One of the most effective ways to increase your fitness is to follow a progressive exercise plan. You can get an exercise plan from your local gym, from books and magazines or by employing a personal trainer. There are also a number of free exercise plans on the Internet for you to follow. Regardless of the plan you choose, always warm up by performing some light cardio and stretching before you exercise to minimize your risk of injury. if you are currently sedentary or overweight, get a medical check-up prior to starting any new exercise routine.
CrossFit
CrossFit is an very popular free on-line exercise program. Workouts are published on most days and are designed to develop all round fitness. Fans of CrossFit include military servicemen, law enforcement officers, firefighters and athletes. CrossFit workouts are simple, short but very intense and, for reasons known to the CrossFit inner circle, often named after women. Each Crossfit workout is very different. Some use training tools such as kettlebells or rowing machines where as others require nothing more than your body weight. Supporters of CrossFit say that it is the only exercise plan you ever need to follow while detractors say it is too random and non-linear. because CrossFit workouts are so demanding, make sure you scale the workouts to suit your individual needs.
The Daily 20 Minute Fitness Solution
The Daily 20 Minute Fitness Solution -- TDFS for short -- is a free workout program that uses little or no exercise equipment and is designed to be a very accessible exercise plan. Workouts are posted six days a week with a view to developing good all round fitness, referred to on the site as general physical preparedness. Although 20 minutes may not sound like a long time, some of the workouts are quite demanding and there is an element of competition about many of the workouts as you try to beat your previous performance. All workouts can be scaled up or down to meet your personal fitness levels and there is plenty of advice available on exercise performance.
SimpleFit
SimpleFit is a three-days-a-week, 8-level workout based on just three exercises: pull ups, pushups and squats. Performing these three simple exercises will target all of your major muscles and the only equipment required is a pull-up bar. SimpleFit is very progressive and you can work up thought the eight intensity levels as you get fitter. The advantage of SimpleFit is that you do not need to access the Internet every day to get your next workout -- simply print out your workout guide and keep it with you.
One Hundred Pushups
One Hundred Pushups is a free 6-week progressive plan designed to develop the necessary strength to perform 100 straight pushups. Each workout and each week builds on your precious efforts. In addition to 100 pushups, there are also free exercise plans for squats and pull-ups. By combining the three plans you can develop all of your major muscles with very little exercise equipment or time. The main disadvantage of the One Hundred Pushups plan and the other associated workouts is the lack of progression once the repetition target has been achieved.
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