If you want to know the best fitness sports, you’ve come to the right place! It is well known that some sports only work out a part of your body and others the whole body, or some will work mostly cardio but not the muscles. If you don’t feel like going to the gym to simply work out and do some push-ups or jumping jacks to increase your fitness level, we’ve been listing all the sports that will work for your fitness the best. Today, at Pret-a-Train, we will show you the best sports for overall fitness and training. Most of them are achievable for beginners, so don’t worry if you’re not used to working out.
List of Fitness Sports
Best fitness sport: Triathlon
Triathlon is a sports discipline that consists of three endurance sports: swimming, running, and cycling. Originating from the United States in the 1970s, it is now a world-renowned discipline. Its renown got to its paroxysms when it became an official discipline in the Olympics in 2000. If you want to work out your whole body but are indecisive, this is the perfect discipline as it allows you to work out all your body parts and practice several sports. After a warm-up and a workout with one (or all) sport of the triathlon, you’ll feel brand new!
To conclude the triathlon, you don’t have to practice those sports on a competition level. You can do one at a time, all of them, or just one to get an overall workout. Triathlon is one of the best sports for fitness and general activities but is not the only one.
Swimming
Swimming is one of the oldest known sports, usually learned young. It’s fun, and it also offers many benefits for fitness physical and mental health. It’s even available for people of all ages (even babies!). There are four types of swimming: the crawl, the butterfly, the breaststroke, and the backstroke.
The crawl, or the breaststroke, is the fastest type of surface swim. It is usually used in competitions for this exact purpose. For this technique, you need to be on your stomach and work your arms in a circular movement, one arm after another. At the same time, your legs will be flapping. You have to breathe. Therefore, try to live at regular intervals, i.e., when your right arm is not underwater and in a circular movement, move your head out of the water on your right side and breathe.
On the health side, swimming will keep your heart rate up and relieve some of the stress you may suffer. But that’s not just it! Swimming will tone your muscles and build endurance and cardiovascular fitness. Almost every muscle in your body works when you’re swimming, proving that it is one of the best sports for an overall workout.
This fitness sport is versatile, as you can swim in a public pool, lake, or river.
Cycling
Cycling is the whole range of activities carried out on a bicycle. It covers several categories ranging from everyday riding for transportation to international competitions such as major races to touring and leisure activities. Cycling is one of the best sports for fitness and overall workouts because it increases cardiovascular fitness, boosts muscle strength and flexibility, makes you happier, and strengthens your brain. Not only will the muscles in your legs be used, but also those in your arms, shoulders, abs, and buttocks.
On the plus side, cycling is a great sport that you can include in your daily life as you can practise it everywhere: in a park, in the mountains, in the city, in the countryside, and even in your own home with a stationary bike!
Cycling is available for people of all ages and can be practised alone or with others, as it does not require a lot of high-level skills. From an ecological perspective, cycling can be time-saving as you could use it to move around. For instance, you can use your bike to work instead of taking your car or public transportation. You’d get a workout done, save time and help save the planet!
Running
The last sport of the triathlon is, you guessed it, running! This one is an excellent sport for fitness and overall workout, as it allows you to work out the muscles in your legs, buttocks, abs, and back! Like the other two triathlon members, running helps strengthen muscles and improve cardiovascular fitness.
If you do not feel like running, as it can be very intense, try jogging! It’s the same thing but slower. This means you will not get the same results since running requires more effort from your muscles, heart, and lungs.
Running is also cost-efficient as you don’t need accessories or particular attire to work out. You have to wear something in which you’re comfortable (shorts, sweats, shirt, sports bras, leggings, etc.) and a good pair of shoes and run!
You can run everywhere, just like cycling! However, if you don’t feel like leaving your home or the weather doesn’t allow it, you can run on a treadmill and still get the same results.
These are good reasons to start running.
Best fitness sports: Tennis and Squash
Tennis
Indeed, like the triathlon, tennis is a good sport for an overall workout and maintains health and fitness. While you play tennis, your arms, shoulders, back, abs, buttocks, and legs are used. Can you imagine? A sport as fun as tennis allows you to work out all those body parts simultaneously!
Tennis has many health benefits. Indeed, it can help increase bone density and lower body fat, improving muscle tone, strength, and flexibility.
Like other sports, tennis does not have an age limit. Therefore, you can take tennis lessons outdoors in a club on a court or with family and friends. After all, you need a net, rackets, and balls to play!
However, unlike other sports, tennis requires at least two players. It is best to find a player at the same level as you. You can even play with three other players!
Another fitness sport similar to tennis which you could try is Squash, especially when it’s raining outside.
Squash
Originally from England, squash is a racket sport played in singles or doubles on a playing court surrounded by walls and possibly glass walls: the two players alternately share and defend the same playing surface. A squash match is played in 3 winning games. First, the server must send the ball directly to the front wall, between the service and front wall lines. The ball must land within the opponent’s quarter-court, with or without bouncing off other walls. Players return the ball until one fails to make a good return.
Like tennis, your arms, shoulders, abs, buttocks, and legs will be used while you play squash. However, unlike tennis, the muscles in your back won’t be solicited.
If you like racket sports, we recommend you try tennis and squash. They are good sports for fitness and an overall workout and involve multiple muscles. They also have significant fitness and health benefits.
Best fitness sport: Volleyball
Another sport which requires a net and several players to play is volleyball! Originally known as “mintonette”, Volleyball was created by the American William G. Morgan in 1895; he described it as a combination of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball. Morgan wanted his sport to become a less intense and demanding alternative to basketball so that it could appeal to a much wider audience, both in terms of age and physical ability.
Whether you play it professionally or not, when you play volleyball, all the muscles in your body, besides your back, are solicited. Indeed, the muscles in your arms, shoulders, chest, abs, buttocks, and legs are all used while playing volleyball.
As stated, volleyball requires several players but can be played anywhere. One of the most common places to play volleyball is the beach! Indeed, beach volleyball is a fun way to practice fitness and exercise as you are in one of the most beautiful places on the planet: the beach. Surrounded by your friends, family, and strangers under the warm sun, can you think of a better place to work out?
With the triathlon, tennis, squash, and now volleyball, you have a good idea of the best sports for fitness and overall workout. But don’t worry, we’re not done yet, as we have more technical and physical sports.
Best fitness sport: Gymnastics
Gymnastics, derived from a Greek word meaning “to exercise naked,” was in ancient Greece to all exercises practised in the gymnasium, where male athletes exercised unclothed. Nowadays, gymnastics is one of the best sports for overall health, wellness, and workouts. Today, it includes various sports disciplines practised for leisure or competition: artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline, acrobatic gymnastics, aerobic gymnastics, and tumbling.
While it’s not an easy sport, gymnastics is very efficient for improving fitness, flexibility and building mass. For example, when doing gymnastics, the areas of your body that are used are the arms, abs, back, buttocks, and legs.
Unlike volleyball, gymnastics doesn’t require another player. You could do some gymnastics at home following an online class or attend a physical class. We recommend you be followed by a professional if you are a beginner.
What muscles work in Gymnastics?
As I’m sure you got this, every muscle can work by doing Gymnastics. Thus, Gymnastics could be one of the best sports for an overall workout. It could also work you in all four types of workout: Cardio, Strenght, Balance and Flexibility.
That’s why you see Gymnast so muscular when you watch the Olympics. As in Street Workout, Gymnasts’ exercise consists of shaping drills, press handstands, core exercises, pull-ups, muscle ups, rope climbs, leg lifts, plyometrics, body tension exercises, and many different exercises and variations.
Best fitness sport: Boxing
Finally, we kept this one for last as it does not appeal to everybody due to its aggressiveness. Boxing is a combat sport where you put on protective gloves and other equipment and throw punches to a punching ball, a coach (with the equipment to protect themselves from your points), or an opponent during a fight.
Before boxing existed, it was known as pankration in ancient Greece and was part of the Greek Olympic Games.
When you box, your shoulders, arms, chest, abs, buttocks, and legs work out. It’s a great sport for increasing fitness and cardio. Boxing is a great overall workout sport.
Nowadays, there are four commonly used boxing styles: the swarmer, the slugger, the out-boxer, and the boxer-puncher. Throughout the years, those different styles have been used by legends.
For instance, Muhammad Ali was a notorious outboxer because he maintained a gap from his opponents and fought with faster, longer-range punches. An out-boxer is the opposite of a swarmer because they put constant pressure on their opponent and are very aggressive.
Conclusion
In this article, we have chosen the eight sports we felt were the best for fitness and overall workout. Whether you practice them professionally or just for fun, never forget to warm up before physical activity; feel free to check our other sports-related articles! Keep healthy and balanced.
