Classification of gym fitness items

Strength training, cardiopulmonary function, group classes, and functional rehabilitation. The training needs of most people entering the gym can be found in these four categories.

In the past few years, I worked as a tour coach for a leading domestic fitness chain brand for three years. I have seen too many newcomers who have just applied for a card standing in the middle of the venue in confusion, holding their cards in their hands, staring at the treadmill for half a month, and have not even touched the barbell plates in the free strength area. In essence, they have no idea of these categories and do not know what projects should correspond to their needs.

The area where you can hear the sound of banging barbells is basically the strength training area. There are actually different classification logics in the industry here: most coaches who lead newcomers will classify them according to the type of equipment. The fixed equipment area is to lay the foundation for novices, and the track is fixed to prevent injuries. The barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells in the free strength area are the home ground of advanced players, with high freedom of movement and the need for core and muscle control. The requirements are also higher; but if you ask veterans who play bodybuilding, they are more accustomed to training by parts, chest, shoulders, back, legs, and arms. They soak one part every day to lay the foundation for differentiated training. Players who play powerlifting are different. They basically only see the training content related to the three major items of squatting, pulling, and pushing, and the rest are auxiliary. There is no need to say which classification is correct, just look at your own training goals. If you want to build muscle and shape, it’s okay to divide them by parts. If you want to reach your strength limit, it’s okay to follow the logic of powerlifting. I have encountered novices who wanted to practice curling with 20kg dumbbells before. After just two lifts, they lost their waist. No one told them that they should first find a sense of force with fixed equipment and not join in the excitement of free weights.

If you walk to the corner of the venue and smell the smell of sweat mixed with sports drinks, and hear the coach shouting "Kick faster! Don't stop!", that is basically the gathering area for cardiopulmonary function events. Common ones here are treadmills, elliptical machines, spinning bikes, and rowing machines. In the past two years, many restaurants have also added stair climbing machines, which are much more efficient than treadmills. There is a lot of controversy about this type of program. Many fitness bloggers say that steady-state aerobics is a waste of time and is not as efficient as 20-minute HIIT. However, the orthopedic doctors I have contacted will basically advise novices who are heavy and have old knee injuries not to jump into HIIT. Instead, start with elliptical walking and seated rowing that put less pressure on the joints. Wait until the weight has dropped and the muscle strength is sufficient before jumping into high-intensity programs. Otherwise, if you train for a month and injure yourself for half a year, the gains will outweigh the losses.

Those who find it too boring to practice alone will most likely go to the group class classroom with neon lights on. The group classes are more complicated. The internationally popular Laimei system includes boxing gymnastics, barbell gymnastics, aerobic dance, etc., while domestically developed trampoline classes, jazz dance, static yoga, Pilates equipment and the like are also available. Many people who pursue training efficiency look down on group classes. They feel that a group of people are following blind gestures and paddling for most of the time, and there is no effect at all. But I once saw a 180-pound girl who couldn't persist in practicing by herself. She took four trampoline classes and two boxing exercises every week. She lost 24 pounds in three months and reduced her waistline by 12 centimeters. For many ordinary people, a program that can be sustained is much more useful than the "most efficient" program.

As for the area in the corner of the venue where foam rollers, fascia balls, and yoga bricks are stacked, there is also a separate recovery room, which corresponds to functional rehabilitation projects. Such projects include posture adjustment, chronic pain relief, postpartum repair, and postoperative motor function recovery. Many people feel that they are not injured or sick and do not need to do this. It is purely an IQ tax. I have seen many young men who have practiced bench pressing for half a year. Their shoulders hurt every time after pressing, and Voltaren did not help. After an evaluation with a rehabilitation practitioner, I found out that it was force compensation caused by rounded shoulders. After adjusting the posture twice and changing the force mode, the shoulder pain problem was immediately cured. If your waist feels uncomfortable after sitting for a long time, or it always hurts when you practice a certain movement, don’t just try to do it, see a rehabilitation practitioner first to see if it’s better than anything else.

In fact, these four categories are not completely separated. For example, CrossFit gyms, which have become popular in the past two years, combine strength, cardiopulmonary, and functional training together, and cannot be classified into a single category. When I practice by myself, I often mix things up. After doing leg exercises, I go to a session of yin yoga stretching, or after doing back exercises, I go to climb stairs for 20 minutes. No one stipulates that you must only choose items from one category. To put it bluntly, the classification is just to give a general direction to newcomers. The program that makes you feel comfortable and makes you willing to go to the gym every week is the program that is most suitable for you.