I Don't Know Where to Exercise: Introduction
When a person finally makes the decision to start exercising, the first question that comes to mind is "Where am I going to work out?" There are several options available. Those include joining a health club, purchasing a home gym or exercising outside.
I'm going to focus on the choice of either joining a health club or purchasing a home gym. I believe that choosing one of these two options will give the best workout possible.
Although being outside sounds very inviting, it limits the workout to only certain types of exercises, therefore limiting the benefits you receive. When you exercise outside you are limited to cardiovascular exercise along with flexibility training. Outdoor exercise is not typically associated with strength training. Although cardiovascular exercise and flexibility training are very important, they should not be your only types of exercise. Strength training is a very important component and should not be neglected.
You may ask, "What about activities that involve lifting such as cutting wood, some types of landscaping or lifting bags of leaves or brush?" Technically you are lifting weight that involve muscular activity; however, it's not considered effective strength training. The reason is this. In order to strength train properly you must use each of the major muscle groups in a repetitive and consistent manner. This will create balance within each muscle group. Performing certain lifts such as stacking wood will only work certain muscle groups, leaving others virtually unused. Over time this may lead to muscular imbalance, later resulting in injury.
With that said, let's spend some time focusing on what you should know about joining a health club or purchasing a home gym.
