Cross Training
Cross training means using a variety of training methods within a workout. In general, cross training helps keep your workouts interesting and balanced. Once you determine the goals of your workout (in the larger context of your overall plan), you can mix aerobic and anaerobic training, strength, endurance, core, and sport-specific movements into a single workout, circuits, and intervals. By combining different training methods you can achieve the benefits of certain methods or movements while negating their shortcomings.
Different training methods combine to give the best overall results. Sport-specific drills are necessary, but in the case of fighting, it would probably be too hard on the body to train three hours a day, six days a week, via full contact sparring.
So along with some sparring, also do weight training, running, and plyometrics. This allows you to wear yourself out (without overtraining) yet continue to build strength, endurance, power, and coordination.
If at some point it becomes a burden to keep lifting weights, you can do slow training on technique. When you can no longer do another pushup, switch to squats. This enables you to keep building your body beyond what you could accomplish with only one training method.
A variety of training reduces the risk of overtraining, which requires time off to recover, and reduces the risk of joint injuries from continuously repeating the same motion.
Cross training keeps your body from getting used to a particular training method, helping to break or avoid training plateaus (periods of slow or no improvement). It may also allow you to have more intense workouts by working different groups of muscles from one workout to the next.
A fighter will use all of the above training methods, combined with proper nutrition and adequate sleep, to get into fighting shape. Workouts will build up to the point where training takes place twice a day for two to four hours at a time. They will include sport-specific training drills to develop strong and fast combatives and defensive techniques, actual sparring, and strength training. Cross training is the only way to maintain the intensity and endurance to complete the workouts.
A triathlete is, by definition, someone who does a lot of cross training. Cross training can be done within a single workout or by rotating through different types of workouts. The nice thing about this combination is the variety of muscles, movements, and energy sources involved. It's also really nice to get a little fresh air and sunshine while you exercise, but depending on where you live these may not be year-round activities.
Cycling
Cycling is a fine way to push your cardio without additional impact to your bones and joints. Maintain a steady ninety revolutions per minute, adjusting the resistance to maintain the desired heart rate. Use interval training (short-distance sprints) to add anaerobic development to the work out. With cycling you have the option of working within your aerobic or anaerobic ranges, in a spinning class at the local gym, or mountain biking. Mountain biking requires move overall coordination and strength.
Running
Running is part of every fighter's training routine. Run at a pace that allows you to carry on a conversation. Every few minutes, break into a twenty- to forty-second sprint, and then slow to a jog while you recover, then begin running again.
With regard to cycling and running, you should be conscientious of repetitive stress injuries and the wear and tear on some joints.
Remember to approach your training program holistically, that is, as a whole with the end in mind. If you are training for a mixed martial arts (MMA) fight, you'll need a combination of aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, enough to maintain an intense level for as little as two five-minute rounds or as much as three ten-minute rounds. You will need to be explosive for unpredictable intervals during this time. So it makes no sense to train only long-distance runs. This will detract from other areas, making it difficult, if not impossible, to also maintain strength and explosiveness. The goal is to maximize aerobic and anaerobic improvement, so mix it up.
Swimming
Swimming, another low-impact exercise, has some special benefits. The movements you make while swimming require lengthening the muscles and the body overall as opposed to the compression that most other training applies. This helps improve flexibility and range of motion. It also places additional demands on the cardio system because you now need to control your breathing relative to external influences (so you don't choke on the water).
Different strokes can place more emphasis on certain muscles, but swimming works the entire body, especially the core muscles needed to move the arms and legs in unison.
