training-at-christmasTraining at Christmas is tough!

Coming into Christmas and New Year period our lives are inudated with social obligations, crazy work schedules, family time which makes trying to fit in training can be quite difficult. Ever feel like your going to come out the other end like the santa that can’t fit down the chimnea? Well the change in training and the break may be just what your body needs.

The holidays are the perfect time to vary your training regime and get the benefits of cross training and recovery – things that we are generally very poor at doing during the main bulk of the season or training.

What is Cross Training?

Cross Training is essentially, alternating your workout routines in a way that will increase your performance and overall fitness without stressing your body to the max. Have you ever wondered why you think that you are extremely fit but then you do something that is slightly different and you end up feeling muscles that you never knew you had? Altering your training through cross training will only make you stronger, faster and more important fitter.

Why Cross Training?

Cross training is great for a number of reasons. Although when your training for an event you want to be specific with your training and target your specific sport but sometimes it is also important to mix it up! If you continue to do the same training day in day out, your body adapts, is no longer challenged, therefore the improvements are not as easily seen come race day. Elements included in cross training include cardiovascular, strength training, flexibility training and speed agility or plyometric training.

Cross training can help with

  1. Enjoyment

  2. Motivation

  3. Injury Prevention

  4. Assists with imbalances

  5. Improves balance and skill

  6. Improve fitness

Types of cross training that are great to incorporate into your christmas break include pilates, yoga, and strength based exercise (boxing, cross fit). Even getting out and doing things that you don’t get to do during the bulk of work and training, go for a surf, throw the frizbee with the kids or kick the footy around.

Recovery over Christmas

If you don’t have enough time to train like you would like over christmas, use this time to allow your body to recover. A lot of people tend to be overtraining therefore they do not allow the body to adapt fully to the training and therefore aren’t getting the most bang for your buck. Recovery allows the muscles and body systems to fully adapt to the load its being placed under.

Have you every increased your training, but found that you’ve had an actual decrease in performance? Its possible that you were or are overtraining. Take a couple of days off, roll out your muscles, make sure you getting enough water and nutrients into your body and you’ll only be feeling better for it!

Grab your rollers and trigger point balls to get into those tight spots that you have found during the season and come back in the new year feeling active, nimble and agile!

All in all having some cross training and recovery sessions in your training regime may not hurt your performance, but it may actually assist it. So the message is, don’t stress about the changes in training, embrace it, it may actually be a blessing in disguise!

If you’re getting serious about your sport or you simply want to ensure you stay active for as long as possible why see one of our sports physiologists here at Lissome Studios.  Call on 55324334 or visit our sports physiology page to book an appointment.

Alissa

*This blog is generalised advice only, for specific advice for your situation contact a professional who is aware of your situation