How To Build Muscle But Not Lose Agility

Building muscle and retaining agility can be done at the same time. Although it's true that some strength training activities are specifically designed to increase lean muscle mass and don't focus on isolated body movements, many exercises build both strength and agility at the same time and provide a host of significant health benefits. You can find low-impact, high-impact and calisthenic exercises that fit the bill and are easy to customize to your fitness and ability levels.

Step 1

Start out with a low-impact activity that challenges muscles and requires precise, controlled movements. The Mayo Clinic recommends tai chi, stating that it increases agility and improves muscle strength as well as flexibility, balance, mood, sleep quality, pain and endurance. Walking or light jogging, which work the core as well as a variety of leg muscles, are also beneficial choices.

Step 2

Begin to incorporate a few more intense exercises into your routine. One way to do so is by combining traditional strength training activities with movements that require balance and agility. That way, your body will enjoy increased muscle gain without losing agility. Instead of doing bicep curls or hammer curls, for example, lunge forward and backward as you do those moves. You can also hold light hand weights or use light ankle weights while performing agility-boosting exercises such as punching, kicking and jogging.

Step 3

Try high-impact, calisthenic exercises, as the American Council on Exercise suggests, to get some of the biggest calorie-burning and aerobic benefits as well as gains in muscle strength and agility levels. Push-ups, sit-ups and jumping jacks are three of the most popular options that don't require any special equipment and can be done from anywhere. Focus on proper technique for each exercise to avoid injury. If possible, watch demonstrations from a fitness professional before attempting the movements yourself.

Step 4

Achieve the most dramatic improvements in both strength and agility with vigorous exercises such as plyometric training. Plyometrics is a demanding type of exercise that merges speed and strength, according to Donald A. Chu, author of "Jumping Into Plyometrics." Chu states that plyometric exercises are much like bending and flexing muscles as with a rubber band, since they begin with eccentric contractions to "load" the muscles and finish with explosive, rebounding movements. Examples of plyometric activities include jumping lunges and plank jacks, which combine the plank pose with jumping jacks. Due to their explosive, vigorous nature, the American Sports Medicine Institute says that plyometric exercises allow muscles to achieve maximum strength in the shortest period of time possible.