What is the best workout? Cardio? Weights? Sports? Yoga? Pilates?  Exercise Ball?  If I have to choose just one form of exercise, what is considered the one best type?

This is another popular question, and hardly anyone likes the simple answer.  The simple answer is: There is no single best workout.  Period.  But why limit yourself to just one exercise?   Please feel free to add your comments and let us know which workout works best for you!

All of the workout methods listed above offer conditioning benefits.  They all also have limitations.  Be cautious of a teacher/instructor/trainer who tries to tell you that certain established forms of exercise are a waste of time.  Anything that motivates a person to participate in an activity safely has value.

There has been an ongoing senseless battle in the fitness industry regarding the “best” exercise.  We have seen it for years, it ebbs and flows on a regular basis…aerobics people do not like weights, runners do not like bikes, bodybuilders do not like weight machines, spinners do not like yoga, etc.  This machine is better than that one, this machine is a waste of time but this one is the ultimate answer to the fitness quest, etc.

We often wonder why there is so much competition between factions when the common goal is the same:  Help people to get in better shape and enjoy the benefits of exercise by finding a program that becomes a part of their lifestyle.

A good trainer will encourage people to try many different training styles, classes, and activities.  A really good trainer will feel confident that the client can enjoy ALL forms of exercise without limitation.  The best trainers regularly challenge their clients to experience new things.

Breaking this down a little further, the ACSM has determined, based on thousands of published studies from the health and sports/fitness fields, that the best program encompasses REGULAR cardiovascular exercise (what is commonly, but often mistakenly called “aerobics”), resistance training, functional flexibility, and proper warm-up/cooldown when performing any of these activities.  What does this mean to the potential participant? 

It means finding a program you can stick to that gives you all of the benefits science and experience has proven are available to exercise participants.  Better strength, endurance, flexibility, balance, awareness, improved recovery, bone density, cardiovascular health, more restful sleep, improved immune system function, and more.  Is there any single form of exercise that can supply this level of benefit?

Cardiovascular exercise (treadmill, bike, aerobic classes, elliptical/crosstrainer, etc) helps in the endurance and heart health categories.  Cardio exercise does not always help balance, flexibility or provide weight bearing benefit (outside of the thigh/hip region), and strength increases are difficult to measure with any accuracy.  Higher intensity efforts (spinning, trail-running, etc) offer interval training benefits, but still do not include upper body strengthening or flexibility.

Yoga is very popular now, and can help flexibility, balance, muscular endurance (isometric strength), can improve recovery ability and help with stress management (positively affecting sleep and immune system).  Yoga does not necessarily burn a lot of calories (around 180-250 per hour for 150 lb person), and works thru limited ranges of motion, but with little measurable benefit on full range muscular strength and anaerobic/aerobic capacity.  Pilates addresses many of these issues, but has its own limitations with equipment requirements, technique considerations, and can be risky for people with back problems.  Still, excellent modes of exercise, but not all-encompassing.

Weights (resistance training) can provide most, but not necessarily all, of the listed benefits when performed correctly.  Weight bearing activity has proven benefits in maintaining lean mass, bone density, and has shown cardiovascular benefit similar to steady state cardio exercise.  Endurance and strength can improve, and functional flexibility can be achieved when proper range of motion is explored.  Progressive improvement can be addressed, providing a continuous adaptive response.  You can get strength training benefits using just your bodyweight, simple household items, cheap weights, expensive weights, machines…whatever you have available.  We have shown hundreds of people that they can get the full body exercise benefits they want using something as simple as a towel and a medicine ball.  We have even trained people using a hill and a tree (don’t laugh…it can be very effective because of the angle of descent/ascent).  But we do not recommend it as a stand-alone program.

Why not combine something from all of your exercise interests?  The simple truth is that you should enjoy your exercise, and let other people enjoy their exercise.  Anyone taking an active role in exercising, regardless of what form they pursue, is doing SOMETHING for themselves.  Try to explore other possibilities rather than look for a single magic cure.  Combine different modalities and techniques; find one that suits YOUR specific goals and interests.  There is no rule that says that you HAVE to follow just one form of exercise.  Combining techniques can actually give you more benefit in less time!

Bruce Lee probably did the best job of demonstrating this when he developed his Jeet Kune Do system of Martial Arts.  He analyzed and tried every form and venture he could find.  He found elements he liked in many of the forms, and also elements he felt were unnecessary.  He gradually took the best pieces of all of the techniques and philosophies he encountered and created a system that broke with tradition, but addressed all the limitations he felt limited the progress of the participants.  He had no allegiance to any system except the pursuit of the best system for his goals.  He recognized the intelligence and experience of teachers and students, and “Absorbed What Is Useful” (a book title written by one of his star pupils after his untimely death).  He also did not waste a lot of time criticizing other teachers.  He challenged their methods, but respected their teaching.

It is probably safe to say that no one has ever achieved physical perfection following just one style of exercise.  Top level athletes incorporate multiple training forms and techniques (Lance Armstrong, Terrell Owens, Roger Federer, etc). The Pilates method, if it were introduced today, would probably be much different from the method Joseph Pilates he developed.  Science, technology, creativity…exercise is constantly evolving.   People can be in great shape from anything active, whether it is construction, mountain biking, weight lifting, chopping down trees, swimming, etc.  But when you find things you like to do that provide ALL of the exercise benefits you deserve, and fit within the time you have to commit to them, you have the makings of a personalized program that can provide you with all of the benefits exercise offers.