When I first started my fitness journey, I only did push-ups. Let’s take a look at why we need variety.
It is crucial to train for strength, speed, endurance, agility, and mobility, as they are all important for optimal fitness. By focusing on only one or two aspects of fitness, you limit your potential for growth and overall performance.
Lets take a look why you need to train in multiple arears of fitness.
Why You Need to Train in Multiple Areas of Fitness
Some people only do one type of fitness such as cardio or strength training, which can hold you back. You might do this because you don't know about other types of exercise, want to be really good at one thing, or just like a certain way of exercising. For me I felt comfortable with the exercise I did and didn't try something new.
Being truly fit means having lots of different skills, not just being able to lift heavy weights. This would mean you need to do a variety of different exercises that will improve many different physical and mental abilities.
The 5 Types of fitness
To achieve a well-rounded level of fitness, we need to train in all aspects of fitness. These five types of fitness include:
Strength
Speed
Endurance
Agility
Mobility
Now let’s take a deeper look at each type.
Strength
Strength is the ability to exert force on the environment. This could be to move an object, move yourself, break an object apart, or prevent movement.
Strength can be broken down into different subtypes, such as:
Max strength - The peak output you can exert.
Explosiveness - The amount of strength that can be exerted quickly. For example, explosiveness determines how hard you can punch or how high you can jump.
To be truly fit in the field of strength you should be able to use strength for a variety of tasks and not limited to constrained movement patterns like the squat or deadlift. Strength should also bring with it denser bones, tougher connective tissue, and a powerful grip.
Speed
Speed is the ability to move quickly from one point to another and can be broken down into different categories such as:
Movement speed – Includes: Acceleration, deceleration, lateral speed, linear speed and direction changes.
Quickness – How fast you can move your limbs.
Reflexes – How fast you can react.
The goal of speed training is to be able to run quickly when necessary and move in a variety of environments, whether swimming or running uphill or across uneven terrain.
Endurance
Endurance represents the ability to continue to express strength and speed for long durations. In the real world, it is rare to be required to perform a single feat of incredible strength. More often, strength needs to be exerted for a significant duration.
Aerobic endurance - The ability to run, walk, or roll long distances at below maximum effort. This is linked to the anaerobic threshold, which is the top speed that you are capable of maintaining.
Anaerobic endurance - The ability to move at top speed for an extended period of time.
Strength endurance - The ability to use strength for long periods of time.
Endurance is important for your cardiovascular health, which can be trained through running.
Agility
Agility is a combination of strength, speed, and mobility, combined with ability to move deliberately and precisely as well as maintaining good balance and posture. This allows us to leap high into the air, balance along thin beams and contort our bodies. It is essential to train for balance, fine motor control, and coordination, which can be achieved through more ambitious calisthenics, gymnastic strength training, yoga, and other types of exercise.
Mobility
Mobility means the ability to move through a full range of motion with ease and control. The full range of motion needs to be trained to ensure that you are capable of performing any movement.
Conclusion
Fitness is a multidimensional concept that requires a combination of different physical and mental abilities. By training these different aspects, individuals can achieve a total body and mind fitness that can impact their lives in a positive way.