Which Type of Exercise Is Best for Me?

Aerobics, Strength Training, Plyometric, BodyBuilding, CrossFit, Home Exercise Routines, Functional Training, Sports Conditioning, HIIT (high intensity interval training) and the list goes on and on. This list continues to grow whenever someone puts a new twist on something that is 1000’s of years old.

The best thing someone can remember is that it all boils down to constrained physical activity that done over time builds strength, endurance, physique, metabolism, a better shape, and a body that has cardiovascular and muscular capabilities to handle increased external forces both expected and unexpected.

Knowing the above can help make so we don’t waste time or money in our pursuit of fitness. If we can simply find out what our individual need is, finding the right exercise program is as easy as finding the right piece to a puzzle.

Types of exercise: there are 2 primary ones (aerobic and anaerobic), then there’s a combination of the two aerobic and anaerobic. And if you want a combination of the two, get off the cardio equipment after your blood is warmed up, (do strength building exercises) and simply workout at a rapid pace working your large muscle groups. This builds strength and cardio endurance.

1. Aerobic (cardio) exercise: is primarily done for endurance, burning body fat and some muscle tone. These exercises are usually ones that are easy enough to do that an individual can continue for a longer period triggering the burning of body fat as energy and in achieving greater cardiovascular endurance.

2. Anaerobic exercise (muscle building): is simply an increase in resistance and though we cannot last as long doing it as its aerobic exercise counterparts, these exercises lead to muscle strengthening, shaping, building, and conditioning.

3. Combining the two (cardio and strength training): this is the line that I’ve been trying to blur for a long time and is simply done by exercising more rapidly using free weights and machines or if doing bodyweight exercises, doing them more rapidly or explosively, this gives more resistance to the exercise causing greater muscular stimulation during an otherwise aerobic only routine. The longer you are able to go without rest, the more your exercise is aerobic in nature, however the heavier or more restricted movements that decrease the time in any given set will make it more anaerobic in nature.

Example: if you were to carry a set of 5 lb. dumbbells up and down a driveway 10 times, your routine would be more endurance building (aerobic), as you increase your dumbbell weight you may be able to only do it 5 rounds which would be a combination of strength and endurance training, and if you increase it enough so you are able to carry the weight up the drive only one time, it will turn it into a anaerobic strength building exercise.

Finding the best program: when we’re looking to incorporate an exercise routine into our life, we should look simply at our lifestyle specific needs. This can be applied to strengthening and conditioning of an athlete, wanting to become swimsuit ready, or simply a senior that is wanting to be able to better handle his or her activities of daily living (ADL’s). When we know what we want to strengthen in our life or what void we need to fill, selecting the right exercise program is no different than selecting the right supplement for a dietary deficiency.

Keep it simple and simply demand more from your exercise routine then you expect to confront in the real world, and you will discover (besides your physical appearance), that whatever your day requires of you, will no longer take such a toll on you. This applies to elite athletes and extends to a senior simply looking to increase or maintain mobility and independent in the activities of daily living!

We all know what happens if we don’t put the proper mix of ingredients together that a recipe calls for…it simply will not yield the desired outcome we were looking for.