Fitness training is a structured program that improves strength, endurance and flexibility. It can be individualized to your goals, needs and fitness level by working with a health care or fitness professional.
You don’t need a gym membership or expensive equipment to get the benefits of fitness training. Start with a few short sessions each week and build up to 30 to 60 minutes per day of activity.
Aerobic Activity
Aerobic activity requires movement of the body’s large muscles, and it causes your lungs to take in more oxygen. This type of exercise also increases your heart rate and breathing and can be done for a longer period than anaerobic activities. This category of exercise helps improve your cardiovascular endurance and may prevent some chronic diseases, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Some common aerobic activities include walking, swimming, jogging, and biking. The key to an effective aerobic exercise program is consistency. A person should aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity, five days a week.
When you’re starting an aerobic activity, it is important to start slowly and increase your pace gradually. This will allow your body to adapt to the new activity and reduce your chances of injury. It’s also a good idea to incorporate a warm-up and cool-down session. The warm-up should last for about five to 10 minutes and should include a gradual increase in speed and intensity, followed by a few minutes of static stretching.
To determine if you’re exercising at an appropriate level of intensity, try the “talk test.” Talking should be easy, and you shouldn’t feel out of breath while talking. If you are having trouble breathing or you are feeling tightness in your chest, you should decrease the intensity of your aerobic activity.
Strength Training
Strength training is a form of physical activity that uses resistance to build muscle strength. It helps to improve muscle tone, flexibility and bone health. NHS guidelines recommend adults should undertake strength exercises 2 to 3 times per week. This should be done alongside the recommended 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise each week.
Ideally, it is best to avoid training the same muscles on consecutive days as this allows muscle tissue to recover between workouts. It is also advisable to train each muscle group differently, e.g. arms on Monday and legs on Tuesday, to reduce the risk of injury.
The goal of a strength training program is to gradually increase the load placed on the muscle. This is achieved by adjusting the weight, reps, and sets within each session. To maximize strength gains, the order of the exercises is important, with multi-joint exercises preceding single-joint ones and ensuring that all the muscle groups are trained to fatigue.
Body weight exercises (such as squats, lunges, and planks) are a great place to start when starting a new strength program. Supervised classes with trained instructors are another good option as they can help you develop the correct technique. It is important to talk to a doctor or physiotherapist before beginning any exercise program. This will ensure you have the right level of fitness to achieve your goals safely and effectively.
Balance Training
Balance training exercises improve your ability to control and stabilize the body. This can help reduce your risk of falls, increase overall stability and coordination, and reduce injury. Balance training can be done at home or in a group class setting, such as yoga or Pure Barre.
While balance training can help anyone, it’s especially beneficial for athletes and older adults. This type of exercise can be very challenging and may require the use of equipment, like a balance board or BOSU trainer. It also may be easier to incorporate into your workouts if you’re working with an experienced physical therapist or other fitness professional.
It’s important to start your balance training program slowly and work up to more advanced movements over time. This helps prevent injury and allows your body to adapt to the new movement. If you feel dizzy or unsteady during your balance exercises, stop the workout immediately.
Balance training can be aerobic or non-aerobic, depending on how intense the movement is. However, it isn’t usually a sport and typically doesn’t involve jumping or fast movements that can lead to an increase in heart rate.
Flexibility Training
Flexibility training is an augmentation of all forms of exercise by increasing the range of motion in your muscles. This allows more blood to flow to your muscles for the next round of exercises, and it makes you less prone to injuries like pulls or strains.
This type of training can take the form of static stretching, in which you stretch a muscle without moving, or dynamic stretching, in which you move while you stretch. Whether you’re doing static or dynamic stretching, it should always be done after an adequate warm-up to avoid injury. Stretching should never be painful. You should only stretch to the point of slight discomfort, and not into pain, as this can cause damage to muscles and joints.
In general, people with more flexibility find it easier to exercise and perform daily tasks, including walking, climbing stairs and reaching items on high shelves. Flexibility training can help you improve your posture and reduce aches and pains, as well as making it easier to keep up with your fitness routine.
Researchers have studied the relationship between flexibility and health outcomes but have found mixed results. One possible reason is that the link may be indirect; low flexibility in one part of the body might not lead to poor health outcomes in another part. In addition, the tests used to measure flexibility — such as the sit-and-reach test — only look at a small number of muscles and joints in the body.