The best workouts to build strength, burn calories, manage sore joints

Besides the physical benefits of exercise such as jump-starting your metabolism, it also helps to clear your mind.

It is just a great way to have a moment to yourself, whether it is a run or yoga.

Research, published in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management, found that “on exercise days, people’s mood significantly improved after exercising. Mood stayed about the same on days they didn’t, with the exception of people’s sense of calm, which deteriorated”.

But which workouts are the best depending if one day you really want to relieve stress but maybe one day you want to focus more on building strength?

Here, we look at some of the new most popular workouts and tried them out so you didn’t have to.

1. The best workout if you have sore joints

At-home workouts were all the rage during the pandemic, as we know.

One of the most popular ones involved a small trampoline. That’s right – your favourite childhood activity is actually a great workout.

The ness is a beat-based, low-impact, high-intensity trampoline workout with a digital platform and counts Kelly Ripa, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Eva Longoria as fans.

Founded by Aly Giampolo and Colette Dong, this workout is great at whatever age you are as it provides a low impact sweat with a myriad of health benefits including but not limited to lymphatic drainage, pelvic floor strength, and cardiovascular endurance.

Giampolo, founder and method director, shared advice for those intimidated by starting a new workout:

“When you begin any fitness routine, you should expect to feel challenged as you learn to shift and move your body in new ways.

“Our best advice on how to stay motivated? Take the time to find a workout that you actually enjoy. In any aspect of life, it’s difficult to motivate yourself to do something multiple times a week that you’re not excited about; fitness is no different.

“The more you love your workout, it suddenly becomes something you want to do rather than have to do.”

2. The best workout if you want to burn a lot of calories

Of course, the intention of most workouts is to burn calories but an especially fun one is kickboxing. And Hit House is a kickboxing studio workout that is great for all levels, from professional fighters to someone that’s never thrown a punch before.

So how does it work?

Tyler Scott, the co-founder of Hit House, invented and patented the striking bag used in class. The bag, nicknamed Bishop, is connected floor to ceiling and is filled with a dense foam, which creates a low-impact striking experience, absorbs punches, kicks, knees and elbows, eliminates swingback, and decreases injury and bruising.

“Bishop allows Hit House to offer Muay Thai to guests of all skill sets, fitness levels and ages. The class format at Hit House is programmed to teach the basics of all the strikes during the warm up of class. While you are warming up and getting loose, you are also learning and improving striking fundamentals and technique,” he said.

“Consistently practising your strikes and endurance is the best way to get better at any sport, with kickboxing being no exception. Find a day and time of the week that works best for your schedule. There’s no ‘wrong’ time to workout when it comes to kickboxing: start your day feeling energised, awake and warm, or end your day by letting out all of the tension, stress and workload during a striking session.”

The brand is currently based in New York City and is expanding to multiple studios within the city.

3. The best workout if you want to strength train

You’ve definitely heard of Pilates but within that space you need to know about [solidcore] as it is “Pilates redefined”.

The class is a 50-minute, extreme, full-body workout that uses a patented machine created specifically for the studio.

Done in a low-lit room with blue lights, energising music and an experienced coach guiding the workout, the class targets clients’ slow twitch muscle fibres and takes strengthening, conditioning, and resistance training to a whole new level.

The East Coast brand is expanding to LA for the first time ever in January 2022. [solidcore] originated on the east coast in Washington, D.C. but is now launching their west coast takeover, starting with cities like Houston and Denver in 2021 and LA and Seattle.

4. The best workout if you want to be a surfer

Alright, this one is a little unique but who doesn’t want to be in surfer shape without actually having to go in the ocean everyday?

Surfset provides a full body workout and increases core strength.

The class was started by Mike and Sarah Hartwick back in 2012, in an attempt to recreate the fun, powerful workout that a summer of surfing provides, albeit one that’s possible during those cold fall, winter and spring months.

Surfset helps with balance, body control, flexibility, stability, aerobic capacity and mind body connection.

This article was originally published on The Ladders.