FIT IN THE CITY
YOGA vs Pilates, running vs spinning, BodyPump or free weights…In theory, choice is a good thing but when you’re pushed for time and need your workout to be short, sharp and hitting the spot, it’s useful to know what how different regimes stack up against each other.
Yoga vs Pilates
This all depends on what your goals are. For those of you who want to improve your flexibility and learn to unwind in a healthy way, yoga is probably a better bet. If you’ve been told you need to strengthen your core muscles (and that’s basically everyone who’s ever had a back problem or sports injury) then pilates is for you. And pilates has the added bonus of toning that stubborn lower part of your tum, so you look thinner even if you haven’t lost weight.
Running vs spinning
This one depends on whether you’re planning on heading outdoors to run or not. If you’re not, a spinning class is a more stimulating, lower-impact way of burning hundreds of calories and boosting fitness levels than a stint on the treadmill. However, any runner will tell you nothing beats heading outdoors to pound the pavements for a run, even though it is a pretty solitary activity. As far as calorie-burn and fitness benefits go, they’re about neck-and-neck.
BodyPump vs free weights
As with the others, this one really depends on your goals. If you’re looking to improve muscle tone and want to work on developing some good techniques for basic moves such as squats, lunges, clean and press and so on, give BodyPump a go. But if you’re looking to pack some muscle mass on and achieve significant strength gains, you’re better off sticking to high weight, low rep sets of free weights in the gym.
laura@laurawilliams
online.co.uk.