Fitness training is a well-rounded exercise program that includes aerobic activity, muscle strength and conditioning and flexibility exercises. It helps reduce chronic pain and improves functional ability in daily activities.
Consider adding high-intensity interval training to your workout routine. It involves short bursts of intense activity followed by recovery periods of 1 to 2 minutes.
Cardiovascular Exercise
Cardiovascular exercise is any activity that gets the heart and breathing rate up for an extended period of time. It can be as easy as walking or doing household chores or as intense as running, cycling or swimming. It is one of the four components of fitness training. Along with strength, flexibility and balance exercises, it helps maintain a healthy weight and improves mood.
Studies show that regular physical activity, such as cardiovascular exercise, helps reduce the risk of heart disease. It strengthens the heart muscle, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels and increases insulin sensitivity. It also decreases atherosclerosis by increasing the availability of vasodilatory mediators such as nitric oxide.
If you are not used to vigorous exercise, start slowly and gradually build up your workouts. Listen to your body and if you feel any chest pain or shortness of breath, stop exercising and seek medical attention. This can be a sign of a heart attack.
Strength Training
The strength training component of fitness can help reduce heart disease risk factors, such as cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as improve bone density and muscle mass. It can also help manage weight, particularly in people who are overweight or obese, by increasing muscle mass to decrease body fat levels and increase metabolic rate.
The goal is to strengthen all major muscle groups in your body by performing resistance exercises against which muscles need to exert force. You can use external equipment, such as free weights or weight machines, or your own bodyweight. A good starter programme involves working muscles to fatigue, usually for 8 to 12 repetitions of each exercise, two or three times per week.
Adding more reps or sets to your workouts will make you stronger, but it is important to increase the load slowly so that your muscle tissue can adapt without injury. Also, it is best to not train the same muscle group on consecutive days (e.g. arms on Monday, legs on Tuesday).
Flexibility
A person’s flexibility – or ability to move a joint through its complete range of motion without pain – is one of the most underrated fitness components. Although heredity, age and joint structure can affect a client’s level of flexibility, regular stretching can improve it. Flexibility training can also help reduce muscle tightness, promote better posture and decrease the risk of back pain and injury.
To reap the benefits of flexibility training, it is important to start slowly and to gradually increase the intensity of your stretches over time. It is also important to focus on stretching all major muscle groups, especially the calves, thighs, hips, lower back and abdominal muscles. Avoid rapid stretching, as this can cause injury. Instead, slowly ease into your stretches and remember to breathe normally. Your trainer can assist you in developing a program that best suits your needs. Ideally, you should stretch both before and after your workouts. This will help warm up your muscles and prevent injuries by increasing the circulation of blood to your muscles. These workouts are best done with a Vaughan personal trainer.
Functional Training
You’ve probably seen the term “functional training” thrown around in gym ads and fitness magazines. While some workouts can be gimmicky and overly trendy, functional training is actually a great way to build strength and improve your health.
Functional workouts mimic everyday movements to help your body move the way it’s designed to. These workouts tend to use more muscle groups at one time and include multiple joints in the movement. They can also burn more calories than traditional strength training, as the body uses more muscles to consume more oxygen and perform the movement.
These types of exercises, like the farmer’s walk and lunges, are often performed with free weights or without equipment, making them accessible to beginners and more advanced gym bunnies alike. When done alongside mobility workouts, these exercises can help your body become more flexible, agile and stable over the long haul. This can reduce your risk of injury and make daily tasks (like bending over to tie your shoes) easier.