Good physical condition is important not only among professional athletes, but also among beginners who are just starting their adventure with a healthy lifestyle. It is also important in everyday life - it determines our ability to perform basic activities - it allows you to climb stairs without taking breaks on each floor, or run to the bus without shortness of breath. How to improve your condition and increase the endurance of the body? What fitness exercises are the best?
Summary
What exactly is physical condition?
When someone sees an oncoming bus, then runs to the bus stop and does not pant like after running a marathon, it is said that he is "good condition". But what does that mean?
Physical condition is the current physiological state of the body, which refers to the body's ability to use oxygen. It has a genetic basis, but it can be modified by affecting endurance, which in turn is the ability to perform exercises of a certain intensity, despite the fatigue that occurs at that time.
Although creating endurance is a long-term process, the first effects of training, the purpose of which is to improve the condition, can be observed almost overnight.
Aerobic and anaerobic endurance
Since the physical condition depends on endurance, it is worth knowing something more about it. Can distinguish different types of strength, which is created in a slightly different way. Can be distinguished:
- Aerobic endurance, which is responsible for the functioning of the body during long low-intensity exercise. The aerobic endurance determines how effectively the body delivers oxygen to the muscles during physical activity. During this type of exercise, energy is transported as a result of aerobic transformations, and carbohydrates are burned first, and then free fatty acids. The aerobic endurance can be exercised, among others, during a quick march or run.
- Anaerobic endurance, which refers to high-intensity activities that are performed in a short time. It occurs when the effort is too much for the body, and the amount of energy needed is greater than the body is able to produce on its own. The development of the anaerobic endurance can be practised, for example, by performing tabats or intervals.
To increase the effectiveness of training and improve the physical condition, need to work on both anaerobic and aerobic endurance, which will allow performing both high and lower intensity efforts. It is also worth working on muscle endurance to be able to easily perform strengthening training.
The physical condition and the body's response to the undertaken efforts depends on both the state of health and the capacity of the lungs and the work of the circulatory system. In order to shape it, it is necessary to lead to controlled fatigue, what lead to supercompensation, or adaptation of the body to a given form of activity. It is also important to perform physical exercise regularly - only then can you support the achievement of the good condition.
What are the symptoms of weak physical condition?
Although it would seem that the good condition is needed only among physically active people who train in the gym or attend fitness activity, nothing is more wrong. Although it is then that can see that our condition is not in good form, the symptoms of the weak physical condition can also be observed in everyday life, while performing basic activities. Then it can come to:
- muscle tremors,
- difficulty in regulating and calming the breath,
- breathlessness, appearing even during a small effort,
- rapid increase in heart rate,
- muscle stiffness and pain.
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How to build physical condition from scratch?
If you are a beginner who has led a sedentary lifestyle so far and has not dealt with any sport or regular physical exercise, you should focus on building condition, not for its rapid improvement.
For a good start, it is worth beginning to the formation of aerobic endurance - a good solution will be to perform longer workouts of lower intensity. It is worth choosing one form of activity or interweaving different methods of aerobic exercise, so as not to get discouraged. It is extremely important to do workouts regularly, 2-3 times a week.
A good form of physical activity when forming the condition and aerobic endurance can be, for example, quick march, swimming, cycling, zumba, running or fartlek. The time of such training should be about an hour, and the heart rate during exercise should be at the level of 130-160 heartbeats per minute.
Because building aerobic endurance involves performing low or moderate intensity workouts, there should be small fatigue and slight shortness of breath during exercise, which allows continuing the activity. During training, we should also keep the opportunity to talk.
How to quickly improve condition?
People who are not strangers to physical activity can focus on improving their physical condition. How quickly, in the shortest possible time, to take care of better condition of the body? Having already mastered the "base" which is oxygen training, you should diversify the activities performed in such a way as to work on both aerobic and anaerobic endurance. A good solution may also be to perform mixed physical effort.
Depending on the type of training, the effort should last from 20 minutes to about an hour, and the heart rate during activity should balance at 145-190 heartbeats per minute. During exercise, there should be fatigue and shortness of breath, as well as sweating. Free speaking should be difficult. When working on improving the condition, it is worth doing workouts such as cross fit, circuit training, intervals, running, fartlek, swimming, tabata.
How to increase the condition - 10 key rules
What rules should be followed to have a good physical condition and enjoy the great endurance of the body? How to work effectively on the condition?
- Start with a plan - if you want to improve your condition and want to increase your endurance, adopt a specific strategy and follow the previously prepared plan, instead of chaotically performing irregular exercises. If creating a training plan is a challenge for you, ask a specialist, such as a personal trainer, for help.
- Regularity - regular physical activity is the key to success. Therefore, even when you feel that you lack enthusiasm, motivate yourself to exercise, and the effects will speak for themselves!
- Go towards the goal - determine priorities - because everything starts in your head, it is worth before starting exercises focused on improving your condition, determine the purpose of action. Your intention is to run 10 km without shortness of breath or maybe reach the bus stop before your transport get away? Whatever your goal is, name it and make it clear while setting your priorities.
- Do not limit yourself - interweave different forms of training - as we have already mentioned, the best way to improve your physical condition is to exercise both aerobic and anaerobic endurance. Therefore, to take care of your condition, do not limit yourself to one training method, but interweave different forms of activity. One day, focus on cardio training, and the next - on intervals.
- Apply a healthy and balanced diet - contrary to appearances, what you eat has a huge impact on your condition. Therefore, do not underestimate the importance of a well-balanced diet and pay attention to the appropriate supply of macronutrients, such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Do not forget to provide the body with all the valuable micronutrients - vitamins and minerals.
- Remember about hydration - just like a well-balanced diet, the right supply of fluids is important when forming endurance and improving condition. If you do not provide the body with the right amount of fluids, thermoregulation processes may be disturbed in the body, which in turn may increase the frequency of heart rhythm and plasma volume, and this can lead to a decrease in physical efficiency.
- Do not forget about rest and do not underestimate regeneration - regeneration is also a very important component of training. If you want to improve your condition, do not underestimate the importance of rest. By training every day, without a day of break, you expose yourself to injuries and weakness of the body, which certainly does not help improve your condition and endurance.
- Take care of the overall efficiency of the body - include other forms of activity in the training plan than exercises focused strictly on aerobic and anaerobic endurance. Include stretching, rolling or mobilization exercises in your plan. During the day, choose stairs instead of lifts, and walk to the store instead of driving. Movement is health, and working on condition is a versatile and varied activity.
- Look for a training partner - joint training is a great variety. With a good partner you will forget about monotony, and what's more, you will introduce an element of rivalry to the training plan, which will further motivate you to act.
- Do not lose motivation - regardless of what your training goal is, there can always be worse days when you do not want to do the right exercises. Remember - not to lose motivation. Achieving the desired effects and improving the condition are propinquitous!
The best exercises for physical condition
To improve the condition, it is worth focusing not only on endurance, but also on speed, flexibility, strength or coordination. However, taking care of the above elements requires regular exercise, which is why proper and diverse training is important. What exercises are worth doing? What activities are best during working on the condition? It is worth including in the training plan exercises with the use of your own body weight and additional equipment, such as:
- jumping jack,
- jumping rope,
- jump squats,
- push-ups,
- boxing run,
- burpees.
Training plan for improving condition
Not always more, it means better, so when creating an activity plan, remember to include rest days in it.
Exemplary, weekly training plan for improving the condition may look as follows:
Day 1 - 40 minutes of fartlek,
Day 2 - 5 rounds of interval training,
Day 3 - rest day,
Day 4 - 45 minutes of swimming,
Day 5 - 5 rounds of interval training,
Day 6 - rest day,
Day 7 - cycling for 40 minutes.
Remember that training, the purpose of which is to improve the condition, should focus on progress, like strength training. Therefore, gradually increase the intensity and with each subsequent week of exercise, slightly extend the duration of cardio training and add another round or new exercises to anaerobic efforts.
Diet and dietary supplements supporting physical condition
Building condition and working to improve endurance should also include an appropriate, healthy and balanced diet. So consume balanced products that will provide you with the dose of energy necessary to perform daily activities and intense physical efforts.
Limit your intake of stodgy foods, as well as fast-food dishes, salty snacks, sweets and carbonated drinks. Choose on fresh vegetables and fruits, milk and dairy products, healthy plant fats, whole grains products, fatty fish and lean meats.
During the increased demand of the body for individual macro-and micronutrients, dietary supplements can also be a support that will help you supplement the deficiencies created in the body.