It’s not an overnight transformation but it will be worth the work and the wait. Viewing health in the long run with a variety of activities that work together is one of the best ways to go about your fitness journey.
Strength Training
Full-Body Strength Training is one of the best ways to create a strong, well-functioning body. The difference between using machines or free weights to do this is an on-going argument among many gym regular, but for the most part both accomplish the same thing: creating strength. A few other benefits of strength training are increased bone density, improved mobility, and an elevated body image. The focus here should be major areas of the body including pushing, pulling, squatting, hinging, and lunging movements.
High Intenity Interval Training
High-intensity interval training is one of the hottest trends in fitness right now. This a great way to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time. This type of training is front and center in our Studio Fitness classes with a mix of cardio & resistance training in Studio RED and with varying intervals in Studio Cycle. This type of training can be challenging while wearing a mask (depends on your local guidelines) so remember to listen to your body and take breaks when needed.
Low-Intensity Activity
As hard as you push yourself, there should also be periods of low-intensity activity that help you recover more effectively. Most of our clubs offer mind-body classes like yoga on the group fitness schedule and there are open turfed areas that you can use to foam roll and stretch on your own. Whichever you choose will have the same impact on your body; allowing it to repair the worked muscle tissue and increase blood flow to areas that will help decrease soreness and aches.
While high-intensity training can increase your ability to work out harder, low-intensity steady-state training can improve how well you recover during those tougher workouts. Walking, jogging, biking or elliptical’ ing is easier on the muscles and focuses on improving your cardiorespiratory system. This can be a more comfortable option when wearing a mask compared to jogging or running indoors.
Recovery
The weekend is one of the best times to work out with your friends or family doing things that you just don’t have time for during the week. After all the hard work that you’ve put in your other workouts throughout the previous week, hopping into one of the massage chairs at the club is a great way to enhance the recovery process. The better you recover from the really hard workouts means the harder you can work out the next time because your body will have repaired the muscle tissue. This is also a very good time to make up a day that you may have missed in the gym due to life. We all know that life can get in the way of our health and fitness goals. Knowing that some workouts are better than no workouts should put you a little more at ease since working out is good for releasing the feel-good hormones, endorphins.
Ready, Set, Try it out
Exploring the different areas of the gym may seem like a daunting task at first. Getting to know the different pieces of equipment, Group Fitness Class options, and all the different nooks and crannies of your gym will pay off in the long-term. By utilizing different aspects of the gym, you could unlock a new level of health and fitness for yourself. A holistic approach of cardio, strength training, flexibility/mobility, and recovery helps to hit all the systems of the human body but also plays a key role in self-image and feelings of progress. Your life shouldn’t revolve around the gym, but the gym should play a part in enhancing what you do outside of it.
Written by: Gini Grimsley, Director of Fitness Product
