The four types of exercise

 Science has identified four main types of exercise: strength, balance, endurance and flexibility. Endurance typically focuses on cardiovascular endurance while balance and flexibility brings to mind yoga and Pilates.

Balance

If you constantly joke about how clumsy you are or avoid team sports like the plague, it’s high time you explored a few boxing or martial arts classes. Geared for any fitness level from beginner to advanced, you’ll be able to find a starting place that will help you work on your weakness and start to build a stronger foundation. Boxing and martial arts focus on hand-eye coordination, footwork and balance through every range and plane of motion. Forcing yourself to move in other planes of motion allows you to build well-rounded balance and coordination, and the quick movements will train your mind to move more efficiently as well!

Endurance

Aerobic training is focused around building cardiovascular strength. Wildly popular for helping with weight loss and overall endurance, it’s a popular pick for taking that initial step to getting stronger. If you’re looking to combat end of day fatigue or PR at your next road race, this type of exercise is paramount in building a strong foundation of endurance. If you’re injured, swimming is a great low-impact alternative to traditional running, and can also help you build better mobility!

Flexibility

Is stretching your biggest fear? While it may not be the most exciting workout on the table, it is one of the most important parts of keeping your body free of injury, and will also help you perform better in your other favorite ways to sweat. You should always allow one workout per week to focus on mobility. Workouts like yoga allow you to focus on building the foundation of your other exercises and allow new muscle fibers to grow properly through new movement. After a few months, you’ll notice that your squats are lower, your form is improving in planks and so much more!

Continuing on the calm energy workouts, restorative yoga focuses on longer holds in poses and breathing. Our breath is a movement, much like our other workout moves, and should be treated as such when it comes to getting the most out of your workout energy wise. Try a class at your local studio, and see a huge difference in your day to day energy levels, as well as during your favorite more high impact workouts!

Strength

Anaerobic strength is important when it comes to building muscular strength and power. It’s less important when it comes to overall cardiovascular strength, so if you’re looking to improve your body fat percentage, it won’t be as effective as aerobic training methods. Opt for one to two anaerobic strength-focused classes per week to help you get stronger for hiking trips, adventure races and anything in between! Great options for classes that will help you are Tabata classes, circuit training, sprint-focused running classes and CrossFit.