For me running was always my go to exercise to keep me ‘fit’. It’s easy to do anywhere, I enjoy it (80% of the time) and it burns calories. What else could I possibly need? It turns out quite a lot….
I have learnt so much since training to become a personal trainer which I am enjoying sharing with others and using to help people with their fitness and also in my own training. The most beneficial thing I have learnt that I am applying to my own training and fitness is a better understanding of what fitness really is. I wish I had known what I know now years ago. I still love running but rather than just pounding the pavements I now view fitness as a combination of factors that ultimately feed into my overall physical and mental wellbeing. Fitness will mean different things to different people depending on their circumstances and goals however I believe the framework should remain the same.
So what is fitness?
The dictionary defines fitness as the condition of being physically fit and healthy. A more useful definition is perhaps that given by the American College of Sports Medicine, which defines 5 components of fitness as:
Cardiovascular endurance - the ability of the circulatory and respiratory system to supply oxygen during sustained physical activity
Muscular strength – ability of muscles to exert force
Muscular endurance – ability of muscles to continue to perform without fatigue
Flexibility – range of motion available at a joint
Body composition - the relative amounts of muscle, fat, bone, and other vital parts of the body.
I think this is a really useful starting point, however, emotional wellbeing is an important component of fitness that shouldn’t be forgotten, therefore I prefer to think of the components of fitness as:
1. Aerobic fitness
2. Muscular strength and endurance
3. Flexibility and mobility
4. Body composition
5. Emotional wellbeing
By defining fitness by these 5 components I believe you can ensure that you create a balanced, sustainable fitness routine which will help you to achieve your goals. Different components will need to be prioritised over others at certain times for example if you are training for a 10k race or half marathon, aerobic fitness will be prioritised. However, the other elements need to be there at some base level to ensure you are functioning and performing well and ultimately feeling at your physical best.
What should a weekly fitness routine look like?
1. Aerobic fitness – should include both high intensity and low intensity cardiovascular training. The easiest way to define the difference between high and low intensity cardiovascular training is by using your heart rate. You should be aiming for 50-70% of max heart rate for low intensity vs 70-85% max heart rate for high intensity.
Ideally you should include:
1-2 high intensity sessions per week of 20 mins or more including running, swimming, playing netball, playing hockey, aerobics, cycling
2 or more lower intensity endurance based sessions of 45 mins or more such as walking, gentle swimming, gentle cycling.
2. Muscular strength and endurance – this is your ability to move under tension, this can be body weight (for example press ups) or more traditional weight training using equipment such as free weights. Strength training can be a goal in itself or at the very least should form the foundations of all other types of training, enabling you to do the other activities you want to do. Strength training should be performed at all ages at the right level of intensity (and continually progressed) for the individual and their goals.
Strength training should work your whole body trying to ensure your muscles are balanced which will help prevent injury and improve your posture and general muscular efficiency.
Ideally you should include some form of strength training at least twice a week ensuring a rest day in between training specific muscle groups. Most people begin by building muscular endurance with lighter weights and higher repetitions and progress to muscular strength depending on their goals.
3. Flexibility and mobility – this can be stand-alone activities such as yoga, Pilates, stretch sessions or may be incorporated into strength or aerobic sessions eg pre and post workout stretching, foam rolling (self-myofascial release) balance work or SAQ drills (speed, agility and quickness).
Flexibility and / or mobility training should be included 3 – 4 times per week (includes pre and post workout stretching routine) and can also include yoga or Pilates for example.
4. Body composition – this can be influenced by nutrition and strength training, as it’s the combination of the two that will lead to an increase in lean body mass. Body composition includes everything from wanting to lose weight or tone up all the way through to competitive body building. Most people have some sort of body composition related goal which emphasises the importance of good nutrition and strength training to allow people to achieve their goals. Getting your nutrition right can be a full-time job however for most people, depending on their goals, some sensible healthy eating and training specific recommendations, tailored to the individual, combined with regular strength training can result in big improvements. It is important to get the balance right for you as an individual.
5. Emotional wellbeing – do you enjoy the exercise and training that you do? The activities you participate in should be enjoyable as this is what makes them sustainable in the long term and also good for your mental health. We may not enjoy all of the training we do all of the time, as by its nature some of your training needs to be hard so you see results, but overall, you should feel better after doing it and get a form of enjoyment from it. This is an important factor when building a sustainable fitness routine.
The other key factor in emotional wellbeing is recovery, you should aim to take 1 -2 rest days per week and sleep for 7-8 hours per night. If you are not taking rest days or sleeping well you will not be performing to the best of your ability and fatigue will also negatively affect your emotional wellbeing and health. Don not try to overcompensate for missed workouts or eating habits as this can often cause more harm than good – just accept what has happened and continue with your plan.
So how can you use the above to define your own ideal exercise routine?
This will ultimately depend on your goals, which will vary from person to person. However you can look at each of the 5 areas above and the suggested frequencies and prioritise them to align with your current goals to ensure you have a well-rounded, sustainable fitness routine that will work for you.
Converting the above into a weekly routine and specific activities within each session will depend on the individual and will vary over time. An illustrative fitness routine using the framework above could be:
Day 1 – run (including warm up, mobility work and cool down stretches) 45 mins total
Day 2 – total body strength training 45 mins
Day 3 – rest day OR yoga
Day 4 – playing tennis / swimming (including cool down stretches)
Day 5 – strength training and stretching
Day 6 – REST
Day 7 – running – interval based session
Although looking through the components of fitness above will not necessarily provide you directly with the answer to what your fitness routine should be it should give you a framework to work with and help you to identify any gaps to ensure you have a well rounded, sustainable fitness routine at any stage in your life.
Happy training!
Hannah
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