Getting the most out of your Gym Workout at Performance Fitness Gym Eastbourne
Whether you’re a novice taking the first steps toward fitness or an exercise fanatic hoping to optimise your results, a well-rounded fitness training program is essential. Include these five elements in your gym workouts to create a balanced routine.
Aerobic fitness – also known as cardio or endurance activity, is the cornerstone of most fitness training programs. Aerobic exercise causes you to breathe faster and more deeply, which maximises the amount of oxygen in your blood. The better your aerobic fitness, the more efficiently your heart, lungs and blood vessels transport oxygen throughout your body — and the easier it is to complete routine daily physical tasks and rise to unexpected tasks, such as running in the pouring rain to say, your car!
Aerobic exercise includes any physical activity that uses large muscle groups and increases your heart rate. Ask our personal trainer to give you some guidance on equipment to use. Aim for at least two hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity or one hour and 15 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity — preferably spread throughout the week.
Strength training – Muscular fitness is another key component of a fitness training program. Strength training at least twice a week can help you increase bone strength and muscular fitness. It can also help you maintain muscle mass during a weight-loss program.
We offer various resistance machines, free weights and other tools for strength training. Your own body weight counts, too. Try push-ups, abdominal crunches and leg squats.
Core exercises – Core strength is a key part of a well-rounded fitness training program. The muscles in your abdomen, lower back and pelvis are known as your core muscles — they help protect your back and connect upper and lower body movements. Core exercises help train your muscles to brace the spine and enable you to use your upper and lower body muscles more effectively. So what counts as a core exercise? Any exercise that uses the trunk of your body without support, including abdominal crunches. You can also try various core exercises with a fitness ball.
Balance training – Older adults in particular should include in their routine exercises to maintain or improve balance. This is important because balance tends to deteriorate with age, which can lead to falls and fractures.
Flexibility and stretching – Flexibility is an important part of physical fitness. Some types of physical activity, such as dancing, require more flexibility than others. Stretching exercises are effective in increasing flexibility, and thereby can allow people to more easily do activities that require greater flexibility. Stretching also improves the range of motion of your joints and promotes better posture. Regular stretching can even help relieve stress. For this reason, stretching and flexibility activities are a key part of a physical activity program. Ideally, you’ll stretch whenever you exercise.
Cover all the bases – Aerobic fitness, strength training and core exercises, balance training, and stretching and flexibility should be part of your overall exercise plan. It isn’t necessary to fit each of these elements into every fitness session, but factoring them into your regular routine can help you promote fitness for life.
For advice and guidance – have a one to one session with one of our personal trainers who will be happy to advise you on the best way for you to achieve your fitness goals.
