Are You Diverse?

Think about this scenario. You work out every day - and you can’t figure out why you’re so sore or so tired or not progressing at all. It may not be because you’re lacking movement, but because your movement is lacking diversity. Think about it. If you do the same thing every day and don’t switch things up, your body gets used to the exercises so it doesn’t have to work as hard. In addition, you’re only working the muscle groups within those exercises you’re doing. For example, if you run every day, you’re only working in one plane of motion, and only working certain muscles. These muscles can get overworked, leading to fatigue and sometimes injury.

So, how do you diversify your workouts? That’s where we come in! There are many components to having a well-rounded workout program. These include the following:

Cardiovascular

Strength

Mobility 

Recovery and Stretching

This may seem overwhelming, but with a little planning and understanding of what all of these components entail, it’s easier than you think to get these in! We believe in quality over quantity. Look at your schedule and see where you can realistically fit in purposeful exercise. Make it a priority!

Cardiovascular

What is it?

The American Heart Association recommends that adults get a MINIMUM of 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity cardiovascular exercises OR 75 minutes of vigorous activity within a week. This equates to roughly 30 minutes 5 days a week. Anything that gets your heart rate up for over 10 minutes is considered cardiovascular exercise. 

How do I fit it in?

What does this look like? It can be a brisk walk, running, biking, rowing, swimming, HIIT, or interval training. This can also be playing sports like pickleball, tennis, basketball, soccer, etc. You can also split it up into 10 minute mini workouts if you don’t have 30 minutes. Anything that makes your heart rate elevate for longer than 10 minutes is purposeful exercise, so it counts! 

Strength training

What is it?

The American Heart Association also recommends 2 days of strength training per week, working all major muscle groups. Strength training or resistance training is anything that causes your muscles to contract against an external resistance, such as lifting weights or doing pushups! We all know this - but what can be hard is fitting it in!

How do I fit it in?

When we’re limited on time, we like to focus on big compound movements that work a lot of muscle groups at one time. Think Squat to overhead press, Lunge to row, pushups, deadlifts, and renegade rows. You can do mini workouts throughout your day, such as squats while you watch TV, pushups while you wait for your water to boil while making dinner, planks during commercials, etc. Bodyweight exercises also count as strength training, so you don’t need weights if you don’t have them. It all depends on your goals. Do what works for you within the time frame that you have! 

Mobility

What is it?

We believe our bodies were meant to move, and meant to move well. Mobility is our ability to move in all planes of motion. Mobility is something we often put aside, but it is essential to our overall well-being. The ability to move in all planes of motion is crucial to injury prevention and longevity. Frontal (forward and backward), Lateral (side to side), and Transverse (rotational). Mobility training works to increase a joint's active range of motion, its control, and stability. It is joint-focused and geared towards daily movement such as squatting, rotating, bending, etc. Unlike static stretching, mobility involves dynamic movement instead of statically stretching your muscles, such as cat/cow, hip rotations, shoulder circles, etc. 

How do I fit it in?

You can add mobility work to any of your exercises. Here are a few examples:

• Instead of static stretching during your warm-up, try some dynamic stretches like deep bodyweight squats, arm circles, leg swings, and torso rotations. This will help warm up your body while focusing on mobility.

• Do mobility work on your rest days to increase blood flow and help with recovery.

• Combine mobility work with daily activities such as doing ankle rotations while brushing your teeth or stretching while you watch tv! 

Recovery and stretching

It is important to rest and recharge, especially after hard workouts. Running every day or doing HIIT classes every day will send your body into burnout and risk injury. Ensure that you’re giving yourself recovery days to rest your body, to ensure you get the rest you need for the workouts you want to do. Now this doesn’t mean sit all day and do nothing. On recovery days, focus on stretching and very light activity like taking a walk or doing a restorative Yoga class (not power or hot yoga). Pay attention to how your body is feeling during your workouts to ensure your recovery days are planned out. You may need two recovery days depending on the types of workouts you’re doing. So if you feel super tired and can barely get through a workout, you may need more recovery time. Listen to your body!

We hope this helps clarify what a diverse workout regimen looks like. Unsure how to fit it into your schedule? Contact us, and we’ll help you!