The Benefits of Cross-Training for Athletes

Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation

One of the most significant benefits of cross-training is its role in reducing the risk of injury. By varying the stress placed on muscles, tendons, and ligaments, athletes can avoid overuse injuries.

Additionally, when an injury does occur, cross-training allows athletes to maintain or even improve fitness while allowing the injured body part to rest and recover.

Enhanced Overall Fitness

Cross-training builds a well-rounded level of fitness due to its versatility. For example, many tennis players improve their performance with cross-training in the form of yoga and running. By incorporating elements of strength, flexibility, and endurance training, athletes can improve their balance, agility, and coordination, which are crucial for performance in any sport.

Mental Freshness

Training for the same sport can become monotonous, leading to burnout. Cross-training introduces novelty into the workout routine, which can help athletes stay mentally engaged and excited about training.

Performance Improvement

When done strategically, cross-training can complement an athlete’s primary sport. For instance, a runner can see improvements in their time due to increased leg strength from cycling.

Additionally, they can promote a reduced risk of injury from engaging in swimming, which is a low-impact sport.

Cross-Training: How To Get Started

Once you commit to starting a cross-training regimen, you can decide on the activities you want to incorporate into your routine. These activities should differ significantly from your main sport to ensure that you’re getting a full spectrum of benefits.

First and foremost, start slow. If you’re primarily a runner, don’t start by adding five days of cycling to your weekly routine. Gradually introduce new activities and increase intensity over time to allow your body to adapt. This is the best way to continue your improvement while minimizing your risk of injury.

You also want to listen to your body. If you’re feeling overly fatigued or noticing any persistent aches or pains, it may be a sign that you need to adjust your training.

Tips for Maximizing Your Cross-Training Experience

The last thing that we want to cover in this guide to what to know about cross-training for athletes is how to best improve your chances of success. Here are a few key tips to keep in mind:

• Know what you want to achieve from your cross-training and tailor your activities to meet these goals.
• Include both high-intensity workouts and lower-intensity recovery sessions to see the best results.
• It’s OK to have lower performance in certain activities; the point is to challenge your body in different ways, not to be an expert.

Cross-training offers a host of benefits that can enhance an athlete’s performance and overall well-being. Whether you’re looking to avoid injury, improve your fitness, or gain a mental edge, this method is worth exploring. So step out of your fitness comfort zone and into a world of diverse training benefits today.

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Quick Stats

Name: Jaco Moolman
Age: 27
Height: 1,80 m
Competition weight: 92 Kg
Current weight: 95 Kg
Current city: Cape Town, South Africa
Occupation: Chartered Accountant, Fitness Model, Personal Trainer and Nutritionist

How did you get started?

I played competitive rugby, golf, and cricket and ran athletics in high school and started weight training for sports conditioning. Once I noticed the changes in my body I was hooked.

What do you love about it and how do you stay motivated?

Weight training for me is an escape from reality. A little bit of me time, where I can let go of all the daily stresses we have in our lives. I always feel like a million dollars when I walk out of the gym knowing I gave it my all. I like to challenge myself and my next competition is what drives me to go to places few dare to explore.

What made you decide to enter your first competition?

I believed I had what it took to win and I wanted to showcase to an audience what I have been working on for the past 8 years. I am a competitive person by nature and when competing I am in my element.

You recently turned pro at the WBFF South Africa event, what does turning pro mean for you now?

To be selected as Pro was a huge honour given that it was probably the toughest amateur line up in the history of Wbff. Being a Pro comes with responsibility and the real work starts now!  Wbff has created an amazing platform for us as athletes to develop a career in the fitness industry and I am glad that I have been given this opportunity.

Do you plan to do anything extra ordinary or special for your prep now for Worlds in Las Vegas?

I believe I have developed a winning formulae for my body and don’t plan to change anything drastic.

In a Pro line up all the guys will have insane physiques so it’s your posing and presentation that will set you apart and that’s my main focus for improvement for the Vegas show.

What are your future plans?

I will continue to compete in WBFF Worlds until I get crowed World Champion. I absolutely love the muscle model division as it’s a mixture of modelling poses with artistic bodybuilding poses and the stage is just electrifying. I would like to combine my passion for fitness and the industry knowledge I have with my professional occupation as a Chartered Accountant. The opportunities are endless, who knows what the future holds.

Do you believe you can gain muscle while still staying lean?

If you eat quality food and train hard you will be able to build muscle while staying lean. I have been doing that for the past few years and the results speak for themselves.

Who doesn’t want to walk around with a six pack the whole year?

Take us through an average day of yours:

• I wake up 4:45 get dressed and head straight to gym where ill be doing an hour cardio and 30 minutes of abs on a empty stomach.
• I then head to work which starts at 7:30.
• I have 4 meals at work. In-between work I do nutritional programs and mentor junior athletes and try to make lunch hours as sociable as possible by going for coffee with friends.
• I head home at 16:00.
• I’ll Back in gym at 17:00 for 2 hours of weight training.
• When I get back home I’ll have my last meal for the day and prep food for the next day.
• By then I am very much exhausted and try to dose out with a good movie or some epic trance music.

Give us a brief description of your philosophy on your diet, pre contest and during the off season:

I know my body very well and listen to the signals it gives me.

I never starve myself and follow a diet enriched with low GI carbohydrates. I keep my fat intake low and have moderate protein.

I believe champions are made in the off season so my food intake is just slightly more compared to when I prep and I’ll have cheat meals as I wish.

My competition prep diet is as follows:

• Meal 1-4: 150g chicken, 300g basmati rice.
• Meal 5: 300g rump steak, 150g oats, 40g peanut butter.

I use spice and low cal sauces to make my food tasty.

Do you weigh all your food and track the numbers when it comes to calories of everything you eat? Do you think it is necessary?

I weigh my food pre comp, and off season I’ll guess. It’s a form of control and helps you make adjustments should you like to lose more body fat or gain muscle fullness. It is recommended but not necessary.

What do you normally eat after training? What are the ideal foods to take in after training in your opinion?

When I’m prepping I will wait at least an hour before I eat to keep the fat burning process going. A Good Mixture of carbohydrates and protein is ideal. I’ll have some fast acting amino acids straight after straining to speed up recovery.

What supplements do you use if any?

• BCAAs

Helps with muscle recovery.

• Pre Workout

Energy and mental focus, especially for the days you need that extra boost.

• Nitrogen Oxide Boosters

Increase blood flow and enhances muscle pumps.

• Multivitamin

For overall health.

• Vitamin C

Fights fatigue and colds.

3 best nutrition tips to gain muscle?

1. Eat. Eat Eat. If you’re not eating enough quality food, it won’t simply happen.
2. A calorie is not a calorie.
3. Stick to the basics, be patient, and before you know it, its like magic happens.

3 best nutrition tips to lose fat?

1. Calorie control. If you are consuming too much then that fat is not coming off.
2. Watch what you drink. Try to stick to water, black coffee and tea’s.
3. Experiment with carbohydrate cycling, keto, high carbohydrate and see what works for you.

Give us a brief description of your philosophy on your training and on average how long do you workout for?

I am as hardcore as it gets. Workouts last about 2 hours and I follow stock standard old school bodybuilding methods. Good form and good reps, with good intensity.

Basics work!

What do you think are the biggest mistakes guys make when starting out with the gym and their diet?

• Eating too much protein and too little carbohydrates.
• Carbohydrates are what’s going to give you that full muscle bellies. There’s a saying, more carbs, more cardio. Cardio will also help to shape your legs to have an athletic look to them.
• The biggest mistake I see guys make is not devoting the same time and energy to each body part they train. If you want to have an aesthetically pleasing and balanced physique you have to prioritize your weak points.

What are your top chest training tips?

• Incline all your movements. Upper chest is the hardest part to develop.
• Focus on contracting the chest in the movement, to reduce deltoid involvement.

What are your three favourite exercises and why?

1. Incline dumbbell press

2. squats

3. t-bar rows

I just feel like a beast when I do them lol.

How important is practising your posing leading up to a show? How often do you do it?

There is no point in having a great body if you can’t present the aesthetics. I’ll play around in the gym mirrors between sets throughout the year. But I will add in 2-5 good sessions leading up to a show. Once you know how the poses must look and you feel it, it becomes second nature. Fitness Posing is luckily fairly relaxed and even though we might pose for an hour on stage it’s great fun.

Favorite Influential bodybuilders/fitness models:

Phil Heath, Ulisses Williams, and Larissa Reis.

Favorite Quote:

“The only thing that stands between a person and what they want in life are the will to try and the faith to believe it’s possible.”

Advice for someone wanting to start competing?

Do your homework, seek advice and just have fun.

What competitions have you competed in and your placings?

• WBFF Muscle model | 2^nd | Pro Card
• IFBB Western Province | Mens Physique | 1^st
• Muscle Mania | Overall Champion

Behind the scenes of Jaco’s fitness photoshoot:

Watch this video on YouTube.

Where can people get hold of you?

• Facbook: Jaco Moolman WBFF Pro
• Twitter: @JacoWbffPro
• Instagram: JacoWbffPro

Photography Credit:

• Photos by Adriaan Fourie

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Quick Stats 

Name: Juan Bothma
Age: 35
Height: 1.79 m
Competition weight: 88 Kg
Current weight: 98 Kg
Current city: Pretoria, South Africa
Occupation: Self Business Owner

What got you started?

I was always very active as a child and loved competition, coming from a extremely sporting family. I see myself as an overall sportsman who excelled in athletics, cricket, kick boxing and rugby but found my ultimate love when I started training in the gym.

What do you love about it and what keeps you motivated?

Well firstly I appreciate the fact that God blessed me with the determination, self discipline, hunger and the drive to push myself to the limit. Gym is my base and everything I do branches off from it being my business, a father, a husband and athlete (basically in every facet of my life).

My Motivation would definitely have to be my wife, family and friends because without their belief and support I wouldn’t be able to do this.

How do you manage to keep a balance between family, work, friends and training/dieting?

Its really not that difficult because the people I surround myself with know how important this is to me and they respect my choices but I always make sure that when I’m away from gym or work that all my meals are prepped (which I do myself) so that I can spend enough time with my loved ones.

What are your future plans and what’s your next competition?

I have another 5 shows left this year and I have been working with Ifbb Pro Marius Dohne (my Coach) closely to bring the best package to stage. My plan is to become a pro, make this my living and help/motivate others to achieve their own goals.

Take us through an average day of yours:

• 4h15 am | Wake up, off to gym (opens 5am) (pre, intra and post shake).
• After gym I would go home and have my post workout meal/breakfast, then spend some time with my 2 and a half year old daughter before I take her to day care (on the way I will sing all the songs dads have to with their daughter like One Direction and Miley Cyrus whahahahaaha).
• Then I go back home and get ready for work and prep all my meals (5meals).
• Work from 9 – 5:30 pm.
• Then I’ll go back home and spend time with my wife and daughter. I’m very strict on family time and spending quality time together.

Give us a brief description of your philosophy on your diet, pre contest and during the off season.

When it comes to diet I have 2 philosophies:

1. You can’t out train a bad diet
2. If looking good was easy then everyone would look good

So I do what needs to be done to look my best at all times and always try and be a source of motivation for other people that have the same passion as I do for the sport.

Sample diet:

What are your top nutrition tips?

• Eat enough carbs, fats (omega’s).
• Make sure that you eat at least 6-8 meals a day.

What do you normally eat after training?

As my training is in the early morning, I would have oats as my carbs and egg whites, but directly after training I would drink a post shake Amino10 (Muscle Dynamix).

Would you recommend supplements to someone starting out in the gym?

Foods are the most valuable source of nutrition so I try not to drink a lot of shakes, but I do believe that a good pre shake, Intra and definitely a Post shake is very important. I’m sponsored by Muscle Dynamix and love their range of products.

Supplementing when you are a beginner or Pro is very important especially when trying to burn fat while building muscle.

Give us a brief description of your philosophy on your training and on average how long do you workout for?

My Philosophy is based on something Phil Heath (3 x Mr Olympia) said:

“If u want something u never had before, you got to be willing to do something you’ve never done before.”

I never just go into gym and just do what I feel like doing. I have a plan and vision and I execute every rep/set and minute inside, to the best of my ability as if it were my last ever workout. #FSU (F**k S**t Up).

Im normally inside the gym between 60 – 90 minutes.

How important is practicing your posing leading up to a show?

Posing is a very very important key to your conditioning as it help with total body contraction and helps a lot when on stage so that you can pose longer and not cramp up.

Can it be beneficial to guys not competing?

It can definitely benefit those individuals who don’t compete. Posing acts as a mind/muscle connection so you teach yourself where to contract. So then when you are training, you can make that specific muscle work even better and focus the contraction even more when doing isolation workouts.

What do you think are the biggest mistakes guys make when starting out with the gym and their diet?

• Guys tend to try to go to heavy and end up using different muscle groups altogether and even worse they get injured.
• Regarding diet, its a 24/7, 365 days a year routine. You can’t train and then go eat burgers and drink booze and expect to build muscle.
• Dieting is about making the right nutritional choice for your goals.

What are some of the weirdest things you have seen people do in the gym?

lol Basically just seeing guys trying to move ridiculous amounts of weight and barely even doing a movement but roaring like lions. We call that the Ronnie Coleman syndrome.

What are your three favourite exercises and why?

1. squats

2. legpress

3. front squats

You basically get to see what type of mental strength you have when you have 180 – 200 kg on your shoulders and your ass is touching the floor.

Favorite Influential bodybuilders/fitness models:

Milos Sarcev, Charles Glass (old school guys), Shawn Rhoden and Kai Greene.

Favorite Quote:

Fight back. Fight a little harder. Defeat disappointment.

Annihilate weakness and punish the competition, its all about perfecting the YOU and not being just better but being your BEST!!!!!!

Advice for someone wanting to change their life and achieve their ideal physique?

Its never to late to start. Its not easy but it will be worth it.

What competitions have you competed in and your placings?

2014

• IFBB Nationals | Light heavy weight | 1st | Overall Senior Mens
• Nabba | Mens class 2 | 1st place | (I had the privilege of competing against Werlou van Tonder) | I also won the Senior Mens Overall Title.

2013

• Nabba Pretoria Classic | Mens class 2 | 2nd

2011

• Ifbb Northern Gauteng Provincials | Middle weight division | 3rd | (Not a Good prep at all, I was flat, cramping and sweating on stage but u learn from your mistakes).

 2009

• IFBB Novice Northern Gauteng Provincials | Light heavy-weight | 1st
• IFBB SA’s Novice | Light-Heavyweight | 1st

 2008

• Mr Physique SA’s | 2nd | I decided that I wanted to give BodyBuilding a go in 2009

2007

• Exergise USN | Male model division | 2nd (out of 48 athletes)
• Mr Physique SA’s | 5th | My first show.

Where can people get in touch with you?

• Facebook: Juan.Anja Cruse Bothma
• Twitter: @JuanBigDaddy

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