You may be committed to working on your body in pursuit of a fit and healthy lifestyle. And you are successfully managing taking out time to meet your fitness goals. But the results are devoid of a well-rounded optimum fitness that everyone craves for. With your food options closely monitored and fitness goals being met, what can be lacking in your fitness regime?
While your workout plan makes you feel the burn, it is possible for you to delve into an exercise routine that does not target your wellbeing. In order to properly address your fitness, it is important to understand the different types of workouts and how you can incorporate the elements of each exercise based on your body needs.
Different Types Of Exercises
You can achieve flawless looks by pumping iron 3 days at the gym. However, in order to target a healthy body and a peaceful mind, you need to focus on different types of exercises, maximizing on your strengths and minimizing risk of injuries. Here are the four basic types of exercises that you should be aware of before chalking out a workout plan.
Aerobic Exercise
Also referred to as endurance workouts, aerobic exercises are responsible for increasing your heart rate, subsequently making you breathe harder. They are ideal for strengthening the heart, controlling blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Recent research has shown that people who engage in aerobic exercises stay safe from 13 types of cancer and live longer and healthier lives.
The possible danger associated with aerobic exercise is performing intense moves during the start of the workout routine. Like in all other health matters, moderation is the key. You should set your own pace depending upon your body’s stamina and its needs.
Different types of aerobic exercises include:
- Walking briskly
- Running
- Swimming
- Cycling
- Dancing
- Playing Tennis
- Yard work – digging, gardening, mowing
Strength Training
Commonly known as non-endurance or resistance training, strength exercises focus on providing your muscles with the strength and flexibility they need to carry out different functions. This type of exercise is very important for older people so that they can perform their tasks independently. Sometimes a resistance band is also incorporated within the workout to amplify its effects. Resistance training encourages growth of lean muscle mass, which is extremely beneficial for losing weight. Following are the examples of strength training exercises.
- Lifting weights
- Exercising with weight machines at the gym
- Performing resistance exercises using body’s weight – push-ups, squats, crunches, pull-ups
- Performing non-endurance moves using resistance bands
Balance Exercise
These types of exercises aid in improving posture and body balance. Performing balance exercises help you control your body position. They are very suitable for old people who struggle with poor posture, for people who have lost or gained weight, for athletes to control their position during play and for pregnant ladies. These exercises reduce the risk of falls and lower body injuries. Types of balance exercises include:
- Standing on one foot
- Shifting weight from one arm to another
- Performing Pilates or Yoga
- Walking heel to foot
Flexibility Exercise
Flexibility or stretching exercises are very good for improving the range of motion of your muscles. They make your body flexible and minimize injuries during sports. There are two types of flexibility exercises:
- Static stretching &
- Dynamic stretching
While performing static stretching moves the focus is primarily on flexing a muscle without moving the whole body. Dynamic stretching, on the other hand, is a composite of muscle stretching and body movements. Types of flexibility exercises include:
- Arm swings
- Arm circles
- Ankle stretch
Customizing An Ideal Workout Plan
Usually people equate exercise to lots of sweat, flushed cheeks and an escalated heart rate. Though these elements help you in attaining fitness, they constitute one type of exercise that you are performing while missing out on other three. Therefore, in order to get most out of your exercise, it is best for you to incorporate all four elements of workout to achieve a truly healthy body.