Types Of Physical Activity

What would you choose: yoga or stretching lesson? Fast walking on a treadmill or intensive cross-training? All these types of physical activity have a different effect on the body, so for a harmonious development, they must be properly combined. How exactly – in detail, we tell in this article.

Focus on intensity

To assess the intensity of training, the MET indicator is most often used. This is the metabolic equivalent, which is the ratio of the number of calories burned during physical activity to the number of calories that the same person spends at rest. So, moderately active sports will help you burn in 3-6 times more calories than during rest, that is MET will vary from 3 to 6. With high activity, the rate of burning calories will increase more than 6 times (MET> 6).

Types of physical activity of moderate intensity:

• Fast walking (5-7 km / h) and slow running (6-9 km / h);
• Quiet cycling;
• Dance and strength training;
• Active walks with children or pets;
• Active housework.

Types of physical activity of high intensity:

• Running, cycling and other cardio workouts at a fast pace;
• Aerobics level for the trained;
• Team sports;
• cross fit;
• Martial arts;
• Intensive strength training in a multi-repeat mode, circular training.

The higher the intensity, the more frequent the pulse and the breathing, but in general the MET indicators are individual – the basic level of endurance for each athlete is different.

Check This Out: Yoga: Insomnia And Stress

Therefore, to evaluate the intensity of physical activity for you, it is recommended to use the Borg scale: it contains 20 points, of which 0 and 1 are the complete absence of physical activity, and 19-20 is the maximum strain that causes significant harm to health.

We recommend training at the Borg scale levels from 10 to 17. Accordingly, your personal scale of intensity of physical activity will look something like this:

1. Just like watching TV, sitting in a comfortable chair;
2. A comfortable pace of movement, which you are ready to stick to for a long time;
3. The pace of movement is still comfortable, but you feel the rapidity of breathing;
4. You are ready to continue to move at a given pace and can even maintain a conversation, but you feel that sweat has come through;
5. The tempo starts to strain, but you can still talk, although the sweating begins to increase;
6. When you say, you begin to suffocate;
7. I do not want to talk anymore; the sweating has become quite intense;
8. You cannot give a detailed answer to the question, the chosen pace of exercise can only maintain a very short time interval.

In the process of long loads, the purpose of which is not to increase endurance and active fat burning, it is recommended to maintain a level of activity of 5 and lower. More prepared athletes during work on endurance can stably adhere to the load level of the 5-6 level, and when using interval training intensity peak should account for 8, while for restoration it is necessary to stay at levels 4-5.

What loads are right for you?

From the point of view of the directional effect on the body, physical activity can be divided into aerobic, anaerobic and static.

• Aerobic exercises or what is usually called cardio training in fitness clubs are aimed at developing endurance and burning the maximum number of calories per session. First of all, they train not the muscles, but the heart and lungs of the athlete. Most often, aerobic exercise is a long-term rhythmic activity in the middle and high pulse zones (pulse from 120 beats per minute and more) – this is running, cycling, swimming, dancing, most types of group training (Zumba, -platforms, aerobics).
• Anaerobic training is necessary to strengthen and grow muscles. Most often, these include any short-term activity of a high level of intensity associated with lifting weights – it’s exercising on simulators and with free weights, power group lessons, including cross fit.
• In a separate category, you can identify and static types of physical activity, aimed primarily at developing flexibility. Such training includes yoga, Pilates, performing various stretching exercises. During static training, you cannot burn a large number of calories or build muscle, but they develop flexibility, help them feel their body better and, ultimately, form a beautiful silhouette.

Combinations of different types of physical activity

One of the most common mistakes clients of fitness clubs is focusing on one type of physical activity. Thus, women who want to lose weight are bypassed by power trainers, and men, on the contrary, do not use cardio-loading even for the purpose of warm-up, fearing that in this way they will burn the acquired muscles.

We recommend using all types of physical activity during training.

• Despite the fact that the maximum number of calories burns aerobic exercise, strength training is the best way to “disperse” the metabolism.
• To increase muscle mass is impossible without a strong heart and a large volume of lungs. Regular cardiovascular exercise will also increase the number of approaches during strength exercises, which in the final analysis will necessarily lead to muscle growth.
• For those who want to become stronger, regular stretching exercises will help to lengthen muscles, thereby increasing the muscle fiber growth potential. If you plan to get rid of excess and become more slender and flexible, static types of training will help you acquire a beautiful silhouette and learn how to better feel your body.

The balance of physical activity for women:

• 50% aerobic exercise
• 25% anaerobic exercise
• 25% – exercises for flexibility

For men who build muscle mass; the following scheme is more suitable:

• 30% aerobic exercise
• 50% anaerobic exercise
• 20% – exercises for flexibility

However, the main thing in choosing the optimal training program is the pleasure from the classes and the visible result.