CROSSTRAINING FOR WALKERS

Crosstraining (participating in any fitness activity other than your primary sport) is more important and beneficial than many walkers realize. Cross training is used to improve your fitness level and stay active without over using walking muscles.

Using a different activity can help strengthen muscles not used by walking. The result is better walking workouts and less injuries. One of my favorite ways to cross train is bicycling. I choose this for several reasons:

1) It's fun
2) Can be done outdoors or indoors
3) Benefits cardio system
4) Strengthens quadriceps
5) Cycling at high rates trains legs to move faster, improving walking turnover rate.

My primary fitness activity is walking and I supplement it with biking (or other aerobic activity), strength training, Pilates and Yoga. There are a variety of activities you may wish to choose from. Utilize this variety to keep your muscles moving and ward off exercise boredom.

Some popular crosstraining activities:
Cycling (outdoor or stationary)
Swimming
Hiking
Rock climbing
Inline skating
Elliptical trainer
Stair machine
Nordic Trak (ski machine)
Step videos or other aerobic videos
Snow shoeing
Cross country skiing
Sports such as football, soccer, boxing, etc.