How to Crossfit Train Using Beachbody on Demand

How to Crossfit Train Using Beachbody on Demand

How does one become good at this one ultra-desirable thing? A logical step would be to do that one thing as much as you can. So if you want to better at running, you have to make running a regular habit. If you want to be a natural at lifting or cycling, then it should be a thing you do every day. To be better at swimming means to make it a frequent activity that you do because you love doing it. But there is another thing that is equally important.

Did you know that when you occasionally do something that is different from your primary sport, you become much better at it? This is what athletes call as cross-training and if you think about it, it does make a lot of sense. When you engage in an activity or sport that is not your primary one, it allows you the opportunity to make use of your muscles in new, atypical ways or emphasize the use of different muscle groups altogether. This translates to a number of benefits including ironing out muscle imbalances, minimizing overuse injuries, improving athletic performance, and boosting motivation as you reduce monotony in training.

The science behind cross-training is simple but the benefits are overwhelming and make it worth your while. This is your ultimate guide on how to weave cross-training into your program and the role that Beachbody on Demand plays in helping you maximize the results.

Setting your cross-training goals

The goal of cross-training is to improve longevity and athletic performance. Its classic definition points to the engagement in an activity or sport aside from your primary one. The main focus of your training may include weightlifting, cycling, or running as it provides for your key skill set such as cardiovascular endurance, strength, and explosive power. All these workouts build on your athletic foundation. Cross-training on the other hand boosts your strengths, shores up any weaknesses, overlays additional skills, and reduces the risks of injury overall.

As such, if you have been biking most of the time, cross-training could mean going for the rowing machine or running a trail once to twice a week. If running is your primary sport and you usually log miles on the road, you might try running the rack at your local gym. You can even swap some of your weekly sweat sessions for laps in the swimming pool.

It is important to keep in mind though that cross-training is not just about dipping one’s toes in the pool of another sport. If it is to be effective, it has to be strategically planned and integrated into your primary program. In this way, you do not shortchange your progress but accelerate it.

Taking the first steps

So what’s the first step for you to cross-train like a pro? A crucial first step to cross-training involves pumping iron. If you are an endurance athlete, you might find yourself averted to the idea but current science does not support it otherwise. There is no reason for you not to pump iron especially when it tends to boost your speed and movement economy. In runners, it can even power up output.

In addition, cross-training can help increase injury resistance and time to exhaustion. The British Journal of Sports Medicine has published a study showing how strength training can result in the reduction of overuse injuries close to 50%. An ideal total body strength workout can be performed twice a week and you can choose from a range of Beachbody on Demand options available. Highly-recommended programs along this line include 80 Day Obsession, P90X, The Master’s Hammer and Chisel, Body Beast, 6 Weeks of The Work, and LIIFT4.

Strength workouts can replace your cardio workouts if you train for 5 or more days in a week. If you train for 3 days or less in a week, then you can perform them in between cardio workouts. Another great option would be to perform them back to back with your cardio workouts. Super Trainer Idalis Velazquez has this all set up in her latest program 30-Day Breakaway. It combines running and strength training to help you achieve the goal of crushing a 5k in only 4 weeks’ time.

Incorporating interval training

The second step to cross-training involves doing High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT. Your basic endurance training can be as simple as putting on your running shoes, hopping on a bike, or jumping in a lap pool. However, doing such steady state kind of training is not all that you can do if you want to optimize your results. In this respect, speedwork, including interval training, plays a critical role. Studies have shown that it can improve overall endurance in addition to enhancing your power output, speed, and VO2 max.

And so to cross-train like a pro, do HIIT once to twice each week. It can be done practically anywhere: from the road, in the pool, on a track, in the gym, and right to your living room. An interval workout is easy to do because the key lies in how you perform it and not in what you choose to do. An effective way to do HIIT would be to keep your goal in mind and that is to exercise repeatedly at a level that is called your “lactate threshold”. This is the point where your muscles begin to burn and your breath becomes too heavy even to speak. You can achieve this by alternating between periods of intense exercise and active rest.

Check out Beachbody HIIT workouts and you will see how it goes. You can do INSANITY and benefit from an advanced, high-intensity program. HIIT workouts also abound in 80 Day Obsession, LIIFT4, and CORE DE FORCE.

Cross-training through running

The next step towards cross-training involves going for a run. On its own, strength training offers a range of benefits from enhanced power and strength; increased muscle growth; and fat loss. With the right execution, it can even result in greater muscular endurance. To achieve well-roundedness however, your training should not only focus on pumping iron. A key component in this regard is to zero in on improving cardiorespiratory fitness as well. This is where running can do an awesome job as an addition to your strength training.

Pounding on the pavement, trail, sand, or track regularly can provide you with enough to power up and increase your sets and reps as you lift weights. And with that increase in training volume, your strength gains likewise heighten. You can also achieve the same when you engage in aerobic exercise. Specifically, it can help step up your resistance to fatigue and general exercise capacity.

At the end of the day, running is meant to help you cross-train like a real pro. Weave it into your strength program for at least twice in a week. In case your training already has indoor cardio workouts in it, then you can just swap it with one to two running sessions each week. Otherwise, a steady-state, low-intensity run is great to add between your strength workouts as it enhances your recovery. Meanwhile, a more aggressive approach would be to combine cardio and strength in one workout, much like in the 30 Day Breakaway that Idalis Velazquez has put together.

Because the latter approach is indeed aggressive, it is important to do strength training first before going for any runs to maximize your safety while minimizing the risks of injury. Another crucial tip to take note of is to be able to switch your runs up regularly to achieve optimized results. So in addition to LSD run or long slow distance run, you can likewise do speedwork, tempo runs, and threshold runs.

Recovering with yoga

The final step to professional cross-training is what holds it together. When you say training, what usually comes to mind is working out. However, the very thing that you do in between those workouts is equally important as it is where training adaptations happen. It translates to fat loss, muscle growth, and increase in strength. As such, you have two choices: you can either ignore your recovery period then leave it to chance or you can spend time to do it to maximize the benefits.

In this regard, a smart move would be to strike a pose and do some weekly yoga. The gentle stretching helps enhance the flow of blood and also ease any muscle tension you may have. In turn, these help optimize your recovery, facilitate muscle growth and repair, and reduce the amount of time needed between intense workout sessions. As a result, you will be able to perform better overall and get to your goals faster.

On Beachbody on Demand, you will find tons of streaming yoga classes whatever your ability level may be. You are bound to enjoy every experience in the Beachbody Yoga Studio and be able to find that much-needed inspiration that you are looking for.

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