Best sports for overall workouts

Sport

If you want to know the best sports for overall workouts, 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. You might be interested in this article so if you don’t feel like doing multiple exercises or workouts. Because today, at Pret-a-Train, we will show you the best sports for overall training. Most of them are achievable for beginners, so don’t worry if you’re not used to working out.

Sport for overall workouts: Triathlon

Triathlon is a sport discipline that consists of three endurance sports: swimming, running, and cycling. Originating from the United States in the 1970s, it is now a worldwide 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’d 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 general activities but is not the only one.

Swimming

Swimming is one of the oldest known sports you learn at a very young age. As well as being fun, swimming is a healthy activity that has many benefits for your physical and mental health. It’s even available for people of all ages (yes, 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 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. It is one of the best sports for overall workouts because cycling 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, 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 an 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.

Sport for overall workouts: Tennis and Squash

Tennis

Indeed, like the triathlon, tennis is a good sport for an overall workout as it maintains health and fitness. Also, your arms, shoulders, back, abs, buttocks, and legs will be used while you practice tennis. 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, playing tennis 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 to play. So try to find a player on the same level as you are, as it would be more suitable. You can even play with three other players!

Another sport similar to tennis which you could try is Squash.

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 as they are good sports for an overall workout. Multiple muscles are used while playing and have significant health benefits.

Sport for overall workouts: 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 it can be played anywhere. One of the most common places to play volleyball is the beach! Indeed, beach volley is a fun way to exercise as you are in one of the most beautiful places: 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 an overall workout. But don’t worry, we’re not done yet, as we have more technical and physical sports.

Sport for overall workouts: 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 workout. 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, it is very efficient for improving flexibility and mass-building. For example, if you are doing gymnastics, the areas of your body that will be used are the arms, abs, back, buttocks, and legs.

Unlike volleyball, you don’t need another player to practice gymnastics. You could do some gym at home following an online class or attend a physical class. We recommend you be followed by a professional if you are a beginner.

Sport for overall workouts: 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 are boxing, your shoulders, arms, chest, abs, buttocks, and legs work out. The only body part not solicited is your back, exactly like squash.

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 out boxer 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.

Gymnastics

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.

Conclusion

We have chosen in this article the eight sports we felt were the best for an overall workout. Whether you practice them professionally or just for fun, never forget to warm up before physical activity; feel free to check our articles about some of these sports! If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact us!