Muscular-Fitness

Achieving total muscular fitness requires two distinct forms of training. One form of training involves strengthening the muscles ideally with resistance or weight training and the second form of training deals with muscular endurance. Some athletes in certain sports like bodybuilding and weight lifting tend to concentrate on only one aspect of muscular fitness which is of course weight training. Other athletes like long distance runners may do a limited amount of weight work although the majority of their training would center on muscular endurance training. Then you have everyone in between like tennis players, football players, basketball players and so on that need to work on both their muscular strength and muscular endurance.

For the everyday person looking to get fit and in shape it is essential to perform your workouts incorporating both aspects of muscular fitness. Ideally the best way to attain total muscular fitness is by alternating a weight training day with an endurance day. Depending on how many days you workout each week, try doing a 50-50 split with your training days.

There is no hard and fast rule when applying the best type of training in general, it’s best to go with what you like. If you want all round muscular fitness but prefer to workout with weights then concentrate on training all your body parts each week with perhaps 3 weight training sessions per week and then take 2-3 long power walks or jogs when you have the time. I would prefer to mix up my workouts and not do a weight workout directly followed by an endurance workout but some people might prefer to train one type of workout followed immediately by the other type of workout. It’s entirely up to what you like and how much time you have available to exercise.

Both aspects of muscular fitness involve more than just the muscles. When you workout with weights you actively engage not only your muscles but also you help strengthen ligaments and tendons. By strengthening the ligaments and tendons you cut down your chance of injury and allow your muscles to work harder and for longer. By sticking to a total muscular fitness lifestyle over a number of years you will give yourself the best chance in not only living longer but also living a better quality of life while your body remains strong and active. By incorporating endurance training into your workout regime as well you help strengthen the heart which is also a muscle. When performing endurance training like brisk walking or running this benefits your entire body by flushing your system with fresh oxygenated blood which brings with it essential amino acids, vitamins and other nutrients from the food you eat.

Another added benefit of maintaining a solid level of muscular fitness is by helping to minimize stress levels. No matter what type of lifestyle you lead you will probably suffer from stress on some level but by exercising you will flush your body with endorphins which are released from the brain while you are working out. These endorphins are your body’s ultimate natural “high” and fill you with a sense of well being that can make exercising addictive. It’s probably the healthiest addiction you can have.