Exploring the 4 Types of Fitness

 

The benefits of exercise are never under-exaggerated. The world of medicine and nutrition constantly reiterates the importance of physical fitness. When discussing exercise, you should understand that you do not need to be a professional bodybuilder or engage in strenuous routines. Simple efforts can have monumental effects. To that end, there are four different types of fitness designed with specific purposes, providing different benefits. What are the 4 types of fitness? Aerobic activity, anaerobic activity, flexibility, and balance make up the four components of fitness. 

Aerobic Fitness

Aerobics is one of the most common fitness types. Also known as cardiovascular fitness, aerobic fitness involves exercises that specifically target the cardiovascular system – more precisely, they target heart health. Aerobic fitness can involve either low-impact or high-intensity exercises or some combination of the two.

Low-impact cardio involves exercising at a slower pace for a longer period. Exercises are designed to reduce the pressure that your joints experience during sessions. Examples include brisk walking, riding a bicycle, and swimming.

High-intensity cardio, in contrast, involves more vigorous exercise for a shorter period, causing more pressure on your body’s joints. Running, aerobic dancing, and jump squatting are common exercises in this group.

Both types of aerobic fitness have one major purpose: to increase your heart rate. The length of time your heart rate stays increased is important. Normal cardio should range between 20 to 30 minutes per session. Low-impact cardio requires a weekly total of about 150 minutes to be beneficial, while high-intensity exercises usually require a weekly total of about 75 minutes for maximum benefits. High-intensity exercises require less time because they require more intensity and energy, but these exercises burn more calories in a shorter time.

Anaerobic Fitness

Anaerobic exercise is designed to maintain or increase strength through weightlifting or resistance training. Strength training has several health benefits; in addition to making muscles stronger, anaerobic exercises also help build bone density and increase metabolism. To maintain strength, you can train with the same amount of weight, but if you’re looking to increase strength, you’ll need to increase your weight or reps over time.

Many aspects of anaerobic fitness can also work into high-intensity cardiovascular fitness. You can turn almost any exercise into strength training by adding weights or resistance bands. It is possible to create an all-inclusive routine that combines aerobic, anaerobic, and even flexibility exercises.

Similar to aerobic fitness, anaerobic exercises are often done for a specific time in specific amounts – known as reps or sets. You should be extremely cautious with anaerobic exercise. If you increase weight too soon, or complete too many reps in too short of a period, you can hurt yourself. Regarding heavy weightlifting, ensure that other people are around to assist, should you get injured.

Flexibility Fitness

Two women practicing yoga in a class

Flexibility deals with moving joints and stretching muscles and tissues to increase motion range. Pilates, Tai chi, and yoga are the most common examples of flexibility training.

If you’ve ever experienced strained muscles, increasing your flexibility can help because it reduces injuries (so don’t skip your cooldown at the end of your workout!). This type of health-related fitness not only aids in healthy circulation but can also aid in stress reduction and mood stabilization. Opinions differ about the benefits of meditation and whether it should be included in flexibility training, but regardless, individuals must focus while slowly and methodically stretching out specific areas. This focus, combined with aspects of meditation – such as relaxation breathing – is known to provide many of the benefits of meditation alone.

Balance Fitness

You may not realize it, but balance is equally vital. It affects your entire body and its overall safety. Poor balance can lead to unnecessary falls, sprains, tissue tears, and damaged bones. An aging body is more susceptible to balance issues and can often require balance retraining.

Yoga and Tai chi are common techniques that help promote good balance. The various movements and stretching help you learn how to utilize all the muscles in your body that are responsible for balance. Many exercises within a yoga or Tai chi session are designed to focus on boosting balance while also promoting flexibility. Adding arm and leg weights can help you use your session productively and aid in increasing flexibility and strength at low-impact levels.

Final Thoughts

Learning the components of fitness definitions can help you create a customized exercise routine based on your specific health needs. Above all, we strongly advise you to consult your doctor before starting any new exercise routine. You can easily overdo a workout and cause injury to yourself. In some cases, it may be helpful to work with a fitness expert to create the best routine that poses the least risk yet provides the most benefits. Ideally, an equal balance of all the fitness types will be the best option.

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