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Cross-Training As An Athlete

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Queen's U chapter.

Cross-training: exercise that makes your whole body stronger by combining several different activities.

Defined as an exercise protocol that utilizes several modes of training outside of an athlete’s main sport, cross-training was originally popularized by runners and is now common among many athletes.

As a classical ballet dancer, I’ve usually avoided cross-training of all sorts in the fear that it may only hinder my performance. That being said, I had countless people telling me to try cross-training, as it could only benefit and improve my overall performance and technique. As my workload expanded and developed, and I’ve reached what is probably the best age for me to refine my technique as much as possible, I’ve realized that I was quite wrong with my past intentions toward dance.

It’s always been easier for me to take care of my nutrition. I’ve had ups and downs with fully understanding nutrition, but generally, I understand the importance of a healthy and balanced diet as a performance athlete, and I’ve made it my goal to properly fuel my body, even during “off-season”.

Having made it my mission to fuel my body from the inside out, I’ve gone ahead and started incorporating cross-training into my schedule as well.

For athletes such as runners, cross-training may look like cycling, swimming, elliptical and strength training to name a few. For dancers, cross-training can look like Pilates, yoga, floor-barre, gyrotonic, swimming, resistance training, and even weight lifting. Regardless of the type of cross-training, however, both athletes will ultimately reap the benefits of improved overall stamina and strength. For dancers specifically, cross-training will not only improve their strength and stamina, but it will also improve their technique and provide them with the ability to overcome their weaknesses, complimenting their regime.

It’s a bit stigmatized in the dance community for (specifically) female classical dancers to lift weights, at least from what I have heard. While some argue that weight-lifting for dancers could lead to bulky muscles (while the aim is lean muscle mass), others argue that it could only benefit a dancer’s performance in class and on stage.

By targeting the proper muscle groups, weight training for dancers can surprisingly improve balance, height in jumps, endurance, higher extensions, and lower their risk of injury. Along with that, weight training and slightly increasing your muscle mass for the benefit of the doubt increases your resting metabolic heart rate! This means that for those in a calorie deficit, it’s easier to attain your goals.

Cross-training has been proven to improve cardiovascular endurance, train muscle groups that are commonly not used in an athlete’s regular sport, facilitate muscle recovery from an athlete’s main sport, mental engagement and a reduced risk of injury.

By implementing cross-training into your everyday life, you’re not only benefiting your sport, but yourself and your health as well.

Strong today, stronger tomorrow.

Emma Keyes

Queen's U '24

Emma is studying English Language and Literature at Queen's University. She enjoys the arts, and is a sucker for all things romantic.