5 forms of Exercise to choose in 2020
22:33
If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done.
Introduction
Before I begin, lets first understand why we need to exercise.
You see, nowadays in this fast-paced world, people get so much involved in their work that hardly they give time to themselves. If you're not giving time for self-care, then literally working all the time like a maniac will not result in any fruitful blossom.
If you're not physically active, you increase your health risk in different ways like heart disease, high/low blood pressure, breathlessness, lack of enthusiasm, joint pain, osteoporosis, bad posture, etc.
So needless to say, being healthy needs to be our first most priority. Hence, we need to be doing some kind of physical activity that best suits our daily routine.
Okay, now since you know the urge for doing exercise and why it is vital to get engaged in some kind of physical activity, so the question that might be arising in your mind is, "Hey, what kind of exercise I need to do?". Well, the answer is pretty simple and straight.
There are various kinds of exercises that one can do, but you need to choose a specific one that best suits the amount of time available with you and the place to exercise.
Assuming you're a novice, here is a list of 5 types of exercise that you can do.
Types of Exercise
1- Home workout
There is a huge myth that home workout is not effective and doesn't give results. Well, this is not true at all. Here are the reasons for choosing home workout as the best form of exercise for you:
-
If you've limited time i.e you don't have enough time to exercise.
-
If your budget is limited i.e if you don't want to invest in equipment and don't want to pay for a gym membership.
- If staying healthy is your only objective.
Now you might be wondering, "Hey, you said everything about home-workout but what exact exercises I need to do?".
Hey, I understand your problem so don't worry, "I got you here."
Since you're a beginner, you first need to work on your basics, flexibility and your mobility.
Talking about flexibility, you need to start doing a variety of stretches in order to prevent injury. Stretching exercises include leg swings, Hamstring stretches, Glutes stretches, Back stretches, Shoulder stretches, Neck stretches to name a few.
Mobility exercises that you can do are PVC passes, cat to camel stretch, lateral lunge and reach, hip circles to name a few.
Some basic exercises you can start with are Bodyweight Squats, Pushups, Walking lunges, Plank, Crunches, Jumping jacks and Jumping ropes.
I can assure you that if you exercise consistently and eat a healthy diet, then you could see results within a short period of time.
2- Calisthenics
Nowadays, Calisthenics is a rising trend in the fitness industry. It is a form of exercise consisting of a variety of movements that exercise large muscle groups, such as running, standing, grasping, pushing, etc. which are often performed with minimal equipment, as bodyweight exercises.
Some equipment you might need is a pullup bar and a dip bar to do calisthenics most effectively. Here are the reasons for choosing Calisthenics as the best form of exercise for you:
- If you've limited time i.e you don't have enough time to exercise.
- If your budget is limited i.e if you don't want to invest in equipment and don't want to pay for a gym membership.
- If staying healthy is your only objective.
Now you might be wondering, "Hey, you said everything about home-workout but what exact exercises I need to do?".
Hey, I understand your problem so don't worry, "I got you here."
Since you're a beginner, you first need to work on your basics, flexibility and your mobility.
Talking about flexibility, you need to start doing a variety of stretches in order to prevent injury. Stretching exercises include leg swings, Hamstring stretches, Glutes stretches, Back stretches, Shoulder stretches, Neck stretches to name a few.
Mobility exercises that you can do are PVC passes, cat to camel stretch, lateral lunge and reach, hip circles to name a few.
Some basic exercises you can start with are Bodyweight Squats, Pushups, Walking lunges, Plank, Crunches, Jumping jacks and Jumping ropes.
I can assure you that if you exercise consistently and eat a healthy diet, then you could see results within a short period of time.
2- Calisthenics
Nowadays, Calisthenics is a rising trend in the fitness industry. It is a form of exercise consisting of a variety of movements that exercise large muscle groups, such as running, standing, grasping, pushing, etc. which are often performed with minimal equipment, as bodyweight exercises.
Some equipment you might need is a pullup bar and a dip bar to do calisthenics most effectively. Here are the reasons for choosing Calisthenics as the best form of exercise for you:
- If you've limited time i.e you don't have enough time to exercise.
- Do it anywhere.
- Develops the whole body strength.
- It improves muscle coordination.
- Don't need a Personal Trainer.
- Don't need prior training background.
- Limited budget.
Some basic exercises for getting started with Calisthenics are Pullups, Pushups, Chinups, Squats, Crunches, Dip, Burpees, Jump ropes. After a couple of weeks of training, you can add exercises like Diamond pushups, Jumping Squats, Wide Pullups to name a few.
3- Cardio
As its name suggests, it is a type of exercise that increases your heart rate. Our heart is also a muscle, so doing cardio makes them stronger and stronger muscles make an efficient and healthy body. So you need to be doing cardio on a regular basis to keep your heart healthy.
Some benefits of Cardio are:
- It helps in weight loss as it burns calories at a fast-paced rate.
- Lowers Blood Pressure and Cholesterol.
- Reduces Stress and Depression.
- It helps in better Sleep.
Basic cardio exercises you can do to get started are walking, running, cycling, jumping ropes, swimming, etc.
American Heart Association recommends that doing at least 30 minutes of cardio activity for at least 5 days per week is a great way to improve overall cardiovascular health.
4- Strength Training
It involves the performance of physical exercises designed to improve strength and endurance. It is associated with using equipment like dumbbells, barbells, machines, etc.
At this point, you might be wondering, "Hey, I don't want big muscles, I just want to be fit and stay healthy. Why should I do Strength Training?".
Look, Strength Training is not just about getting big muscles and look huge. Your bones, joint will get stronger too.
Here are the reasons for choosing Strength Training as the best form of exercise for you:
- You have enough time to train, say, at least 1.5 to 2 hours.
- You have money to pay for a gym membership.
- If you want to build muscle mass.
- Strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk of fracture.
- It helps in weight loss.
So, if you want to increase muscle mass and build some quality muscle then you need to give more emphasis on Strength training.
Basic exercises to get started are Squats, Lunges, Deadlift, Decline Close-grip pushups, Lat Pulldown, Bench Press, Tricep pushdown, Dumbbell Curls, Overhead Barbell Press to name a few.
Talking about how often you should train, a good rule of thumb would be training each muscle group twice a week or you can do full-body workout 5 days per week.
5- Yoga
It is a group of physical, mental and spiritual practices that originated in ancient India. Yoga is completely evenhanded: it employs all the aspects of who you are to take you to your ultimate destination.
Many people misinterpret that Yoga is only about doing crazy poses, but that's far being the truth. The science of Yoga is, quite simply, the science of being in perfect alignment, in absolute harmony, in complete sync with existence.
Yogasana is the science of aligning your inner geometry with cosmic geometry.
Here are the reasons for choosing Yoga as the best form of exercise for you:
- You have limited time to exercise.
- You have a limited budget.
- Increases your concentration.
- Develops body awareness.
- It improves balance and stability.
As a beginner, you could start your Yoga practice by doing some asanas followed by deep breathing. Some basic asanas for beginners are Adho Mukah Svanasana, Tadasana, Virabhadrasana, Chakravakasana, Setu Bandha Sarvangasana, etc. followed by deep breathing exercises like Anulom Vilom, Pranayama, and Kapalabhati.
Conclusion
So we've discussed different types of exercise that you can do according to your choice. Like, if you have a minimal amount of time and no budget then you can do home-workout or Calisthenics which includes exercises like bodyweight squats, pushups, lunges, jumping jacks, etc. If you want to make it a bit challenging then you can add difficult exercises like pullups, jumping squats, decline pushups and Burpees.
But, if you have a fair amount of time and you can invest money in a gym membership then you could do strength training and get all its benefits but yeah make sure you are eating a healthy diet. You may also add cardio to your strength training program sometimes to burn more calories.
Last but not the least, if you want to improve your concentration power and develop body awareness as well as want to improve your balance and stability, then Yoga may be the best option for you to go with.
Whatever option you may wish to go with, go with it with all due respect and remember that you need to be consistent in your training to get the best results.
So, what exercise are you choosing and why? Do let me know in the comments.
Peace!
6 comments
I'm choosing cardio and home workout.
ReplyDeleteHey,when are you posting your next blog and on what?
Glad to hear that. Would post very soon.
DeleteThis is really helpful bro, keep posting about exercise and fitness stuff.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot.
DeleteI will prefer yoga along with cardio and some strength training..
ReplyDeleteIt's a good blog buddy..
I'm waiting for your next blog.
Keep working hard and u know what you are a motivation for young peeps.
Even it's a good blog to follow during quarantine phase and I will prefer to do this in my free time to enhance my strength.
Stay safe and tc brother!!
Hey abhijeet, its a great idea to combine Yoga with strength training and cardio. i could suggest to do yoga in the morning and in the evening you can do both cardio and strength training or vice-versa.
DeleteNext blog would come soon may be around this week.
You too take care brother and stay safe.