I Tried 4 Different Ways to Shake up My Cross-Training—Here’s How It Went

Class: trampoLEAN Total Body Burn

What it is: A 60-minute combination of cardio, high intensity interval training (HIIT) and muscle sculpting conducted entirely on mini trampolines.

Benefits for Runners: Improved flexibility, coordination, reaction time, proprioception (body awareness), and core strength, says Louis Coraggio, founder and lead instructor at New York City’s trampoLEAN. The class is also an aggressive cardio workout. “You could burn between eight and 13 calories a minute, depending on how controlled your bounce is,” says Coraggio. The closer you can stay to the trampoline—engaging in small, controlled pulsating motions—the more calories you’ll torch.

My Experience: This barefoot, top 40 music-themed class felt a little like an 8-year-old’s birthday party meets SoulCycle. Each participant—there were about 25 of us—got his/her own mini trampoline and set of 1- to 5-pound dumbbells, plus three resistance bands, which dangled from the ceiling of the mirrored, lavender-lit studio. Class began with 10 minutes of freestyle jumping followed by an organized group warmup of bounces of varying speeds, some on two feet, some on one.

The main goal of warmup: feel comfortable (and stable) on the trampoline. From there, Coraggio took us through several high intensity intervals—essentially, short bursts where we’d sprint as fast as we could in place on the trampoline—interspersed with arm curls, resistance band work and pushups, which we did with our knees on the ground and hands gripping the side of the trampoline. The legs portion of class included plyometric jumps—an upward, hopping motion—and controlled squats. We rounded things out with weighted crunches, a few gentle stretches, and a downward dog. Overall, it was an intense, fast-paced 60 minutes. By the end, I was dripping in sweat and my legs were quivering from all that bouncing, a somewhat similar sensation to running hill repeats.

The Next Day: Random parts of my body—my inner thigh, my forceps, my lower abs—ached. Not an immobilizing ache, but an oh-I-forgot-I-had-a-muscle-there type of ache.

RELATED: How to Practice Hill Running When You Have No Hills

Class: Silks Yoga at Yoga Hive Studios (formerly Figure Yoga)

What it is: An hour-long yoga class combining traditional poses and modified, aerial poses supported by long, silk hammocks suspended from the ceiling.

Benefits for Runners: Decompression of the spine, deep stretching, increased flexibility and mental stamina. “I call it a crossword puzzle for the brain,” says Raven Clemente, owner of the Louisville, Colorado-based studio. “You’re working with proprioception...it’s an intuitive level of understanding your limbs.”

My Experience: This class was tough—mentally and physically. The thing about aerial yoga is that it can look very effortless and elegant, but as a first-timer, it’s part-terrifying, part-thrilling and wholly disorienting in the loveliest way possible. Our class was an intimate group of five, and after we each selected our silks (the appropriate length will hang slightly below your hips) and unfurled our yoga mats underneath them, we began with a few light stretches and breathing exercises on the ground.

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Things soon transitioned to the silks, starting with a simple overhang where we placed the cloth slightly below our hips and then hinged forward at the waist and balanced our entire bodies over the material until all of our limbs were off the ground. It took me a few (painful) tries to master this, and once I did, I realized the key to success in this activity is fearlessness. It’s nerve wracking to place your trust—and entire body weight—in a stretchy, scarf-like thing that’s dangling from the ceiling, but that trust is a necessary part of aerial yoga. That’s why the class was as much a mental workout as it was physical. Clemente led us through various flows of increasing difficulty on the silks, until we were flipping upside down, holding onto the fabric with only our feet and doing crunches (or at least attempting crunches, in my case). It was a serious burn, but we were rewarded at the end of class with five minutes of shavasana (a.k.a. corpse pose) within the cocoon of the hammocks. The rest was much needed—my arms and abs were barking from various flips and twists, and my brain enjoyed the reprieve too.

The Next Day: My hips felt slightly tender to the touch—likely from where the silks had rubbed against them—and my biceps and core muscles were unsurprisingly sore.

RELATED: 5 Long Stress-Relieving Yoga Moves

Class: Introduction to Climbing at Boulder Rock Club

What it is: A four-hour class that covers the basics of bouldering, rock climbing, and belaying (spotting another climber), including proper footwork, gripping techniques, and safety protocol.

Benefits for Runners: Upper body and core conditioning as well as increased range of motion and flexibility throughout the entire body, says Chris Wall, a runner, NSCA certified strength and conditioning specialist, and the training and coaching director at Boulder Rock Club. “Rock climbing is also a very cerebral problem solving sport,” he adds. “There’s an emotional control element. Once exercise becomes uncomfortable, you have to be focused enough to understand the difference between debilitating levels of fatigue and distracting levels of fatigue.” When you’re exhausted on a climb, you have to push through it and hold your technique together—just like you would on a long run.

My Experience: This thorough, entry-level course included several hours of on-the-ground instruction along with several hours of on-the-rocks practice. In a strange way, rock climbing reminded me a lot of aerial yoga, as the sport demands both fearlessness and mindfulness.The first lessons focused on proper gear and safety as we learned how to buckle our harnesses, tie/clip in our ropes and converse in rock climbing gym lingo. We also learned about five different types of rock shapes—jug, sloper, crimp, pinch, and pocket—and how to adjust your grip accordingly for each.

The more we learned, the more I realized just how much technique and strategy are involved in this sport. Really good climbers, our instructor explained, rely on thoughtful footwork—rather than arm strength—to scale a wall or rock face. The time came to put our lessons into practice. We started with a free climb (i.e. no rope) stint on the bouldering wall and then tackled several belayed climbs on the rock walls. Even though the climbs were less than five minutes each, I had to call it quits multiple times before I reached the top because of an exhausted, burning feeling in my arms that in climbing vernacular is called being “pumped.” The adrenaline rush of conquering a full climb, which I managed just two times, was insane! I left class with Jello-like arms and a climber’s high.

The Next Day: I experienced mild soreness in my lower abs and moderate soreness in my forceps and biceps—a sign that I’d been relying too heavily on my arms—and not enough on my feet—when climbing. Goals for next time!

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Class: Stand Up Paddle Board Beginner Lessons with Rocky Mountain Paddle Board

What it is: A two-hour introductory class for the sport of stand up paddle boarding, a cousin of surfing that involves balancing on top of a board and propelling yourself through the water with a paddle.

Benefits for Runners: Increased core, glute, and foot strength as well as improved balance and coordination. “When you’re out there on the board, you’re engaging your full body,” explains Melissa Lewis, an avid runner, fitness trainer, and operations manager for Rocky Mountain Paddle Board. “A lot of runners, we’re going in that forward motion and we don’t have a lot of lateral movements, so we oftentimes get overuse injuries from not training things like a our core and our glutes and our stabilization muscles.” Stand up paddle boarding works all of that, says Lewis.

My Experience: This fun, friendly beginner’s course at Boulder, Colorado’s, reservoir combined two of my favorite things: the great outdoors and a surprisingly tough workout. Things began with 30 minutes of on-land instruction where we learned correct body positioning on the board—knees slightly bent and feet shoulder width apart, planted squarely in the middle of the board—along with proper paddling technique. After mastering the basics, we waded into the water, at first kneeling on our boards and then, once we’d summoned enough balance (and courage), gingerly transitioning to a standing position.

That simple transition motion required a certain amount of core strength in order to stay afloat—several people in our 12-person crew, including yours truly, almost toppled over. From there, we made our way out into the middle of the reservoir for more instruction. We learned a handful of different paddling strokes, including forward and side strokes, and were then given ample time to practice. When done correctly, each slow, deliberate stroke activated my core, back, and shoulder muscles. My glutes and thighs were also continuously engaged throughout; otherwise, I’d have gone overboard. The most challenging part came when the wind suddenly picked up, creating small waves and a headwind that we had to paddle against. Many of us kneeled down on our boards to lessen the resistance. Back on shore, and off the board, I felt wobbly for spell—it took a few minutes to trade in my sea legs for land legs.

The Next Day: My back, shoulders and glutes were tight. I’ll probably try to stretch—or foam roll—after my next stand up stint to alleviate the aches.