What Is Cross Training?

Secteur
Secteur Posts: 1,971
edited August 2011 in Road beginners
Reading CW this week, it refers to "cross training" several times, but never actually defines it, though it alludes to running. It talks about this in relation to winter fitness.

What exactly is Cross Training? Does it mean one of those machines in the gym where you go like cross country skiing?

Sorry if this is a really dumb question!

Comments

  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,348
    it just means training in a sport other than the one you are trying to improve in

    so for cycling, this might mean doing some appropriate weight training
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  • MountainMonster
    MountainMonster Posts: 7,423
    Correct me if i'm wrong, but I think cross training is when you utilise more than one form of training to boost endurance. This would be, for example, cycling and running, or cycling and weight lifting etc....
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  • Secteur
    Secteur Posts: 1,971
    Ahh, ok so it's a "principle" rather than a specific thing - got it - thanks.

    OK, next (daft) question - does running compliment cycling in the off season? What's the best thing to do?
  • jibberjim
    jibberjim Posts: 2,810
    Secteur wrote:
    OK, next (daft) question - does running compliment cycling in the off season? What's the best thing to do?

    Not really, cross training is only really useful in situations where you're quite limited in the volume of training you can do in the main sport. For running, it's quite tough to do high volumes without lots of volume already in the bank - you have to build up slow due to injury risk. So that means you can do extra cross training that will have some help to the running.

    Cycling though doesn't carry any of the same problems and you can generally max out your cycling. Cross training would only come in when you can't face cycling (e.g. you've been doing 50hours a week for most of the year, some cross country skiing is going to look attractive and is better than sitting in a pub.) For most of us though cycling will be best.

    I do generally run in the winter - as I enjoy the less effort to get out in the rain etc. but find it harms my cycling as my cycling volume reduces.
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  • optimisticbiker
    optimisticbiker Posts: 1,657
    Secteur wrote:
    Ahh, ok so it's a "principle" rather than a specific thing - got it - thanks.

    OK, next (daft) question - does running compliment cycling in the off season? What's the best thing to do?
    Sorry, there's an 'off-season' for cycling?
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  • MountainMonster
    MountainMonster Posts: 7,423
    Secteur, you may want to get yourself a home trainer, or a set of turbos or rollers for the "off season" as you say. I've got a hometrainer at home, and I love the thing in winter and crap weather!
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  • dawebbo
    dawebbo Posts: 456
    Cross training is training while you are angry.
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Probably the best cross-training for cycling approporiately enough is cross-country ski-ing - the problem being the availability of snow. Cross-training should be complimentary to cycling and perhaps help or sustain both aerobic fitness, strength and flexibility - particularly in muscle groups that don't get used much in cycling. Inline skating is also very good for leg strength and core body and likewise roller-skiing - I have a mile-long road circuit closed to traffic where I can do an hour or so on roller-skis in the evening in the dark - headtorch on, crank up the volume on the ipod and away you go!
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  • merak
    merak Posts: 323
    I've found hill walking complements cycling - uphill reinforces cycling specific muscles and aerobic fitness while downhill helps with other leg muscles. Plus it's good for core strength if you do some scrambling as well, which is often lacking in people who just cycle.
  • KnightOfTheLongTights
    KnightOfTheLongTights Posts: 1,415
    yeah running is probably the sport where people most often talk about cross training - because of the frequency of injuries. Cycling (or spinning / gym-biking) and the nordic skier / 'cross-trainer' are good ways to improve aerobic fitness while not suffering the impact of running.

    Some people just do it when they are carrying a niggle or injury; some to help avoid injury in the first place; some do it cos they get bored of just running; some cos they don't liek running in the cold.

    As said above, cycling is much kinder on the body and therefore you hear a lot less about cross training, although I guess you could call spinning / turbo-ing etc, sort of cross-training ...

    And the 'increasing leg strength through weighted squats etc' argument looks like it could run for the next hundred years before anyone actually gets an answer on whether it makes any difference or not to (non-track) cycling ...
  • ChrisSA
    ChrisSA Posts: 455
    It's all about specificity.

    Rowing won't help you cycle per se, but any cardio benefit from rowing may help your cycling.

    I'm a runner, and cycle to get some low-impact excercise in. And a change of scenery etc.
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