Intelligent Cross Training is sometimes easier said than done. When we talk about taking into account your weekly practices or special events or non-skating physical activity when planning your schedule, it may feel overwhelming. Like, really overwhelming. Like, what the hell does that look like?

I’m the type of person that needs examples. A good concrete example of something gives me a template that I can use and re-use to create my own version of whatever the example is for.

Here’s what a regular week looks like for me:

MON

TUES WED THURS FRI SAT

SUN

Practice

Cross Training

 

Practice

Rest Cross Training

 

 

Active Rest

foam rolling

Cross Training

Active Rest

shoulder or ankle prehab

Why is it scheduled this way?

I’ve tried a lot of different iterations and this is what works best.

In accordance with #intelligentcrosstraining, I collected data on how I felt after practices, how I performed in the gym, and whether or not I improved in my goal areas. This schedule allows me to cross train the way I like with enough frequency that I still see growth in my strength without feeling exhausted. And still have time for my family, to complete all my school work, and to write all of these blog posts.

Fully resting after doing a two-a-day keeps me from feeling exhausted.

Knowing that I get the best results from cross training 3x per week, I need to do a two-a-day once a week. (This is another option that I tested and collected data on before I decided that it would work for me. You might find that you absolutely CANNOT do two-a-days. You might find that once a week is too much, but every other week is okay. You might discover that once a month is all you can manage.) But, if I try to do something — anything — strenuous or physically active after those days, it will put me out of a commission for awhile. Sometimes I do active rest on the days following a two-a-day, like a walk through the neighborhood at a leisurely pace (or foam rolling, — of course!), but it’s all dependent on how my body feels.

Foam rolling and prehab are what I use to keep my muscles healthy.

I can’t afford weekly or monthly massages (I wish!), so I use foam rolling to keep everything as functional as possible. It’s basically a poor man’s massage you can do on yourself for the price of only a foam roller! It helps work out the soreness and knots I get from all my cross training and skating. It’s also my version of meditative yoga — the act of foam rolling has become a relaxing ritual for me.

I also have very specific issues (pinpointed by my Physical Therapist) that I make sure to focus on each week and try to improve. For me, that’s light, full range of motion prehab on my shoulders or ankles. If something else has been particularly problematic that week, I’ll substitute that instead.

It’s easy to adjust depending upon what crops up during the week.

I’m a front-loader. I like to get everything done up front, so that I can sit back with my feet up later. The good news about this tendency is that if something comes up early in the week, it makes it easy to adjust my schedule without missing out on too much (or any!) of my cross training and prehab. There’s always an opportunity to move things around, or let things go, if I need to.

How does your schedule stack up?


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IronOctopusFitness

About IronOctopusFitness

Online athletic training and nutrition coach, full-time mom, okay skater, and connoisseur of all things tea, chocolate, and roller derby. I'll help you unleash your inner athlete by building a strong, capable body that can withstand whatever life throws at you.