A triathletes’ extraordinary fitness is a direct result of their diversified training regimen. But what if your “big race” is a tennis match and not a triathlon? Can your three sports be tennis, yoga, and weight training? I am suggesting that we borrow the term “triathlete” to describe one who trains in any three disciplines and, by this definition, that we all become triathletes.
The primary benefit of multi-sport training is injury prevention. Every time you exercise you put stress on your body which, in moderation, it adapts to by becoming stronger. However, repetitively stressing your body in the same way eventually creates muscle imbalances which often leads to over-use injuries. I’m sure you know runners with knee injuries or swimmers with shoulder problems. When people who train in only one sport become injured, they don’t have any other activities to fall back on, which can create an unfortunate (and depressing) domino effect of fitness loss and weight gain. When you train in three sports you are less likely to get injured but if you do, at least you have 2 alternative activities to keep you fit and trim while you recover.
Other perks of multi-sport training include greater overall fitness, reduced incidence of burnout and boredom, more options for staying fit while you travel, and social enrichment by meeting new people with similar interests.
Variety is the spice of life and the key to well rounded fitness and injury prevention. Which three sports define you? Swimming, cycling, Pilates? Dancing, running, surfing? Raquetball, hiking, weight training? Mix it up!
