1.0 Introduction
There are many different types of fitness out there. You have weightlifting, running, cycling, and so on. So what is the best type of fitness? The answer to that question depends on your personal goals and needs. If you want to lose weight, then cardio exercises like running or cycling would be the best choice for you. If you want to gain muscle mass, then weightlifting would be a better option.
2.0 Different Sports In No Particular Order
2.1 Weightlifting
There are 8 Qualities You Strive to Have In Weightlifting.
What does it take to be a weightlifter? This is how I see it if you want to get better at the sport of weightlifting.
1. Physical Strength
One of the most important aspects of weightlifting that can’t be neglected. No strength, no power, no tension, no lift.
2. Mental Toughness
You are bound to fail lifts. You are bound to not understand how certain things work or how to make something work. You need to have the resilience to bounce back from all that to get a good lift.
3. Patience
Patience in the lift itself to make sure you don’t cut the pull short. Patience in a sense that what you do as training will one day make sense and help you improve.
4. Control
The barbell is an inanimate object. You need to have the ability to control your actions to make the barbell work for you. You can’t use excessive aggression to approach lifting, if not nothing will be achieved.
5. Intent
Intention is what is going to ensure you do well in weightlifting. If you don’t have the intention to move fast, you are not going to. Intention is the key to having control over your actions.
6. Desire
Desire is close to intent but in a more general context. Desire is what is going to give you the drive to train hard. Desire is what’s going to push you to pursue the feeling of the movement. Desire is what’s going to help you improve technique and perform better.
7. Open-mindness
Learning is a never-ending process so being open-minded allows you to see weightlifting from more than one aspect.
8. Humility
Humility encompasses the willingness to accept changes and the appreciation for different perspectives. Keeping this in check will not only allow you to gain more knowledge but also have better interactions with others within and outside of the sport of weightlifting.
Striving to attain these qualities will make you not only a better weightlifter in terms of performance but also a contributor to the development of the sport.
2.2 Boxing
People begin boxing for a variety of reasons including to improve their overall fitness, to make a career out of fighting or to learn to defend themselves. And, whatever the motivation for beginning to box, there are some benefits of boxing training that everyone who picks up a pair of gloves can enjoy, from avid gym goers to more casual fitness fans.
If you’re on the fence about starting boxing, or you’re already a boxer and want to know more about what it does to your body and mind then read on to find out more about the benefits of boxing training.
The physical benefits of boxing training
The physical benefits of boxing training. It’s pretty clear that boxing regularly will have a positive effect on your body, but do you know exactly just how much impact boxing training can have on your body?
2.2.1. Improved Cardiovascular Health
Fitness experts and pretty much every authority on health, agree that taking care of our hearts is essential to protect ourselves from heart diseases and common illnesses and overall stay healthy.
To keep our hearts healthy, we need to be doing cardiovascular (or cardio) exercise regularly. It’s recommended by the NHS that adults should do a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week.
Boxing is a great source of cardio exercise, it gets your heart pumping and your lungs working harder so you burn more calories and reach a fat-burning threshold. Cardio exercise places additional stress on your body in a safe and managed way, which results in beneficial changes to the systems in your body to support this increased level of exercise.
So, whatever exercises you do when you’re training, as long as they keep your heart rate up you’ll be working to improve your cardiovascular health and ultimately will benefit from an overall healthier heart.
2.2.2. Better Overall Body Strength
It’s pretty clear that the top-of-their-game, pro boxers are super strong; you’d have to be to land a KO. But, have you thought about how much strength you use when you’re training?
Whether it’s sparring, using a punching bag, running circuits or practising your footwork, you’re pulling on your body’s reserves of strength to execute the activity.
If you consider that the average training punching bag weighs around 25kgs and you could be hitting it hundreds of times in a training session, you can quickly see how much strength is needed for boxing training.
And the great thing about boxing training is that as you’re exerting strength to complete each exercise, you’re also getting stronger at the same time. Almost every boxing training exercise will build up your strength throughout your entire body; from your arms and core to your glutes and legs.
2.2.3. Increased Hand-Eye Coordination
If you’re in the ring throwing punches at an opponent, you need to know that your fists and eyes are working together in perfect harmony. One wrong move or misdirected punch and you could be hit with a right hook that sends you spinning towards the floor.
One of the benefits of boxing training is that it works to improve your hand-eye coordination. Drilling your punch combinations can help you to train your arms to hit at the right angle and position will build muscle memory that is vital in the ring.
Whether you’re shadowboxing, working with a punching bag or sparring with a partner, ensure you don’t just strike out blindly. You want to set clear targets for where you land your punches, training in this way will build up your hand-eye coordination.
This hand-eye coordination isn’t just useful when you’re boxing, it builds fine motor skills which are valuable for a range of day to day activities such as buttoning clothes, holding a pen and many other actions.
That might not sound like a problem now, you’ve been getting yourself dressed since you were a child, but these actions become harder as we age so training your coordination now will pay off later in life.
2.2.4. Increased muscle mass
Just as boxing builds up your overall body strength, it also works to increase your body’s muscle mass.
The combination of increased cardiovascular activity and strength training works to burn fat and build muscle. This means that with prolonged boxing training, you’ll begin to see an increase in muscle mass and definition.
Boxing is a fantastic sport for working almost every muscle in your body, so when you regularly train and eat a healthy balanced diet, you’ll work to reduce the fat and increase the muscle you carry.
2.2.5. Better Stamina and Endurance
Regularly working out, especially cardio exercises like boxing training, helps to build up your stamina. Getting your heart pumping with a high-intensity cardio workout doesn’t just strengthen your muscles, it increases your stamina and endurance.
When you first enter a gym, if you’ve never really exercised before, it’s likely you’ll find it hard to work out continuously for very long. But, the more you go back and train again and again, the more stamina you’ll build up.
No one starts out at the top of their game so don’t be put off if other people are able to last longer than you when you begin boxing training. With practice and commitment to your boxing training, you’ll find yourself able to work out harder and for longer.
And, the great thing about increased stamina and endurance is that it doesn’t just pay off in your boxing training, if you walk to work or find yourself running for the train in the morning you’ll see the benefits as you can do more without feeling worn out.
The mental benefits of boxing training
The effects of boxing training go much further than just the physical. Regularly exercising and improving your overall fitness can also have huge benefits for your mental wellbeing. We’ve already published an in-depth guide to the mental benefits of boxing, but we’ve included a few of the highlights below too.
2.2.6. Decreased Stress
Whether it’s at home, at work or just in general day to day life, all of us experience stress in one way or another; it’s a natural part of life. But, with regular exercise, research has found that stress can be reduced.
Exercise increases the levels of endorphins in the body, they’re the happy hormones that help to boost our moods. Regular moderate to intense exercises, such as boxing, can help to release these endorphins and reduce feelings of stress.
And, while any exercise is good for releasing endorphins, boxing is particularly good for stress-busting. If you’re feeling frustrated or pent up, an hour in the gym letting it all out through your fists into a punching bag can be great to help you release your feelings and cut back any tension you’re feeling.
These repeated exercises, where you focus your attention on the movement of your body and the coordination of your hands and feet, allows you to stop concentrating on anything outside of the gym.
Boxing can be a very meditative exercise. When you clear your mind and focus just on hammering away in the ring, all of the outside stresses in your life fade away; it’s just you and your fists.
2.2.7. Better sleep quality
Alongside less stress, regular boxing training can also help you to improve your sleep quality. Research has discovered that high-intensity cardiovascular exercise, such as boxing, has a beneficial effect on the quality of sleep and how fast people can fall asleep.
After a heavy session in the ring, your body is going to be physically worn out and in need of more hours of sleep than usual to recover from the work you’ve put in at the gym that day.
And, because the repetitive actions of hitting a punching bag or sparring with a partner can help to clear your mind, you could be able to drift off to sleep easier without any stress or having thoughts popping into your head about work or any other issues.
The additional benefits of boxing training
2.2.8. Improved Confidence
One of the greatest benefits of boxing training is that you can begin to feel more confident in yourself. As you progress through your training and commit to regularly working out, you’ll see your body adapt and your mindset shift.
Getting stronger, seeing more definition in your muscles, being able to lift heavier weights and punch harder and generally benign healthier can all have an incredibly positive effect on your self-confidence.
But it’s not just about looking good, boxing can also help you to experience confidence in yourself in other ways. Boxing can help you to experience pride in your commitment when you show up for yourself and head to the gym week after week, even when you’d rather sit at home with a takeaway.
Or you might feel a sense of achievement when you reach a certain goal, whether that’s your first competitive fight or KO.
2.3 Running
2.3.1. Running Improves Your Health
Believe it or not, running is actually a great way to increase your overall level of health. Research shows that running can raise your levels of good cholesterol while also helping you increase lung function and use. In addition, running can also boost your immune system and lower your risk of developing blood clots.
2.3.2. Running Prevents Disease
For women, running can actually help to lower your risk of breast cancer. It can also help reduce the risk of having a stroke. Many doctors today recommend running for people who are in the early stages of diabetes, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis, and it is proven to help reduce the risk of having a heart attack. By helping the arteries retain their elasticity and strengthening the heart, your chances of suffering a heart attack can be significantly reduced.
2.3.3. When You Run You Might Lose Weight
Running is one of the best forms of exercise for losing or maintaining a consistent weight. You will find that it is a leading way to burn off extra calories and that it is the second most effective exercise in terms of calories burned per minute, following only after cross-country skiing.
2.3.4. Running Boosts Your Confidence
Not all of the benefits of running are physical. Running can provide a noticeable boost to your confidence and self-esteem. By setting and achieving goals, you can help give yourself a greater sense of empowerment that will leave you feeling much happier.
2.3.5.Running Relieves Stress
Stress can actually cause a number of health and mood problems. It can also diminish appetite and sleep quality. When you run, you force your body to exert excess energy and hormones. Running also helps to reduce your chances of developing tension headaches.
2.3.6. Running has the Power to Eliminate Depression
When you are depressed, the last thing you likely want to do is to get up and go for a run. Yet you will find that after only a few minutes of running, your brain will start to secrete hormones that naturally improve your mood. In fact, there are few things in the world that can better or more rapidly treat depression than exercise such as running.
Running is incredibly beneficial to the body, mind and spirit. You will find that even short runs can leave you feeling more energized, more focused and better able to enjoy all that life has to offer.
There are different types of running which can broadly be categorised into the following bands:
- Short Distance Running (Sprints)
- Middle Distance Running
- Long Distance Running
2.4 Walking
Walking has obvious benefits for the cardiovascular system and depending upon how vigorously it is undertaken, has other benefits by building strength, and speed, for example in race walking.
2.4.1.Hiking and Rambling
Many people enjoy hiking and rambling sometimes carrying a rucksack, which in itself may be beneficial depending on the sort of terrain in which it is undertaken
2.5 Climbing
Climbing is a fairly extreme sport which demands high levels of fitness depending upon the altitude it is undertaken at, and requires high levels of physical strength.
2.6 Athletics Field Sports
there are many other forms of athletics apart from running and each of them involves different skills attributes and strengths, each of which deserves a paragraph at least to describe their features and benefits, such as the following sports:
- Hurdles
- Javelin
- Hammer
- Shot put
- Long Jump
- High Jump
2.7 Cycling
2.7.1. Cycling may help you lose weight
Cycling habitually, especially at a high intensity, can help lower your body fat levels, which promotes healthy weight management (1).
Additional studies suggest that including sprint and strength training with regular cycling may temporarily increase your metabolism and build muscle, which allows you to burn more calories, even while at rest (2).
2.7.2. Cycling will help strengthen your legs
Cycling improves overall function in your lower body and strengthens your leg muscles without overstressing your joints. It targets your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves.
To make your legs even stronger and enhance your cycling performance, try doing weightlifting exercises, such as squats, leg presses, and lunges, a few times per week.
2.7.3. Cycling is good for beginners
Riding a bike is fairly simple. If you have difficulty with a standard bicycle, stationary bikes are a great alternative.
If you’re new to fitness or bouncing back from an injury or illness, you can cycle at a low intensity. As you get more fit, you can increase the intensity or continue to cycle at a chill pace.
Studies have shown that even sedentary people reap the health benefits of cycling, so it can be a great introduction for exercise novices (1).
2.7.4. Cycling may lower cholesterol
The health-enhancing effects of cycling may help improve cholesterol levels, which can boost your cardiovascular health and lower your chances of stroke and heart attack.
According to one review of 300 studies, indoor cycling has a positive effect on total cholesterol. It may boost HDL (good) cholesterol levels while lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
2.7.5. Cycling boosts mental health and brain power
Cycling can ease feelings of stress, depression, or anxiety. Focusing on the road or your cadence when cycling can help you develop concentration and awareness of the present moment. This may help take your focus away from the mental chatter of your day.
Research backs this up. One study found that biking outside improved cognitive functioning and well-being for older adults.
If you find yourself feeling lethargic, listless, or like your brain is moving slowly, get on your bike for at least 10 minutes.
Exercise promotes the release of endorphins in your body, which helps you feel better while lowering your stress levels. As the study above found, exercise outdoors only increases these effects.
You may feel more confident and content once you make cycling a regular part of your life.
2.7.6. Cycling can help people with cancer
Cycling is a fantastic addition to your care plan if you have or are recovering from cancer. However, many cancer patients experience low energy and pain during treatment, so be sure to work with your care team, listen to your body, and exercise only if you’re up for it.
Cycling can also help keep you lean and fit, which may reduce your risk for certain types of cancer, including breast cancer.
According to research from 2019, if you have breast cancer, staying active may help reduce side effects of cancer treatment, including fatigue, and improve your overall quality of life (7).
2.7.7. Cycling can offer a positive start to your morning
Beginning your day with a healthy activity like cycling wakes you up by boosting your circulation and allows you to start your day with a sense of accomplishment.
You may feel more inclined to make healthy, positive choices as the day progresses (8).
Fasted morning rides at a low intensity may burn fat, enhance endurance performance, and boost your energy and metabolism levels all day.
The caveat? The research seems to show that this is mainly true for casual bikers, and it’s not recommended that highly trained athletes fast before long endurance rides.
2.7.8. Cycling may help prevent and manage medical conditions
Whether you want to prevent health concerns from arising or manage existing conditions, regular exercise is key. Cycling regularly is one way to avoid a sedentary lifestyle and its possible accompanying health concerns.
Regular exercise can help prevent heart issues such as stroke, heart attack, and high blood pressure.
Cycling may also help prevent and manage type 2 diabetes ).
In fact, very recent research suggests regular cycling can lower mortality rates for people with diabetes by 24% and, if continued for at least 5 years, can decrease mortality rates by 35%.
2.7.9. Cycling is environmentally friendly
Reduce your carbon footprint by riding your bike whenever possible. Recent research in Europe found that commuting by bike instead of by car once a day decreases your transportation carbon footprint by 67% (15).
Cycling is a great replacement for transportation options that involve sitting in traffic for extended periods. It’s especially useful when you’re going places that are a bit too far to walk, but you don’t want to take a car.
A bonus is not having to fight for a parking space in crowded areas.
2.7.10. Cycling improves balance, posture, and coordination
As you stabilize your body and keep your bike upright, you’ll improve your overall balance and coordination and even your gait .
Balance tends to decline with age and inactivity, so it’s vital to stay on top of it. Improved balance is beneficial in the prevention of falls and fractures, which can help decrease your risk of injury and keep you off the sidelines.
2.7.11. Cycling is a low impact option
Cycling is easy on your body, providing a gentle, low impact option for people who want an intense workout without stressing their joints (18).
Cycling is a great option for people who have joint concerns or overall stiffness, especially in the lower body.
2.7.12. Cycling may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
Cycling is a fantastic way to raise your heart rate, improve cardiovascular function, and enhance your overall fitness level.
The results of a 2019 review suggest that cycling is linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. It’s also associated with lower mortality rates and lower rates of physiological risk factors such as diabetes, physical inactivity, and high blood pressure.
Cycling can broadly be divided into the following categories:
- Track
- Endurance cycling
- Cyclocross
- Leisure cycling
2.7 Swimming
There are many benefits of swimming depending upon the competitive level at which it is carried out
- As well as being fun, swimming is a great way to keep fit and make friends.
- Swimming is a healthy activity that you can continue for a lifetime.
- Swimming is a low-impact activity that has many physical and mental health benefits.
- Make sure you know how to swim and do so in a safe environment.
2.7.1 Water Polo
Water polo includes the benefits of swimming plus other benefits of increased cardiovascular activity in short bursts like sprinting. Also eye coordination benefits of ball sports.
2.8 Triathlon
Triathlon clearly includes the benefits of all of the above sports, running cycling and swimming and even more so because of the benefits of cross-training, it is arguably the most beneficial sport
2.9 Ball Sports
All the following ball sports include some of the benefits of running depending on which sport is chosen, and also the eye coordination necessary for skilful execution of each:
- Soccer
- Rugby Football
- Hockey
- Cricket
- Baseball
- Golf
2.10 Horseriding
Horseriding has many different branches, all of which involve high levels of skill, coordination and strength.
As a trainer i am super impressed by your article!
I totally agree and i think weightlifting is number one because it enables you to build muscle and also lose fat!
Thank you for sharing the 8 Qualities You Strive to Have In Weightlifting.
For someone like myself, it’s beneficial especially when i play sports like basketball and volleyball.
I recommend to get started young this will allow you to starting building muscle at an early age!
Hi Lorenz, Thank you very much for dropping by and commenting on our article. I am really pleased to get such positive feedback from a fitness professional. I am extremely interested in fitness and sport, but never did any formal training in the science of sports fitness, an area which interests me a lot. Have a great week, cheers Alan.