Four types of exercise for a well-rounded personal fitness program …

When I was training people in a gym, it was common to see young guys come in and only do strength training. More specifically, training just for the upper body. Their objective wasn’t fitness or health, it was big biceps, muscular “pecs,” and “six-pack abs” that interested them.

No leg strength.

No cardio endurance.

No flexibility.

These guys wanted the appearance of fitness for “looks,” but their fitness was not well-rounded. Many of these guys were woefully lacking in endurance and other areas.

It wasn’t just these guys.

There were several “soccer mom” types whose only aim was to lose weight. They weren’t interested in building strength or anything else.

Others were coming to regain their health, some gym members were there to maintain certain physical requirements for physically demanding jobs, and there were “gym rats” interested in working out every muscle possible without any interest in aerobic exercise … there were a lot of personal reasons why people were in the gym.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t often that you found people initially motivated in practicing a well-rounded personal fitness program that would generate for them an overall excellent level of fitness.

But being “partially fit” isn’t being fit!

For example, being lean doesn’t automatically equal being healthy. Being strong doesn’t equate to having good cardio endurance. Or developing lean muscle doesn’t mean you’ll have good balance or flexibility. For overall fitness, you need to have a well-rounded personal fitness program that incorporates multiple types of exercise — and the older you get, the more important it is to have a more comprehensive approach to fitness.

What does a well-rounded fitness program look like?

A thorough fitness regimen includes four different types of exercise — strength conditioning, aerobic (cardiovascular or endurance) exercise, and exercises to build and maintain balance and flexibility.

The American Heart Association states, “Maintaining an active lifestyle is important in order to keep your body fit and healthy. Integrating a variety of exercises that focus on balance, strength, endurance and flexibility into your workout routine helps break up the monotony and creates a more well-rounded fitness program that your heart and body will appreciate.”

Let’s look briefly at these four types of exercise:

STRENGTH CONDITIONING
There is a broad misconception among gym-goers, especially among women, that “strength conditioning” meant “body building.”

It doesn’t!

It does mean building lean muscle to enhance and sustain strength, which provides multiple benefits to a person’s overall fitness, including:

• • Increased muscle mass makes it easier for the body to more efficiently burn calories, and thus, to maintain a healthy weight. Yes, folks, building lean muscle is a very effective tool in your efforts to lose weight!
  • Strength conditioning increases the strength of your bones, muscles, and connective tissues.
  • Strength conditioning helps protect you from preventable injuries, thus reducing risk.
  • Increased energy – increased strength generally translates into more usable energy.
  • Prevents muscle loss. One fitness expert notes, “We lose about six pounds of lean tissue (muscle) every decade starting in our 20s. The loss is even greater for men over 50 or menopausal women; it accelerates to about ten pounds of lean tissue lost per decade. Ouch. Lean tissue has an impact on almost every system of the body. From your metabolic rate, to glucose metabolism, to gastrointestinal time, to your heart, lungs, and to your moods, retaining muscle is vital for your health and wellness.”

These are only a few of the many benefits of making sure you have a strength conditioning component in your personal exercise routine.

AEROBIC (CARDIOVASCULAR) EXERCISE
Aerobic exercise (such as walking, jogging, running, swimming, biking, dancing, playing sports, etc.) is key to building and maintaining your cardio endurance. The Mayo Clinic reports ten key benefits of aerobic exercise:

• • • • Keep excess pounds at bay. Combined with a healthy diet, aerobic exercise helps you lose weight and keep it off.
      • Increase your stamina. You may feel tired when you first start regular aerobic exercise. But over the long term, you’ll enjoy increased stamina and reduced fatigue.
      • Ward off viral illnesses. Aerobic exercise activates your immune system in a good way. This may leave you less susceptible to minor viral illnesses, such as colds and flu.
      • Reduce your health risks. Aerobic exercise reduces the risk of many conditions, including obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, stroke and certain types of cancer. Weight-bearing aerobic exercises, such as walking, help decrease the risk of osteoporosis.
  • Manage chronic conditions. Aerobic exercise may help lower blood pressure and control blood sugar. If you have coronary artery disease, aerobic exercise may help you manage your condition.
  • Strengthen your heart. A stronger heart doesn’t need to beat as fast. A stronger heart also pumps blood more efficiently, which improves blood flow to all parts of your body.
  • Keep your arteries clear. Aerobic exercise boosts your high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good” cholesterol, and lowers your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol. This may result in less buildup of plaque in your arteries.
  • Boost your mood. Aerobic exercise may ease the gloominess of depression, reduce the tension associated with anxiety, and promote relaxation.
  • Stay active and independent as you age. Aerobic exercise keeps your muscles strong, which can help you maintain mobility as you get older.
  • Aerobic exercise also keeps your mind sharp. Studies have found that regular physical activity may help protect memory, reasoning, judgment, and thinking skills (cognitive function) in older adults, and may improve cognitive function in young adults. Some studies suggest that it can even help prevent the onset of dementia.
  • Live longer. Studies show that people who participate in regular aerobic exercise live longer than those who don’t exercise regularly.

BALANCE
“Though it might not cross your mind, you need good balance to do just about everything, including walking, getting out of a chair, and leaning over to tie your shoes. Strong muscles and being able to keep yourself steady make all the difference in those and many other things you do every day,” claims health writer, Stephanie Watson.

“Balance training involves doing exercises that strengthen the muscles that help keep you upright, including your legs and core. These kinds of exercises can improve stability and help prevent falls,” Watson writes. “Doing balance exercises can be intense, like some very challenging yoga poses. Others are as simple as standing on one leg for a few seconds. Or you can use equipment that forces your body to stabilize itself, like a Bosu half-circle stability ball or a balance board you use along with a video game.”

Chris Freytag chimes in regarding the benefits of including balance-building exercises in your personal fitness program:

“Balance training is all the rage these days, and for good reason: Balance is control. Think of a toddler learning to walk and the process he goes through trying to gain the balance to be able to move freely. Once he learns to balance his body, he has control over his movements. The importance of balance doesn’t really change as we get older. Better body balance makes it easier to move and helps prevent injury. But it’s a “use it or lose it” kind of thing, which means it’s important to practice balance at all ages.”

Freytag continues, “Kinesthetic awareness, or the ability to know where your body parts are in three-dimensional space, is required for every movement we make. So it’s not surprising that balance can be learned, challenged, and improved. The agility and strength that comes with learning good balance helps us move smoothly and confidently every day, whether we are doing sports, playing with the kids, chasing down a taxi, or simply walking up the stairs. And, as I mentioned above, a good sense of balance and a strong awareness of where your body is in relation to the things around you can help you react quickly and prevent injuries and accidents.”

FLEXIBILITY
Like balance, we rarely think about the need and value of flexibility, yet it impacts our physical function significantly. Harvard Health concisely summarizes the benefits of incorporating flexibility exercises into your own fitness routine:

“Activities that lengthen and stretch muscles can help you prevent injuries, back pain, and balance problems. A well-stretched muscle more easily achieves its full range of motion. This improves athletic performance — imagine an easier, less restricted golf swing or tennis serve — and functional abilities, such as reaching, bending, or stooping during daily tasks. Stretching can also be a great way to get you moving in the morning or a way to relax after a long day. Activities such as yoga combine stretching and relaxation and also improve balance, a wonderful combination.”

A key note – I used to see people stretch prior to working out or beginning various physical activity, but researchers have determined that’s not safe to do! Stretching “cold” muscles can actually result in pulls or tears. It is recommended that a person warm-up prior to stretching.

CONCLUSION
It’s possible to have narrow fitness objectives where you have exercise routines that target certain fitness goals, but for overall fitness it’s important to have a well-rounded program that includes strength conditioning, aerobic exercise, and exercises for building and maintaining your balance and flexibility. A competent, skilled Personal Trainer can help you design a personal fitness program that addresses your specific fitness objectives, as well as helps you make sure you incorporate all four exercise types for your overall fitness.

Scotty