How long will this take to read? 3 minutes

In the last post, I talked about taking control of your own fitness plan. In this post, I’m are going to go over some of the different types of exercises and training techniques you can include in your workouts.

Planning

When it comes to planning an effective exercise routine, it’s important to choose the right exercises for your fitness level, your symptoms and your schedule in order to achieve the best results possible. Knowing a few basic fundamentals will help give you a good idea of what may and may not be considered a good addition to your own fitness routine.

General guidelines to get you started:

Cardio

Cardio exercise helps strengthen the heart muscles and the lungs as well as improve overall endurance. It can also help your body burn calories more efficiently which in turn helps with losing weight. However, not all cardio training programs are created equal and won’t work for everyone. A good cardio routine should be set according to fitness level, which can vary greatly from person to person.

However, the general rule says it should consist of at least 15 to 30 minutes of physical activity per session, 3 to 5 days a week and it should become a regular part of your overall fitness routine. To achieve the best results possible, you should get your heart to reach 70 to 90 percent of your target heart rate.

This site has a good target heart rate calculator you can use.

Flexibility

Flexibility and stretching exercises are meant to improve overall health and are considered by most fitness experts to be one of the most beneficial and over looked forms of exercise. In fact, many people don’t even bother incorporating them into their daily activities. Nevertheless, having them as part of your regular routine can help promote better movement and muscle relaxation as well as improve flexibility, especially after a cardio or strength work out.

When it comes to stretching the different muscle groups, it should always be practiced while they are warm in order to be effective and prevent injury. For instance, they can be done after performing warm-up exercises like simple yoga poses or after your workout, to cool down and help improve recovery time.

Stretching the muscles is especially effective on tight muscle areas like the hamstrings and the lower back. To achieve the best possible results, they should be repeated at least two to three times a week although daily is the best practice. Keep in mind that stretching exercises should be done within your full range of motion. The right stretch will feel comfortable, not painful.

You can find literally thousands of stretching routines on YouTube and Instagram.

Strength

Strength training usually involves working with weights in order to strengthen the muscles, bones and the connective tissues surrounding them. It’s an important addition to your routine because not only does it build muscle, it helps increase body metabolism and reduce body fat.

Usually strength training involves at least 8 to 10 different exercises, each focusing on the different major muscle groups of the body. Building up the muscle strength in your lower back, shoulders, chest, and the arms can be achieved with a routine that includes 3 sets, with 8 to 16 repetitions each, two to three days a week. However, it shouldn’t be done consecutively. It’s a good idea to alternate muscle groups on different days or allow rest periods in between your strength training sessions to help enhance muscle recovery and avoid injury.

You don’t need to rush out and buy weights though, there are also strength exercises you can do using your own body weight. Again, you’ll find loads of free ones on YouTube and Instagram.