Why your training should include improvement in multiple areas of your Fitness

For improvement in your overall fitness and not just one area it is important to use a variety of different methods in your training in order to allow the continued progression of your body. If only one component of fitness is continuously used then the body will become too accustomed to that type of exercise and maximum results won’t be achieved. There is also an increased risk of future muscular imbalances and possible injury without the development all four main areas of your fitness.

 

AEROBIC:

Aerobic fitness is the ability to exercise continuously for extended periods using large muscle groups with your heart working at a low – moderate intensity without tiring.

The advantages of improving your aerobic fitness are as follows:

1. Improves your heart health
2. Helps boost your day to day energy levels
3. Improves the endurance of your large muscle groups, heart and joints
4. Easy to work on by cycling, swimming, running, power walking, rowing etc…
5. Aids weight loss along with other types of training

 

HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training

HIIT is a more intense version of aerobic exercise, which works your heart, muscles and lung capacity to their limits for short periods followed by longer periods of rest for recovery. This type of training is proven to be an effective tool in burning fat, helping to improve aerobic fitness, anaerobic fitness and allows you to complete very effective workouts in short periods of time. An example of a HIIT training sessions is below, give it a try:

Warm up – 5-minute jog: Followed by:

1. 100m Sprint/Run
2. Walk back slowly to start line
3. Repeat 5-10 times

 

WEIGHT TRAINING:

Weight training can be performed with weight machines or free weights, such as dumbbells and barbells. You can also improve muscular strength and endurance using your body weight and resistance bands. The most effective way of changing the shape of the body is weight training as it helps to strengthen and change the shape of the specific area’s you target with your training. The other benefits of weight training are as follows:

1. Improves body composition (Changes the shape of the body)
2. Weight training is one the most effective fat/weight loss tools there is
3. Improves muscle and joint strength
4. Reduces risk of Osteopenia and Osteoporosis
5. Maintains strength and mobility in the lower body especially in old age
6. Helps improve posture and fix muscle imbalances
7. Increases your metabolism (helps you burn more calories)

 

FLEXIBILITY

Flexibility is probably the most ignored area of fitness there is. Maintaining and improving your flexibility is hugely important for reducing the risk of injury especially when you exercise a lot. One of the best ways to improve flexibility is to do a yoga or pilates class once a week along with post exercises stretching and foam rolling. The benefits of improving your flexibility are as follows:

1. Reduces the risk of injury
2. Improves sports/training performance
3. Useful rehab tool when feeling tight or over trained
4. Improves recovery and blood flow to the muscles
5. Help you relax and unwind

So remember don’t ignore all the different area’s of your fitness. If you are serious about having a body that feels great and works well all the time then work a little bit on each of the following.