Cross Training

Elliptical machines. Elliptical machines offer similar calorie-burning benefits to jogging, but without the risk of injury to your back, knees, hips, or ankles. They mimic the normal elliptical motion of the foot, extension of the leg and rotation of the hip while walking or running, working the calves and quads.

Extreme sports. Take your pick from relatively safe activities like skateboarding or BMXing or more hazardous options such as kite surfing or skydiving. Extreme sports are a superb stress-buster and can add an adrenalin-fuelled kick to a multi-faceted fitness regime.

Football. Studies show that the game’s combination of slower jogging with frequent sprints offers superior cardiovascular benefits, building both slow- and fast-twitch muscle fibers (used for distance running and explosive speed, respectively) and calorie expenditure, therefore fat-burning. Great for honing calves, quads (front of thigh), hamstrings (rear) and glutes (buttocks).

Fartlek. A highly effective training technique that means  ‘speed play’ in Swedish. An unstructured form of interval training in which you alternate short sprints with periods of jogging and walking, ideally over hilly ground. Works both the aerobic and anaerobic (when your muscles are using oxygen faster than you can replace it) systems and is far more effective than ‘steady state’ jogging. Good for reducing all-over body fat because of the intense calorie burn.

Fencing. Fencing is like a dance, in which you observe and respond to your opponent’s advances and retreats, with occasional lunges at their torso. This back-and-forth motion works the quads (front of thigh) and calves, helping you develop speed, balance, and agility. The one downside is uneven body development – fencers often have one thigh and arm bigger than the other, which must be balanced out with other training.