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You're Using the Elliptical WRONG - Physical Therapist ExplainsCross Training Techniques -
When workers have adequate cross-training, knowledge stays within the company, even when someone leaves. There's no danger of just one person knowing how to do a mission-critical task or being the only person with critical information.
So, you have decided who will undergo cross-training. You've also explored areas where workers might struggle and removed other roadblocks to success. Now, you're ready to implement a successful cross-training initiative. Here are some best practices for getting started:.
Even if your company has never launched a formal cross-training program , chances are workers are cross-training right now. Remember that the practice of training employees to take on other roles is born out of necessity.
You likely have team leaders cross-training people to meet their goals and objectives in your organization. Likewise, there are probably motivated team members who have taken it upon themselves to develop new skills and learn about roles that interest them.
Ask some questions, and you might find some great examples to learn from. The decision to cross-train employees shouldn't be made at the executive level, then foisted onto everyone else.
That's just going to lead to frustration, resistance, and loss of productivity. Instead, every team should be given as much autonomy as possible in deciding whether cross-training is for them, which roles should receive priority, and how to implement the program.
To maximize enthusiastic participation, understand the needs and challenges of each department at your company. Prepare a well-justified case that cross-training will benefit not burden them. If you've implemented cross-training successfully in one area of your organization, use that as an example.
It's critical to document the training process for each role. First and foremost, there should be a clear, up-to-date job description. Then, outline the responsibilities for each position. This outlining is necessary to identify the skills and competencies your trainees need to master during cross-training.
Ask both managers and workers to participate in this process. There may be a disconnect between what managers perceive team members to be doing versus what they do now.
Now, it's time to determine which employees will be the best fit for specific cross-training activities. Start by deciding whether you will implement this training on an intra-departmental or interdepartmental basis. With the first option, you only provide cross-training to teams within their business area.
If you choose the second, you will cross-train employees to work in entirely different departments. As a general rule, inter-departmental training will be more complicated to design and implement. Consider their talents, skills, and professional development goals to assign workers to the best cross-training opportunities.
The more interested they are in pursuing the opportunity, the more engaged they will be. At the same time, teams will benefit more when cross-trained employees have an affinity for the work.
It is imperative to have processes and procedures documented to cross-train employees effectively. Unfortunately, this is often a problem in many companies and organizations.
It's very common for team leaders to implement procedural changes. This implementation helps teams solve urgent problems, adopt new technologies, improve productivity, and more. However, it is much less common for formal documentation to reflect current changes.
When these updates slip through the cracks, there can be a disconnect between the documentation and what workers need to learn during cross-training. That's why the first step is to bring all documents and manuals current. Make sure this process includes any digital training assets.
Now is the time to find and update training videos, online training manuals, and other assets used to train workers.
This organizational undertaking will help with your effort to implement cross-training and improve future onboarding efforts. Many people envision cross-training as simply "job shadowing" or sending an employee over to another team to learn "on the job. On-the-job training and shadowing are two methods of cross-training that can be effective, especially for roles that don't require a lot of specialized knowledge or practice.
However, some workers may need to undergo more formal training before stepping into a new position. Formalized training happens in a training room environment for participants in the cross-training program. This approach works well when a specific skills and abilities are vital to job success and b workers must undergo an assessment before executing their new roles in a productive environment.
Consider using this option when trainers are also required to have specific qualifications. With this option, participants complete any necessary training and assessments at their own pace.
This method will utilize web-based training, video courses, and other eLearning options. Hybrid training will include any combination of the methods above. For example, workers may take a brief online course to pass a certification test, then move to on-the-job training.
No matter how you plan to train your employees, it's essential to have some formalized training plan in place. Even if your only goal is to use on-the-job training, there have to be some training objectives at an absolute minimum.
Otherwise, an employee may learn only a fraction of the skills they need to be truly competent in a new role. By establishing training processes, you ensure that the organization and the employees benefit from the experience. Consider these questions as you formalize training for each position:.
It may be helpful to create a checklist of tasks or activities for each trainee to complete. Workers can then use this checklist to document their progression through the training process. Consider who is going to be delivering the training, as well. People with different expertise may need to provide instruction or guide trainees through specific tasks.
It's rarely a good idea to roll out a company-wide cross-training initiative. Instead, start with something that is both small and impactful. Look for a team that could benefit significantly from cross-training and starts there. If you can identify enthusiastic participants, that is certainly a plus.
Use that as your pilot program once you can create and successfully execute a cross-training program at that level. Gather data on the positive outcomes, and use this to achieve buy-in from other business areas. People initially hesitant to take part may be more willing once they see a real-life example of success.
Workers will gain valuable knowledge and experience during cross-training. Unfortunately, that's going to be lost if they can't use it regularly. Every cross-training program must include plans to rotate workers into other positions regularly. This rotation will allow them to use what they have learned and ensure they can integrate into different roles easily.
In addition to being rotated into alternate roles regularly, cross-training programs should provide necessary "refresher" coursework. Ongoing training ensures that everyone can step into their new duties regardless of any changes.
For example, if a department begins using a new software package, that training must be available to both team members and anyone identified as being cross-trained.
It's paramount to collect and analyze feedback from everyone who is a stakeholder in a cross-training program, including:. To get the most valuable data, you'll want to collect feedback during the training process, immediately after, and in the future once there's been enough time to see or not see the results.
Create employee engagement surveys and other instruments to ask the most pertinent questions of every stakeholder.
However, consider inviting some open-ended responses, as well. Surveys will allow everyone to express frustrations, successes, and suggestions. Cross-training should be an interactive process in many ways. Now that you have helpful feedback, use it to return to your cross-training programs to make improvements.
Then, once those are implemented, you can continue delivering training, collecting feedback, and making additional changes. By Amanda Capritto, CPT, CNC, CES, CF-L1.
Expert Verified by Nicole Davis, CPT, PN1-NC. We test and review fitness products based on an independent, multi-point methodology. If you use our links to purchase something, we may earn a commission. Read our disclosures. Most people assume that to become a better runner, one should run more—run longer, run more frequently, run faster.
This is a common misconception and one that can actually result in overuse injuries or overtraining syndrome. In this guide, I use my experiences as an endurance athlete and my knowledge as a certified personal trainer to bring you the best cross training exercises for endurance enthusiasts and answer common questions about cross-training.
For endurance athletes, the best cross-training activities are strength training exercises. Additionally, cross-training can include a mix of bodyweight exercises, low-impact activities like yoga and pilates, and alternative aerobic workouts anything different than what you are specifically training for.
Here are some weightlifting exercises you can do to support your endurance endeavors. These movements will increase total-body strength, core stability, and power.
A classic strength training exercise, the deadlift works all of your major muscle groups with a focus on the posterior chain, AKA the back side of your body. Squats of any variation—back, front, goblet, overhead, dumbbell—light up the entire lower body, as well as the core and much of the posterior chain.
The overhead press looks simple, but is actually a very complex movement that primarily trains the upper body but also requires a boatload of core stability and bracing in the lower body. Unilateral exercises like the single-leg deadlift, which you can do with dumbbells or kettlebells , force you to engage your core and work hard to maintain a neutral spine position.
This skill translates to better posture during endurance training and better core control. Air squats are a simple, no-equipment exercise you can do anywhere to support endurance training.
Want real leg burn without any weight? Try single-leg squats. Split squats, Bulgarian split squats, and TRX-supported pistols are some examples. Perhaps the ultimate core-building exercise, planks teach you to brace your core to protect your spine and build up stamina in the core musculature.
This classic but tough exercise is arguably the most effective way to build upper-body pulling strength. Pull-ups are especially helpful for swimmers, rowers, and skiers, but also have a place in the cross-training routines of other endurance sports.
See the best pull-up bars. RELATED: Best Back Exercises. This is where things can get a little tricky for endurance athletes. Because endurance athletes already perform so much aerobic activity, most personal trainers will not prescribe more cardio exercise. There are different types of cardiovascular exercise that endurance athletes can still perform outside of their sport.
For example, distance swimmers can benefit from elliptical training , stair-steppers, and even running. But a skier or runner would benefit more from rowing or cycling. Cross-training is broadly defined as any physical activity that is different from your primary sport.
So, for a runner, cross-training is anything but running. For a triathlete, cross-training is anything other than running, cycling , and swimming. For a cross-country skier, cross-training is anything but that.
And so forth. So, cross-training for a runner will include exercises that are not running, but help them get better at running.
Broadly, that would encompass strengthening exercises for the leg muscles specifically calves, hamstrings, and glutes , as well as unilateral single-side and core exercises that act as an antidote to the repetitive movement of running. The benefits of cross-training are many. First and foremost, cross-training helps mitigate your injury risk.
Another study in high school cross-country athletes reports that low-impact aerobic exercises in conjunction with running can both prevent injury and improve performance. It does seem counterintuitive that spending less time and energy on your sport can result in better performance in that sport.
But alas, a study on the relationship between cycling and running reports that distance cyclists can see improvements in bone density, muscular strength and endurance, and exercise tolerance by cross-training with running.
Of course, proper periodization and careful application of overload are still important to prevent injury. Additionally, a meta-analysis of highly trained runners found that a strength training program consisting of two to three sessions per week can improve running economy , which is defined as the relationship between oxygen consumption and running speed see our guide to VO2 max , in distance runners.
Cross-training gives you a physical and mental break from your usual sport. Too much of anything can be a bad thing, no matter how much you love your sport. Indications of overtraining syndrome include persistent weakness and fatigue; decreased performance despite more training; unintentional weight loss; and decline in motivation to perform your sport.
Anyone whose workout routine consists primarily of high-volume cardio workouts will benefit from cross-training exercises. If you do any of the following, consider adding cross-training activities into your training schedule:.
Of course, any type of athlete can benefit from cross-training, but endurance athletes in particular will benefit from the strength exercises above. The frequency of cross-training depends on many factors unique to your specific sport and training plan. For the most part, trainers recommend two to three dedicated cross-training sessions per week to support optimal performance.
Another option is to tack on shorter sessions focused on a specific skill or movement pattern to the beginning or end of your regularly programmed workouts. You may also opt to include cross-training exercises in your warmups each day. The important thing is to find a balance that works for you: Cross-training should support your regular training, not serve as a detriment to your performance.
Remember that cross-training still counts toward your overall volume of work each week, and doing too much of anything can push you toward overtraining syndrome. Hold a dumbbell of a moderately heavy weight in the hand opposite of the working leg.
Woodchops and plank holds, supersets. Adding cross-training exercises into your training routine can certainly help reduce your risk of injury. Strengthening all of your major muscle groups via weight training or bodyweight training yields better body control, joint support, and alignment during your high-intensity cardiovascular workouts.
Yes, runners should include cross-training exercises in their training program. If runners do only running workouts , they increase their risk of overuse injuries and muscle imbalances, as well as preclude themselves from reaching an optimal overall fitness level.
Cross training is a great Hydration of exercise Crss training for athletic preparation and injury prevention. Although it has been used for years, Cross Training Techniques is relatively new as a training concept. Taining are often Croes to use Trianing or Crooss outside of their chosen sport for many reasons, including: weather and seasonal changes; facility and equipment availability; alternative conditioning; and for training while injured. Cross training is the use of various activities to achieve overall conditioning. Cross training uses activities outside the normal drills and exercises commonly associated with a sport. The exercises provide a break from the normal impact of training in a particular sport, thereby giving the muscles, tendons, bones, joints and ligaments a brief break. Triathlon nutrition guide the Technques Tools Trainibg Team. Imagine that the Cross Training Techniques who runs your firm's accounting Techniquea is off sick. The problem is, Teechniques no Cross Training Techniques else knows how to run the reports without making mistakes. And if they aren't run, the month-end recap will be thrown into chaos. Your organization has likely run into situations like this. Often teams are made up of people with specialized skills or knowledge, and one person's absence can negatively affect the productivity of the entire group.
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