Valentin Bosioc
Introduction
Here it is! That time of the year when everyone make aggressive and passionate fitness goals and hit the gym or road or yoga centers. Many self-proclaimed fitness gurus will come up with magical fitness program that will make you the next “top fitness model”. 30 day challenges and guarantees will fill your social media and life. Sooner or later, most of these gurus and their magic potions will go down the drain. People who got their foundation right will survive while those who run behind fads will eventually pay the price.
When it comes to fitness, there are no special rules or ways to do it. However, over the years, the concept of fitness and the methods of workout has evolved so much. Earlier, the concept was simple and straight forward. If you want a physical transformation or have a fitness goal, you need to hit the gym, and then the core mantra of weight training cardio strength. This is still the foundation of any fitness regimen but the outer layers have evolved into various new methods and techniques. These days, it is much more than lifting weights with certain number on it or running on the treadmill mechanically.
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Newer ways of fitness techniques such as Zumba, 30 second to 60 second sprints etc. are becoming popular amongst newbies who wants to see results faster than sprint timing. While most of them are fads and fade away at the same pace they arrived, some stick around and prove their worth as a reliable and effective fitness regimen.
1) High Intensity Interval Training
For beginners, HIIT or high intensity interval training is a technique in which you do small and quick exercises using every ounce of strength you have in your body. The sessions may fall anywhere between 1 minute to 10 minutes and repeated 3-4 times with regular intervals in between. This method, however quick needs intense amount of energy to perform. HIIT offers maximum health benefits with minimum time as investment and burns more calories than any other medium-intensity workouts. This study proves that HIIT burns 25 -30% more calories than other exercises. This method is apt for today’s generation that whines about lack of time to exercise. All it takes is 15 -20 minutes daily to get a full body workout including cardio. As it does not require any equipment, it can be done anywhere, anytime. However, the recommended time for HIIT is during the morning as this will increase oxygen flow and keeps you active and energetic throughout the day.
2) Strength and Conditioning Training
Whatever exercise regimen or workout type you are planning, it is important to have body strength, especially core strength. Even if your fitness plan mostly consists of yoga, you need core strength to perform the tough poses. Strength and conditioning training, also known as complex training helps you to increase your core strength and complements your other activities. It also helps to prevent injury, increase bone strength, improve your posture, and increase metabolism. Strength and conditioning exercise increases your power, whether you are a professional athlete or just someone who is aspiring improve body strength. One of the biggest significance of complex training is, it helps with your running and makes you run faster, longer and much efficiently.
3) Kick-Boxing and Boxing Workouts To Increase Endurance
Kickboxing is a hybrid product that combines the fire punches of boxing with techniques of Asian martial arts such as karate. It has its roots in Thailand and is now becoming a popular inclusion in all the gyms. Kickboxing is being leveraged as a high intensity aerobic exercise. It gives the trainer an amazing physical transformation as the end-result with some great defense technique for fights. It is an excellent option if you want to develop speed, flexibility, agility and cardiovascular health.
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However, it is highly recommended to consult with your physician before you begin kickboxing training. Performing or training the kickboxing steps without proper supervision or a trainer can result in facial injuries or even fractures. As a competitive sport, it can be comparatively dangerous but offers excellent results when performed under effective guidance. There are various types of workouts under kickboxing such as punch-kick combination drill, power-punching drill, kicking drill and fight movement. You can read all about it here.
4) Group Training
Group training is increasingly becoming popular amongst gym-goers and fitness enthusiast. While it is good to focus on your energy fully on the workout while your earphones are plugged in, working out on groups can help to keep up the fun and stay motivated. The group atmosphere, where everyone has a single vision that is to reach the fitness pinnacle offers a special vibration that immediately pumps up your energy. It also keeps you accountable for your goals which in turns makes you responsible about your fitness journey. Ditching your sessions become tougher as you may be answerable to a bunch of people who are in this journey together with you. Group training can also be variety and fun. However, it comes with its own drawbacks. Every workout is not designed to be for you and hence may not show results. The personal attention and focus you have when individually working out, to find out your weaknesses and progress might be missing here. Also, sometimes, you over-workout and sometimes you under-workout.
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5) Functional Training Including Metabolic Training
Functional training helps in building strength, mobility and agility. Every day we have to involve in activities such as pushing, rotating, carrying heavy weight things, pulling things etc. Functional training helps you to utilize your energy and facilitate better mobility. It helps you to stay active and achieve your life and career goals with more efficiency and stamina. Functional training also improves sexual stamina and eliminate low testosterone issues in men. Unlike other exercises, functional training is recommended to pregnant women or people who are recovering from illness. For a pregnant woman, it may not be possible to perform a plank, but it is still necessary for her to keep her core and legs strong in order to carry her bump for nine months. Functional training is an effective replacement for strength training.
6) Naked yoga
In 2017, we saw many trending topics on Instagram. One of them was #NYGyoga with posts of people doing yoga, naked! Yup! You heard that right. All this, started with someone called @nude_yogagirl posting some sensational yet beautiful photos on her Instagram account. Yoga is the ancient Indian way of exercise which greatly helps to build strength and flexibility. More than physical, it is a combination of physical and mental empowerment. While the concept of naked yoga might sound pretty new to many people, it actually isn’t new. Naked yoga has been practiced in the ancient India by yogis and is mentioned in many scriptures. It is believed that practicing yoga without clothes helps to reject materialistic life, practice celibacy and break attachments with physical, sensual and materialistic life. The practice is still gaining popularity and there are ambiguities regarding the effects when compared to normal yoga.
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7) Exercises To Increase Buttocks
While there are many exercises that help to increase your butt, it won’t be hundred percent effective unless you eat the right food. A big butt requires more than just squats and lunges. Leg press is one of the effective exercised to build glutes (the muscle responsible for butt size). Lunges are another great exercise. It is not very heavy exercise but it works on each leg specifically thus performing it 8 -12 reps would guarantee fast progress. Deadlifts is another one of the butt-lift exercises that is tried and tested to be effective. Stiff-legged deadlifts are especially effective when you are tired after performing the above mentioned exercises. It uses less weight and needs less energy. 8 -12 reps would be enough per session.
8) Experienced and Certified Fitness Trainers
Ultimately, what constitutes to your fitness journey is your sustenance and hard work. But having a fitness trainer can do wonders to your progress especially if you are running low on motivation or generally need some external push. Having an experienced and certified trainer can help you conceive the winning equation of perfect exercise and diet that will anchor your fitness journey. Each individual has different needs and formulas when exercising. Some methods will work for few people and won’t work for another few. A fitness trainer can observe your progress and tweak your plans if necessary.
9) Which kind of Wearable Technology To use?
Smart watches, fitness trackers, head-mounted displays, you name it! All sort of things are available. But all these devices together can’t interpret many information to provide useful insights. So it is best to check a few, find the one that suits your requirement and track progress.
Conclusion
Irrespective of what method you follow and how reliable it is, ultimately, it is a showdown between your grit and willpower to pull it off. No matter what you do, how long you hustle, if you got the magical combination of workout and a nutritious diet wrong, then results are hard to come by. Individual health, metabolism, body type and stamina also come into play in deciding the level of result you achieve. Hence, the best bet is to choose a plan that works for you. Mind you, this is possible only through trial and error. So patience is also key here. Work out a plan for your fitness goal backed by a solid and nutritious diet and 2018 might just be that year when you finally hit the number on the weighing machine that you so dearly craved for.
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References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zumba
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-hiit#section2
https://www.livestrong.com/article/486132-how-to-make-a-punch-bag-heavier/
https://www.self.com/story/nude-yoga-girl-is-taking-instagram-by-storm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluteus_maximus_muscle
