October 18, 2017
I am absolute lover of weightlifting and a known disliker of cardio. Regardless of my distaste for the treadmill, I understand the benefits of doing cardio so I still implement it into my training regime. Furthermore, I take the time to stretch in order to increase my flexibility, which in return, decreases the likelihood of injury. In my opinion, the best training regime is the one that is well-rounded and includes all 3 training styles: muscle training, cardiorespiratory endurance and flexibility. All 3 styles offer different advantages and do different things for the body.
3 Ways to Improve Your Fitness
Cardiorespiratory Endurance
Also known as “cardio” or in my mind “cardinoooo”. Cardio endurance is what determines how long you can continue a task. It can be something as simple as walking or as hard as running a marathon. Although it does require muscle strength, it also requires the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
Our endurance can be increased by performing what is known as aerobic exercises. Such exercises can include jogging, swimming and cycling. These exercises should be performed at an intensity where you can talk but would be unable to sing.
As we most know, aerobic exercises strengthens the heart and increases the amount of blood pumped with each beat of the heart. This results in a decrease of the resting heart rate, which is a great thing.
Muscle Strengthening
Pick the weight up, put it down, repeat 1287198237x End of story! Okay, okay, it’s a little more complex than that but that’s basically the gist. Muscle strengthening is beneficial for everyday life, such as lifting boxes, shovelling snow, moving furniture and so much more. It also helps to shape the body, burn fat and keep bones strong!
How do we increase our muscle strength? By repeatedly using those muscles in an activity that moves against a resisting force.
What activities increase muscle strength? Weight lifting! By stressing or overloading the muscles by lifting weights, the muscles adapt by increasing in size and strength. Muscle growth means you are able to lift more the next time.
Many people use weight lifting to shape their body but they are also gaining (gains!) other benefits!
Flexibility
The last, and just as important, style is flexibility! Unless someone is involved in an activity that directly relates to flexibility (i.e. gymnastics), this area is often overlooked. Flexibility determines range of motion – how low can you squat, how far can you bend over, how far upwards can you reach? Those are all impacted by how flexible you are.
Why is being flexible important? It reduces the risk of injury, pulled muscles and tendons. It also allows for daily tasks to come at ease.
How is flexibility achieved? Mainly through stretching. There are many stretches that can be performed for each muscle and area of the body and with as little as 10 minutes daily, becoming more flexible is right around the corner.
