One question we often get asked in the gym is “which exercise should I do?”, and of course, the answer is always “it depends!”. Yes, it depends on what your goal is and, in this post, we’d share insights into different types of exercises/workouts, what their benefits are, and why or when you should choose any of them.
There are 4 core areas of physical fitness: endurance, strength, mobility and flexibility and your workout plan will depend on which of these areas you want to focus on and improve. This will also determine which exercises you’d need to include in your workout to achieve your goals.
Endurance training, exercises or workouts are ideal for anyone looking to build stamina and increase their ability to carry out physically demanding tasks for extended periods. Sports athletes are a great example. Endurance exercises include cardio (treadmill, cycling/spinning, rowing, walking, running, swimming etc.), and HIIT (high intensity interval training e.g., sprinting, faced paced circuit workouts etc.). These exercises also help with weight loss. Endurance training helps with improving cardiorespiratory health, reducing blood pressure, and reducing the risk of stroke and heart disease.
Strength training, also called weight training or resistance training, is suited for anyone looking to increase muscle mass and overall strength. Weightlifting and body weight plyometric exercises (push ups, pull ups etc.) are typical exercises in strength training and benefits can also include cardio training depending on the number of repetitions performed during your sessions. Strength training helps to increase muscle mass, strength and endurance, improve metabolism, strengthens joints, increase bone density, and build good posture.
Flexibility and mobility make up the last two categories. As we grow older, there’s the tendency to lose our ability to stretch and/or bend our bodies or to move our bodies as freely as we used to and this loss in ability results in limited range of motion and potential injury if we try to carry out physical tasks that require some form of stretching or bending. Flexibility workouts are good for everyone as it’s important that we retain some form of flexibility in our joints to maintain a wide range of motion and also to prevent injury. Yoga workouts help with both mobility and flexibility. Other mobility/flexibility workouts include stretching before and after a workout, Pilates etc. These workouts help to increase range of motion, release tension physically and mentally, improve mobility and reduce risk of injury from carrying out other exercises and movements.
Now, having said all that, it should be fairly easy for you to identify which type of workout meets your needs, but we’d also suggest that you mix things up; ensure your workouts include some form of endurance training, strength training, mobility and flexibility training across a 7-day period. Doing this will help ensure you have a well-rounded physical exercise experience, avoid any imbalance in your body and reduce your exposure to certain health risks.
Share your comments and thoughts on this post in the comment section below. And always remember to have fun while you work out!