The Beginners Guide to Starting Cross-Training

The Beginners Guide to Starting Cross-Training How Can You Prepare for Intense Physical Exertion? ChaptersThe Necessary Equipment for Cross TrainingA Cross Training Session for the First WeekA Cross Training Session for the Second WeekA Cross Training Session for the Third WeekA Cross Training Session for the Fourth WeekBeyond the First Four WeeksA Word on Nutrition“Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.” - Mark TwainOf all the sporting activities in the world, cross training, sometimes wrongly referred to as CrossFit, is one of the most complete workouts you can do.In this article, we are going to have a look at the key exercises of cross training, the non-branded version of CrossFit, the equipment you'll need for it, and some sample sessions that you could do.yes, there is a difference!Others who have started working out for a short-term goal such as losing weight or because of a health scare soon abandon their resolution because getting fit was not their overall goal.Still others are tempted by their lifestyle: a night out with friends, the call for overtime at work, the impatience with repetition... there are also those who rapidly get bored and those who have no clear direction in their fitness plan.If you have stuck with your workout for four weeks, you are to be congratulated: a large percentage of fitness hopefuls don’t make it even this far into their lifestyle change!So, now that you are well on your way to becoming a lean machine, what should you do next?  That’s what we now take a look at.Workout StrategiesEven if you are burning with passion for your personal fitness, you are not immune to feeling the crush of repetition. In other words, you are at risk for boredom - not through any fault of your own, you can rest assured on that.As you well know, physical exercise releases endorphins in the brain that makes us feel so good! In part, that is what keeps people working out in the early stages of establishing a regimen.However, your body soon hits a balance: the amount of those feel-good chemicals in our brains is evened out so that we don’t quite get the rush that we experienced when we first started our routine.Also, after the initial ‘water loss’, that period early in one’s regimen when those who exercise are bound to see inches and possibly weight melt away, your body’s metabolism adjusts to its new level of activity and those losses taper down to about a pound or two per week.Note: losing a pound or two per week is a healthy amount; any more than that would be a cause for concern.You can see why some would quit exercising, don’t you?Increasing your reps and adding resistance to your workout does not make for a brighter burn; in fact, dramatic increases could actually damage your muscles and connective tissues!That is why experts recommend diversifying your workout.Once you have your body conditioned to working out through the outlined routines above, it is time to take your physical training to a new level.Cycling, whet her indoors or out, is excellent aerobic exercise! Source: Pixabay Credit: 12019The Aerobic WorkoutWhile it is true that any workout will work your heart to a certain extent, activities specifically designed to speed up your heart rate with get your body’s most important muscle in optimal shape.You may consider adding an aerobic class such as Zumba or step aerobics to your fitness repertoire.If you have no time for an extra session at the gym for such a class â€" or, now that warmer weather is here, you wish to take your workout out of doors, you might like to walk, jog, run or dance your way into heart health.You might even consider cycling to work and back!To avoid the issue that plagues every workout, namely burnout, try to switch your activities up. You might go biking one day, dance the next, and try out Nordic walking before the week is up.Note: swimming is also a great workout for your heart and it comes with the added benefit of being no-impact, meaning your joints won’t suffer while you work your muscles!StretchingWhile building endurance and gaining muscle tone are important to weight loss and fitness goals, equally important is flexibility.If you lack the range of motion necessary to perform such manoeuvres as a squat, plié or even a sit-up, you may injure yourself rather than help yourself get fit.It is therefore vital to warm up before any workout. Such a warm-up should include stretching.Even before you engage in the jumping jacks or deadlifts mentioned above, make sure your joints and muscles are properly conditioned by stretching them before you get started.A good stretching routine may include:Arm lifts: feet shoulder-wide apart, raise your arms above your head while inhaling. Hold for a slow count of five; exhale on the release. Repeat 10-20 timesSpinal stretch: with feet planted, lace your fingers behind your head; elbows out. Gently turn from side to side for a count of 10 per side.Alternately, you may place your hands on your hips wit h your knees slightly bent. Pitch forward while releasing your arms, allowing them to hang down. Pull yourself back up to standing position; repeat 10-20 times.Leg stretches: these warm-ups may include hurdler’s stretches, leg lifts and calf muscle stretches.Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hands on hips. Raise yourself on your tip-toes, release. Repeat 10-20 times.Another great way to work on your flexibility is through yoga.You may enjoy a particularly vigorous Bikram yoga workout, opt for a more relaxing Hatha regimen or sweat it out in a hot yoga session.Whichever type of flexibility training you choose, make sure that it becomes an integral part of your workout!A Word on NutritionYou have revolutionised your entire life: working out is a vital part of your lifestyle and your health â€" perhaps an area of concern before your turnaround, is now better than it’s ever been.As your body becomes leaner and burns more efficiently, the next step in your fitness crusade is to c onsider and, if needed, change your nutritional intake.Obviously, you will not have the same nutritional needs as when you started your fitness regimen; in fact, you may need to eat more in order to maintain your target weight and muscle mass.Furthermore, depending on what your fitness goals are, you may need to adopt one or another food plan.The essential guidelines for Crossfit are 40% carb intake, 30% protein and 30% fat.You may have heard of The Zone diet or the Paleo diet; both of those plans approximately reflect the recommended diet for those who are intent on optimal fitness.The key to these nutrition plans’ success is avoiding processed foods and high-glycemic carbohydrates.You might wonder about the 30% fat. Isn’t fat touted as bad for you?Indeed, certain fats are bad for you and counterproductive to your fitness goals. However, not all fats are bad fats; in fact, we need fats to keep our bodies functioning properly.The fats you should incorporate into your diet come f rom oily fish, coconuts, olive oil and avocadoes, just to name a few sources.Crossfit, Nutrition and Weight LossLet us say you have decided on a Crossfit plan to lose weight and get in shape. Obviously, by this regimen’s very nature, you will lose a certain amount of weight but, here again, it all comes down to what you eat.The simplest weight loss solution is to take in fewer calories than you expend.  That simplistic assertion is rooted fact but omits one critical aspect: what kind of calories are you taking in?Not all calories are the same, nor do they burn in the same way.Protein, for example, increases how much energy your body uses to break it down and absorb it. By contrast, it takes only a little energy for your body to crack open and absorb carbohydrates.So, if you eat the equivalent of 100 grams of protein, you will have consumed around 75 net calories  that will need to be burned off.Eating 100 hundred grams of carbs, on the other hand, results in about 94 net calories  to burn off.Applying the philosophy above - take in fewer calorie to lose weight, can you see where it is more difficult to burn carbs than protein?  If your short-term workout goal is to lose weight, you may consider shifting the 40/30/30 guidelines mentioned above into higher protein and fats intake while lowering your carbs.Eating more protein will help you feel fuller for longer, causing you to not feel hungry as quickly and to reduce your overall food intake at mealtimes.Please note that this is not a permanent arrangement! As soon as you’ve hit your stride in weight loss, you should revert to the more healthy balance of protein, carb and fat intake.Crossfit, Nutrition and Muscle MassIf you are interested in gaining muscle mass, here too your food intake will play a large part in your success in achieving your goals.By dialling back on your fats intake and increasing protein and carbs proportionately, you will soon see gains in your musculature.Bear in mind that this too sho uld not be a permanent condition.After years of touting low-fat diets as healthy, both medical and fitness experts stress that a certain level of ‘good’ fats intake is necessary for optimal health.In fact, low-fat diets have been proven to reduce testosterone in males which could lead to muscular atrophy â€" the exact opposite of the condition you are working towards.So, once you’ve kick-started your performance, you should go back to the optimal 40/30/30 ratio mentioned above.This short guide is by no means a complete digest of everything you need to know. For more information about CrossFit and cross training, don't hesitate to get advice from some of the coaches or tutors on Superprof.