The Most Effective Exercise

Having worked as a Personal Trainer and Sports Therapist for over 10 years, my training styles have evolved as I become more educated and experienced, and also as new systems and styles of training come out. We’ve had your generic gym programmes with weight machines, kettlebells, assisted stretching, high intensity, cross fit, boot camps and then there’s all the other types of training you can do – dance, yoga, pilates, swimming…the list is pretty much endless.

So what is the most effective type of training?

Truth be told their effectiveness boils down to one thing – enjoyment. Time and again when clients have asked me what they should be doing to reach good health and fitness and maintain optimum weight levels (as opposed to triathlon training or something equally specific) I have to come back with – whatever you enjoy doing. If you love dancing and hate gyms – then dance! You might want to throw in a few conditioning body weight exercises around it, but just dance! If you love mountain biking but hate spinning then just get out and mountain bike. If your weekly yoga session brings you down from the stressful job you have, then bingo – that stress busting stretch out and a chance to breathe deeply will benefit you far more than an intense work out that adds to your stress levels.

When I’m training clients I will often use weights, postural conditioning exercises, power lifting to get them as balanced physical individuals as I can. It’s the training (or playing) you commit to on your own that will have far more longevity and sustain you through your fitness dips. One thing I will say though is experiment. Try new things. Our bodies thrive on adaptation to new physical stimuli and so you will see greater results if you change it up regularly. Furthermore you might enjoy it. I’ve got some dedicated yoga enthusiasts who never knew they’d be addicted to boot camps too!

Happy training peeps!