The fitness world is a dynamic one with a number of approaches to improving the body’s performance in various ways. Fitness courses vary in what they aim to target in terms of endurance and stamina, strength and resistance, cardiovascular efficiency, and even muscle lengthening and joint flexibility.
Each of these areas represents ways in which the body can be improved on through consistent hard work and dedication, serving the body in entirely different ways.
So let’s take a closer look at these varying different types of fitness, what needs to be done to achieve and maintain them, as well as how they benefit the body in ways that make them stand apart from each other.
There are four different types of fitness that can be incorporated into your exercise routine: aerobic, anaerobic, flexibility and endurance fitness.
Fitness Types
Cardiovascular or Aerobic Fitness
Cardiovascular fitness targets the muscles’ ability to make the best use of oxygen so that they can produce energy for movement.
If affects the heart and the lungs, and therefore their ability to provide muscle tissue with enough oxygen-rich blood to perform vigorous activity.
Cardiovascular fitness is often considered to be the most important type of physical fitness due to the wealth of health benefits it offers. These are directly related to the condition of the lungs and heart and have been known to significantly increase both the length and quality of life.
A strong heart and a healthy set of lungs is a requirement for clear blood vessels that supply muscles with oxygen. It helps to maintain a favourable body composition, as well as improved stamina.
Anaerobic Fitness
Anaerobic fitness is that which is directly related to short, powerful bursts of energy such as that required for sprinting, powerlifting, and short, fast movements.
Exercises related to anaerobic fitness should be intense enough to cause the formation of lactate, eventually enhancing strength, speed, and power for non-endurance activities.
There are five different types of anaerobic activity:
- Weight-lifting,
- Sprinting,
- Plyometrics (movements associated with increased muscular power),
- Isometrics (activity done from a static position), and
- High-intensity interval training which requires repetitive short and powerful movements.
Joint Flexibility
Fitness related to joint flexibility increases a person’s range of movement in a series of joints. In addition to this, it accounts for the lengthening of muscles across joints to facilitate a bending motion.
Joint flexibility will vary from person to person, but can still be cultivated with the right workout routine to increase their range of movement.
This results in a number of benefits including fewer injuries when exercising, suppression of joint pain, enhanced posture, and improved balanced as well as better strength.
Muscular Strength and Endurance
Muscular strength is a type of fitness directly related to muscle density and endurance, allowing athletes to perform more repetitions while lifting heavier weights.
It increases a person’s ability to work against resistance by maximising the force that can be applied against a load.
Endurance and strength training have a number of positive impacts on the body, including increased bone density to reduce the risk of osteoporosis. It helps athletes to manage their weight and muscle mass effectively and can increase metabolism.
Maintaining a Balanced Workout Routine
Managing your own fitness is not about picking the type of fitness that works best for you (although you will find yourself better suited to some types than others), but is more about taking a holistic approach that balances each of these types in equal measure.
Personal trainers understand this, as do Crossfit gyms that take a mixed approach to building all types of fitness.
What’s more, each type of fitness brings with it a number of benefits that will enhance your performance in others. This makes it important to find a balance between them, as opposed to sticking to the type that you most excel at.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy to Learn More
As you can see from this, there is much more that goes into building and maintaining fitness than meets the eye, and getting the most out of your efforts (or those that you are helping) requires a specialised understanding of how various types of fitness affect the body.
If you would like to immerse yourself in the professional world of fitness, why not start by taking an internationally accredited personal training course through the Trifocus Fitness Academy. Contact one of our representatives or visit our website for additional information on our offers.
