The 7 Main Types of Exercise and the Most Essential Equipment You Need for Each

When it comes to exercising, there are essentially 4 main types of exercise that have a wide range of exercises that you can do in those categories: endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility training. No matter which one you choose, you are developing a foundation for an improved quality of life and better long-term health. Let’s take a close look at the types of exercises and essential equipment you need to benefit from each class.

Endurance Training

When it comes to building up stamina, some sports and activities are better suited for the job than others. For example, soccer would obviously more of an endurance sport than badminton. Soccer requires traversing large distances and skillfully dancing around with a soccer ball to outrun other opponents. A badminton game doesn’t involve so much competition. The players simply hit the shuttlecock over the net if it is relatively near them and require very little stamina to enjoy the game.

Endurance training is dedicated to building up your stamina by raising your heart rate and increasing your panting. They force your circulatory and respiratory systems to work more efficiently. You can go jogging, dancing, or involve yourself in a number of sports such as marathon running to build up endurance. Most people are able to get some time in at gyms when they enter aerobic classes or spend some time on the ellipticals, treadmills, bikes, and rowing machines.

Strength Training

If you want to build muscle, you have to tear it down to stimulate new growth. When you lift weights, you are putting micro-tears in your muscle, which signal various muscle growth hormones using amino chains. The more that you push yourself, the more you will develop an edge and power to lift heavy objects. You don’t need weight sets to begin weight lifting. You can simply use your own body weight to do a variety of calisthenics like pull-ups, dips, push-ups, and even planking to a certain degree.

You can also use resistance bands and different gym equipment that is focused on particular muscles or muscle groups. Having a personal trainer to assist you in the ideal form and the choice numbers of reps can be a huge help. Knowing how often to lift and what kind of diet to eat when you want to grow more muscle is essential. For most weightlifters, they are not able to do without huge portions of the protein that pumps up and repair their muscle micro-tears quicker.

Balance Training

If you really want to perfect you’re fine motor skills and feel like you are one with your body, you need to work on balancing. Ancient activities like Tai Chi, Heel-to-Toe walking, and even trying to balance yourself on one foot can all improve your coordination and balance. In fact, even weightlifting is a type of balancing exercise because if you bench press free weights, you are developing the balancing muscles. If you just rely on machines that require no balancing, then you will develop a limited set of muscles and still feel uncoordinated and weak.

Dancing is another activity that incorporates a lot of balancing. This is especially true in ballet and other more formal dance training. Some other sports that require balance are skiing, motocross, skateboarding, cycling, and ice skating. Developing your balancing muscles with these types of activities will make you look and feel a lot stronger and on-point at all times. Don’t let yourself feel like a klutz who knocks things over, trips, and has difficulty with numerous activities because they lack coordination and fine motor skill development.

Flexibility Training

When it comes to flexibility, most people think of things like Yoga and Karate. Both of these activities can really push you to your limits of stretching. Flexibility is important because it gives you the fluidity to using your muscle strength effectively. People who focus on bulking up often do this at the expense of flexibility because they lock up their muscles and do not spend enough time getting limber and lithe.

People who like to dance and excel at sports incorporate a lot of flexibility training into their routines. Gymnastics is also one of the best courses if you want to become flexible. It is amazing to see how flexible the human body is when you see the human contortionists who are able to hold themselves up and lie in a suitcase. You will never be short on constructive talents in any sport when you are flexible.

Calisthenic and Aerobic Equipment

If you really want to get healthy, you should probably invest in a yoga mat because you can do a number of different things with it. You can do yoga, sit-ups, crunches, Pilates, push-ups, and a variety of aerobic exercises. Sometimes, you need an exercise ball if you really want to follow along with these aerobic courses on videos or at gym classes. You can check out the exercise balls available at this spot if they don’t have any at the gym you are attending, or you plan on doing more video training.

Strength Training Equipment

A weight set is a must if you want to get into any sort of strength training. At a bare minimum, you should invest in barbells of a few different weights that challenge you without overwhelming you. You should also invest in a bench for doing bench press routines and another bench for doing sit-ups and other types of free weights training exercises. Always be sure to invest in professional equipment. It is not worth it to compromise on exercise equipment because no money in the world is worth a possible injury that haunts you for life. Some benches may not provide enough room for you to sprawl out and master your correct form if they lock you into place and restrict movement.

Cardio Equipment

Most people will buy an elliptical or a stationary bike for their homes. These are both good choices because they make it easy for you to fit extra time into yourself scheduled for a session even if you are extremely busy. But, there are a number of excellent choices for improving your cardio without big investments that need to be considered first.

Conclusion

There are a diverse number of exercise routines that can be combined together for a total mind and body experience. Don’t let yourself be a slouch who just passes through life without ambition. Now is the time to seize the day and conquer those obstacles in life that are keeping you out of attaining your dreams.