The Different Modes of Exercises

Exercise is a good way to develop a healthy heart, mind, and body. Healthy hearts are developed when a person perform the recommended daily aerobic exercise routine. They help keep the heart's blood flow unclogged and keep its surrounding muscles and tissues healthy. Most recent research have shown that people who does daily exercise helps keep the mind more alert, and regular exercisers have a more positive outlook. Healthy body is inevitable for daily exercisers since they develop more strength and flexibility, plus a healthy heart and a healthy mind. An exercise is also a good way to prevent and control chronic health problems caused by unhealthy diet and stress. The different modes of exercises mentioned below can be done singly or in combination with other modes.

Aerobic Exercises or Cardio Workouts are movement exercises. Performing this kind of exercise benefits your heart and lungs. These exercises strengthen the heart and improve the capacity of the lungs. It also helps control weight and increases flexibility. Another important factor you get from this is that it helps you become more alert and energetic and increase your mobility. The most common practices of these exercises are walking, jogging, dancing, basketball, biking, kickboxing, step-ups or step aerobics, and swimming. Aerobic exercises are generally safe and exercise enthusiasts can perform them everyday. But beginners should perform them at a low intensity. Moderate and high intensity aerobics are for intermediate and advanced exercisers.

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Anaerobic Exercises or Resistance Training or Strength Training are muscle development exercises. Performing this kind of exercise helps you build muscles in specific areas. The benefits you get from this exercise; it improves muscle strength, muscle size and improves endurance. It may also help increase your bone density. The best examples of these exercises are dumbbell exercises, weight lifting, and exercising using gym equipments. Anaerobic exercises should only be done every other day to give your muscles and joints time for rest and relaxation. Practicing this exercise everyday may hurt you more than build healthy muscles. When muscles are tense, you would tend to experience more cramps and overused joints can cause sprains and injuries. The negativity of this exercise is that it may decrease your flexibility.

Stretching is practiced whenever you feel some tension in your muscles. Stretching improves your body's overall flexibility. It may also reduce muscle cramps and tension. Stretching may also aid in preventing injuries. Stretching is a beneficial part of any exercise program or any sports activities. Fitness instructors and fitness experts would recommend exercisers to practice stretching before and after an exercise routine. Warm-ups are done before an exercise routine to warm your body and to prepare your muscles and joints for your regular exercise routine. Cool-downs are done after your regular exercise routine to cool your body's temperature down. Stretching is usually incorporated during these practices. A good stretching incorporated with a breathing routine can be as effective as any other method of relaxation. A systematic stretching and breathing routine such as yoga is beneficial to the mind and body. It reduces anxiety and muscle tension and increases your body's range of motion. Stretching to the point that it hurts can cause injuries so beware of overstretching.

Calisthenics or Body Conditioning Workouts are workouts without using equipments. It is a variety of movements using your own body for resistance. These are simple gymnastic exercises designed to develop muscular tone. The origin of the word calisthenics comes from Greek in which the meaning is a combination of beauty and strength. The benefits you get from this exercise are improved body strength, posture, and flexibility. Sit-ups, push-ups, squats, and lunges are the most well-known practices for this type of exercise. Pilates and some yoga postures are fast becoming a trend for this mode of exercise. The practice of calisthenics can be used as a warm-up before any exercise program or it can be practiced as a regular exercise routine.

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Plyometrics are power improvement workouts designed specifically for athletes and advanced exercisers, or for exercisers who have a well-conditioned body. Training with this mode of exercise increase muscular strength and improve a specific skill whether it is to jump higher, jump longer, throw farther or hit harder. Systematic plyometric exercises follow a specific pattern of muscle contractions. These exercises use movements that develop the ability to generate a large amount of force quickly. The most common exercises from ordinary exercisers for this type are jumping rope, jumping jacks, throwing and catching ball on wall, and boxing with a punching bag. Take note, though, that the exercises mentioned are not systematic plyometric exercises. They only become systematic plyometrics when exercisers use muscle contractions specifically when and how to do it. These are usually practiced under supervision by fitness experts or by athletes' coaches. There are techniques and rules to follow when training with plyometrics especially if you are training for a specific sport. Be aware, though, that these types of exercises are injury prone especially for beginners and people who do little or no exercise. More systematic examples of plyometrics are push-ups with a clap in between each push-up, jump squats, and playing catch with a medicine ball. Excessive training with plyometrics may also wear down your bones and joints. Practice this type of exercise only about two days a week if you are not an athlete.