises?

Interference is otherwise an overlap. In cross-training, it is not recommended to use both hypertrophic exercise (based on a series of 8-12 repetitions and aimed at building muscle mass) and high-energy intervals (very intense cardio exercises close to the maximum aerobic power, MMT) during one session. These two types of effort force the muscles to mutually adapt, thereby reducing the overall effectiveness of training. Unwanted interference is shown in the diagram below:

The above Docherty and Sporer model clearly shows where the undesirable zone of greatest conflict is. Meanwhile, the level of difficulty of many cross-training activities results from the program entering this zone. Remember:just because a session is difficult does not necessarily mean that it is successful !

So endurance training based on intervals close to maximum aerobic power, aimed at increasing the aerobic capacity of a muscle, should not be combined with strength training, which involves performing exercises in series of 8-12 repetitions.

Such series are used to accelerate protein synthesis and induce load within the anaerobic energy system, which is accompanied by a higher concentration of lactate in the muscle. The muscle then has to perform two different physiological adaptations, which limits the potential effectiveness of one, and sometimes both of them.

So how to combine exercises in cross-training so that they areeffective?

Individual elements of training, oriented either towards strength or endurance, better develop both the first and the other motor qualities.

Direct work

The limitations of frequently undertaken "all-in-one" training are clearly indicated. We will achieve greater effects by creating thematic training cycles devoted only to strength or only endurance. So if the priority in a given cycle is to build strength, the frequency of performance sessions should be lower. Each cycle and each session should be prioritized according to the principle: "to train is to choose" while respecting the traditional meaning of cross-training.

Use strength training first, then aerobics

Research proves that neuromuscular parameters should have priority over endurance parameters. Starting a session with Endurance Training has less effect than using the reverse order.

Worth knowing

For the best results of cross-training:

  • avoid combining "burning" strength series, leading to muscle recovery, with intense cardio intervals;
  • do no more than 8 repetitions if your WOD combines strength training with aerobic (aerobic) power work;
  • remember that aerobic power is compatible with strength or maximum power training;
  • remember that moderately intense aerobic training is compatible with weight training.

The principles of cross-training are taken from the book "The Cross-training Method" by Aurelien Broussal-Derval and Stephane Ganneau. The publication was published by the Aha! Publishing house. The book contains the principles of cross-training, technical tips on how to properly perform the exercises and a 15-week training program.

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