Cross Training is an important component to any athlete's training, weather it be running, swimming, biking, surfing, or paddle boarding. Whatever sport I was involved with, from racquet ball to MMA, I always found different and interesting ways to cross train. Most people think of cross training as something boring and monotonous, but I have continually tried out new and exciting sports to help keep training fun and exciting. For example right now I am hosting my new reality show called The Champion, where I have 8 local fighters go through a series of training programs that I have developed and at the end one fighter will be left standing, given the chance to fight for a world title. The show really shows how much cross training matters and the different things you can do to achieve an ultimate fitness level. I have the competitors do everything from yoga to paddle boarding. It’s really interesting to see them try their hand at something new (like yoga) and how it translates in the ring.
A lot of people ask me what kind of cross training I like best. That is a really hard question because of the variety of things I do. I really love to surf and it gives you such a good workout, while you get to enjoy being in the ocean! I recently started doing underwater rock running, sounds intimidating, but it really isn’t. I even had my family try it out, and they love it, even my youngest daughter wants to get in there and carry her little rock! Running is the obvious, but sometimes people can get bored with it fairly quickly, so I try and work running in to my workouts in different ways. For example, I will run sand at the beach and I actually have the competitors do this on the show. It really is such a good workout and you can get the benefits of running without hurting your joints.
Swimming is also great. To keep it interesting, I like to grab a snorkel and mask and swim in the ocean. Swimming with a snorkel for long distances can become challenging because it restricts the amount of air you can breath in. Another great thing about snorkeling is that there is a lot of distractions in the ocean to keep you mind off of how tired you’re becoming!
You can tell that I really like to utilize the ocean and the beach for a lot of my cross training. When you live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, why not get out there and take advantage of it?! So my advice is to change it up, get out there and try something different! If you need some inspiration, just tune in to my new show “The Champion” on Fridays at 9pm on CW93 and the rebroadcast on Saturday at midnight on KHON2. Check out some of the workouts I have the competitors doing and get inspired to start your own cross-training regimen! See you on the beach!
