Why adding cross training to your exercise routine is the way to go

I often say that the key to staying consistent with exercise is to find an exercise you love. If you look forward to it, you’re more likely to move your body. But you should also consider replacing it every now and then. Known as cross-training, changing up your exercise routine can greatly improve your fitness and overall health.

In a study published last month by researchers at Harvard University analyzed physical activity data from more than 70,000 women and nearly 41,000 men collected over four decades. They found that participants who did a variety of exercise such as cycling, running and strength training were 19 percent less likely to die from any cause during the study period than those who were equally physically active but stuck to one type of exercise. Their risk of dying from heart disease, cancer and other causes was also 13 to 41 percent lower.

why is that? Exercise improves our health by stimulating our body, forcing it to adapt and become stronger. Yet, as this study found, the health benefits of most physical activity stagnate at some point. For example, participants who walked 5 hours a week were about as likely to die during the study period as participants who walked 20 or even 40 hours a week. So by engaging in different exercises, people may be able to overcome these thresholds.

One reason is that variety challenges our bodies in new ways. The most obvious example would be comparing aerobic exercises like running to strength exercises like weightlifting. The former primarily stresses our cardiorespiratory system—our heart and lungs—while the latter stretches our muscles and forces them to be stronger. By combining the two, you can increase both endurance and strength.

But you can also benefit from mixing up your aerobic workouts. For example a 2018 study of 31 high school runners found that those who swapped two of their light runs for exercise on an outdoor elliptical used oxygen more efficiently when running at the same pace as those who didn’t swap.

Cross-training also reduces the risk of injury, which can affect longevity. An analysis of nine studies in total, nearly 5,000 soccer players found that balance training reduced the risk of ankle injury by more than 35 percent compared to training programs without it.

So I encourage you to add some variety to your exercise routine. I’ve been running almost exclusively for the past year and I can say that other aspects of my fitness like mobility have taken a hit. That’s why I now include pilates and yoga in my exercise routine. Not only will it improve my range of motion and strength, but it may even help me live well into old age.

Grace Wade is a health reporter for The new scientist. You can subscribe to her newsletter, Eight weeks to a healthier youin newscientist.com/healthier-you

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