Exercising for different goals

Exercise plays a crucial role in enhancing our health, and many of us embark on fitness journeys with specific goals in mind. Perhaps you want to boost your mental health, build muscle, or improve stamina? Spending long hours at a desk can also lead us to seeking ways to help alleviate back and joint pain and be more active.

Balancing these aspirations with work and life commitments can be challenging, but the right exercise regime can make a notable difference.

We address some common fitness goals and manageable ways to help achieve them.

Enhancing overall fitness

Start gradually – so exercise is sustainable

If you go from living a very sedentary lifestyle to suddenly spending hours each day being physically active, the chances are you will burn out. Instead, it’s best to start slow and build up your workout routine.

Find something you enjoy

Achieving your goal through exercise will be much more likely if you enjoy the workouts you are doing. But, if the very thought of workouts or exercise is off-putting, see it more as adding movement and enrichment into your life.

Mix it up

Explore your local area on a light jog or dance to your favourite songs in a Zumba class. Varying your routine, or exercising in a group, can also help you stick to a regime.

>For more information, read our article on the steps to becoming more active – your way.

Be patient

Results don’t happen overnight. Getting fitter and healthier is not a race, it’s about sustained progress. Be kind to yourself and try not to compare yourself to others.

>Read more on how to form healthy habits so that they become part of our routines.

Building muscle

Experiment with workouts. What works best for muscle growth can vary based on age, gender, genetics, and body type. Find what feels comfortable for you.

Consider lifting weights

This can improve balance, coordination, strength, and muscle size, making everyday tasks easier and contributing to a higher quality of life. Start with bodyweight exercises and gradually introduce weights.

It’s all about the sets

Increase the number of sets of exercises you complete for optimal muscle growth. Begin with 10 sets per muscle group, per week and gradually increase to 20, depending on recovery time.

Seek expert help or double check with gym staff to make sure you get the basics right and don’t risk pulling a muscle or injuring your joints.

Prioritise protein

As well as exercise, it’s important to eat an adequate amount of protein to allow muscle growth to occur. How much specifically will depend on your current body type, age, goals, activity levels and gender. For building and maintaining muscle the recommendation is 0.75g of protein per kilo of body weight per day, which works out as 56g a day for a 75kg (11st 11lb) man and 45g a day for a 60kg (9st 6lb) woman.¹

Increasing stamina

Try cardiovascular exercises

Regular cardio helps to improve physical stamina, as well as overall cardiovascular health, as it taxes the heart, lungs and cardiovascular system. Stamina can generally be improved relatively quickly, but it can also be lost just as easily – so consistency is crucial. Cardio can also help to lower blood pressure. Have some goals in mind and aim to beat your personal best by a little bit each time.

>Read more about the effect of exercise on blood pressure

Have a go at HIIT

If you’re pushed for time, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) can be completed in less than half an hour. HIIT can be any form of exercise, so long as it is performed intensely in short intervals.

For example, you may want to set up a circuit of exercises, doing 30 seconds of one, with a 10 second rest before the next one, or do intervals on one piece of equipment, like a rowing machine.

Due to the intense nature of HIIT, two to three sessions a week is more than enough - beyond this, recovery can become compromised.

Improving flexibility

Consistency is important

Incorporate different types of stretching into your daily life and exercise routines, such as static and dynamic stretches.

Static stretching typically involves holding a position whereby the muscle is in a lengthened state for 10-30 seconds. Dynamic stretches can be incorporated into warm-ups, and include things like arm and leg swings, lunges and torso twists, which prepare the body for exercise.

Aim to maintain flexibility by stretching 2-3 times per week, although daily stretching is most effective.²

Combine stretching with resistance training

To really feel the benefits of static stretching, combine it with resistance training to help make the newfound range of motion more permanent. Resistance training helps to build strength in that new movement, letting our bodies know that it is ‘safe’ to move that far.

Try LISS

Low Intensity Steady State exercises (LISS), like Pilates, Tai Chi, Yoga and even walking, are not only seen to help increase flexibility, but can alleviate feelings of stress too. This is because the deep breathing involved in these exercises helps to release tension in the body.

Having to focus on our body’s movements also helps us to be mindful and stay calm.

Managing back pain

Move more

Remedy back pain by moving more in multiple ways, not just front to back, like many common exercises. A weak core is often to blame for lower back pain, but it’s easily addressed by increasing the flexibility of hip flexors, as well as strengthening abdominal and glute muscles. Why not try hip thrusts, squats or lunges?

Make time

We all lead busy lifestyles, meaning exercise can fall by the wayside. But it’s important to make time for movement, whether it’s taking the stairs instead of the lift or a brisk walk at lunchtime. Home workouts are also an effective starting point for an active lifestyle.

Speak to a health professional

Back pain is a common symptom of a sedentary lifestyle, with the NHS stating “many adults in the UK spend around 9 hours a day sitting.”³ If you are suffering from lower or upper back pain, visit your GP or physiologist.

Whatever your goal, the prep is important

Before switching up your lifestyle, or trying new forms of fitness, always consult your GP. They can assess your needs and identify which exercises will work best for you.

Crucially, always remember to prepare your body for exercise and adequately cool down too. If you’re performing cardiovascular exercise, pace yourself and ease yourself into the speed or intensity that you’re working at.

If you’re doing a resistance training session or something like circuits, be sure to warm up with some dynamic stretches, and prepare the muscles for lifting by building up slowly to your preferred load.

Ensure you cool down by bringing down your heart rate and breathing, and stretch statically, holding for 20-30 seconds.

It isn’t about being perfect, but rather steady improvement and feeling better. By finding an exercise you enjoy, you’re more likely to stick to it.

• Mix it up and combine different activities so you don’t get bored.
• Be realistic; there’s no need to suddenly hit the gym five times a week. You’re far more likely to stick to a routine if you work out every so often.

References

1. How much protein do I need to gain muscle? – British Heart Foundation
2. Stretching and flexibility guidelines – American College of Sports Medicine
3. Why we should sit less – NHS