February is an interesting month.
It’s far enough into the year that the New Year motivation has either settled into a rhythm or started to fade. Winter is still very much here in New Mexico, but spring activities are quietly on the horizon. Ski season is strong, gym routines are more consistent, and many people are training indoors while dreaming about warmer days.
This is also the time of year when overuse injuries tend to show up.
Why? Because a lot of people are doing the same movements, the same workouts, and stressing the same tissues over and over again.
That’s where cross training comes in.
Cross training isn’t just for elite athletes. It’s one of the most powerful tools for staying strong, preventing injury, and improving performance across sports, performing arts, and even everyday life.
At Artistry in Motion, we see firsthand how the right kind of cross training can change everything.
Cross training simply means adding different types of movement or exercise to support your primary activity.
It’s not about doing random workouts.
It’s not about training harder.
And it’s definitely not about abandoning the sport or activity you love.
Good cross training:
Balances strength and mobility
Reduces repetitive stress
Improves overall movement quality
Supports longevity in your activity
Think of it as filling in the gaps your main activity leaves behind.
Every sport, art form, and hobby creates strengths, but it also creates blind spots. Cross training addresses those blind spots before they turn into pain or injury.
February is often a lower-pressure month. Fewer races. Fewer competitions. Less outdoor volume for some sports. More time indoors.
That makes it the perfect season to:
Build strength
Improve mobility
Address weaknesses
Experiment with new movement styles
Instead of pushing harder, this is the time to train smarter.
Most sports involve repetitive movement patterns. That repetition builds skill, but it also loads the same joints and tissues again and again.
Here’s how cross training supports some common sports we see at Artistry in Motion.
Running is great for endurance, but it doesn’t build much strength through the hips, core, or upper body.
Helpful cross training includes:
Strength training for hips, glutes, and calves
Single-leg stability work
Cycling, rowing, or swimming for low-impact cardio
Mobility work for ankles and hips
This combination reduces injury risk and often improves running efficiency.
Winter sports demand strength, balance, and control, especially through the legs and core.
Helpful cross training includes:
Strength training with squats, lunges, and deadlifts
Core stability and rotational control
Balance and proprioception work
Upper body strength for pole plants and falls
This helps protect knees, backs, and hips during long days on the mountain.
Strength athletes are strong, but they often lack mobility and recovery time.
Helpful cross training includes:
Active recovery like swimming or biking
Targeted mobility work for shoulders, hips, and ankles
Unilateral strength work to address side-to-side imbalances
This keeps joints healthy while strength continues to improve.
Cycling is efficient, but it locks the body into one position for long periods.
Helpful cross training includes:
Posterior chain strength training
Thoracic spine mobility
Core stability
Walking, hiking, or light jogging for bone health
This reduces back, hip, and neck pain while improving power output.
Performing artists are athletes. Period.
Dancers, figure skaters, aerialists, and performers place incredible demands on their bodies, often without the benefit of traditional strength training.
This is where cross training becomes essential.
Ballet builds strength, control, and artistry, but often underloads certain muscle groups.
Helpful cross training includes:
Strength training for hips and glutes
Core stability without rigidity
Upper body strength
Joint-friendly cardio like swimming or biking
This supports longevity without changing the dancer’s aesthetic.
Figure skating demands power, balance, endurance, and precision.
Our own PT, Dr. Arlianne, is a competitive figure skater and lives this firsthand. She cross trains with ballet to improve line, control, and artistry. She previously did CrossFit and continues to weightlift and strength train in the gym. She also does her own physical therapy to stay ahead of injuries.
That combination helps her:
Generate more power
Control landings
Improve balance
Protect joints during high-volume training
It’s a perfect example of how smart cross training supports performance rather than detracting from it.
These athletes require shoulder strength, grip endurance, and full-body control.
Helpful cross training includes:
Progressive strength training
Shoulder stability work
Core endurance
Mobility work to maintain range of motion
This helps prevent overuse injuries and supports safer skill progression.
Injury prevention isn’t about avoiding movement. It’s about preparing your body for the movement you love.
Cross training helps by:
Distributing load across different tissues
Improving joint capacity
Correcting strength imbalances
Giving overworked areas a break
Instead of stressing the same structures every day, you spread the work more evenly. Over time, this builds resilience.
Most overuse injuries don’t happen because someone is weak. They happen because one area is doing too much while another area isn’t doing enough.
Cross training fixes that.
This is where physical therapy becomes the secret weapon.
At Artistry in Motion, we don’t just tell people to cross train. We help them figure out how to do it in a way that actually supports their goals.
Through movement assessment, we look at how your body moves, where it compensates, and what’s limiting you.
That tells us exactly what type of cross training will help you most.
Your cross training shouldn’t feel random or overwhelming.
We help you:
Choose the right types of training
Decide how often to do them
Balance intensity and recovery
This makes cross training sustainable instead of stressful.
If pain is already present, we calm it first. Then we rebuild strength and capacity so cross training feels good, not frustrating.
This allows you to keep training while addressing the root cause.
Cross training isn’t a phase. It’s a long-term strategy.
Our goal is to help you build a body that supports your activity now and for years to come.
If you’re curious about cross training but not sure where to start, here are a few simple guidelines.
Start by asking:
What movements do I repeat the most?
What areas feel tight, weak, or overworked?
What do I avoid because it feels hard?
Your best cross training often lives in those answers.
Next:
Add strength if your activity is endurance-based
Add mobility if your activity is strength-based
Add low-impact cardio if your activity is high-impact
Finally, listen to your body. Cross training should make you feel better, not beaten down.
If you’re unsure, that’s where a physical therapist can help you cut through the noise and create a clear plan.
At Artistry in Motion, we offer 60-minute, one-on-one physical therapy sessions with the same provider throughout your entire plan of care.
We don’t separate rehab from performance. We blend them.
Using our 3-C Recovery Process:
Calm your pain
Correct the underlying root cause
Conquer your goals for the long term
We help active adults, athletes, and performers move better, train smarter, and stay in the activities they love.
Cross training isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what your body actually needs.
February is the perfect time to explore it. To strengthen weaknesses. To build resilience. To invest in movement that supports the rest of your year.
Whether you’re an athlete, a performer, or someone who simply loves to move, cross training paired with physical therapy can be the difference between staying stuck and moving forward with confidence.
If you’re ready to learn what type of cross training best supports your body, we’re here to help.