What are ways that exercise can improve body composition?

Body composition refers to all of the components that make up your body: fat, muscle, bones, and water

Most people focus on the number on the bathroom scale when trying to lose weight. However, just because your weight is not changing does not mean that your body composition is not changing.

Body composition refers to all of the components that make up your body: fat, muscle, bones, and water.

Body composition is a good parameter to use to monitor positive changes in your body and health. There is no point in losing weight if what you are losing is bone and muscle mass and not body fat.

Learn how to improve your body composition through nutrition, exercise, and stress management.

You can improve body composition by losing body fat or increasing muscle or both. Basic principles to follow when trying to accomplish this include balanced nutrition and regular exercise.

Nutrition

One simple approach to improving body composition is to transition to a healthier diet centered on whole foods rather than junk food. Choose foods that are low in sugar and high in protein and healthy fats, and limit your carb intake to fruits and vegetables.

Do not forget to include fiber and to drink plenty of water.

Physical exercise

The best way to avoid fat accumulation is to burn more calories through physical activity.

For the best results, follow a balanced fitness regimen that incorporates both strength training and cardio, as each type of exercise has an effect on body composition. Strength training helps you build stronger, leaner muscles and increase your metabolic rate, allowing your body to burn more calories even when resting. Cardio burns more calories and encourages your body to use more stored fat for fuel.

Stress management

Chronic stress can cause your hormones to go into overdrive, disrupting your insulin sensitivity and eating patterns. Stress also tricks your body into storing more fat.

Understanding body composition is important if you are trying to improve your fitness.

Unlike a body mass index calculator, which cannot distinguish between fat and muscle mass, a body composition test can accurately assess the amount of fat, lean muscle, and water in your body.

Tracking these amounts as you lose weight or gain muscle is crucial for planning your workout regimen and adjusting your diet accordingly. The more you know about your body composition, the easier it is to devise a strategy for losing fat and building muscle.

Knowing your body composition also helps ensure that you do not lose too little or too much fat, which can eventually lead to health problems.

Body fat percentage is commonly used to assess body composition.

Body fat percentages ranging from 10%-25% for men and 18%-30% for women have been associated with good health.
Body fat percentages of 5%-13% for men and 12%-22% for women are more common among physically active people.
The minimal level of body fat designated as necessary body fat is 5% for men and 8% for women.

The lowest amount of fat required by your body to maintain health is known as essential fat. Your body needs essential fat, as losing too much fat can have serious health effects. Being underweight can make it difficult to retain lean body tissue as you age, cause electrolyte imbalances, and make you prone to fractures due to brittle bones.

According to the USDA, there is no difference between a “portion” and a “serving.” See Answer

Body composition can be measured in a variety of ways:

Dual-energy X-ray absorption (DXA) spectroscopy is widely regarded as the gold standard method for evaluating body composition, as it provides scientific and professional findings. However, it can be costly and time-consuming, and it is only available to certain health experts.
Calipers can measure fat or skinfolds at various locations on the body to determine the total amount of body fat. Standards are used to compare measurements. When fat folds at several locations are quantified, a clearer picture of body composition emerges. These are mostly used in academic research and studies.
Hydrodensitometry, often known as underwater weighing, evaluates body density and can be used to assess body composition.
Magnetic resonance imaging scans can help assess skeletal muscle mass and fat mass. It can even differentiate between visceral and subcutaneous fat.

Body fat percentage, weight, body mass index, and waist circumference are all used as health markers.

If you have low energy or are carrying more weight than you want, adjusting your body composition is an important way to look and feel better. Improving your body composition can have the following benefits:

Medically Reviewed on 8/24/2022

Image Source: iStock image What Is Body Composition? https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/what-is-body-composition

4 KEY PRINCIPLES FOR ENSURING SUCCESSFUL BODY COMPOSITION CHANGES: https://cleanhealth.edu.au/blog/4-key-principles-for-ensuring-successful-body-composition-changes/

One of the most important things a trainer has to show their clients is the concept of body composition.

Daily use of body composition exercises is an excellent way to transform body shapes. In addition, it allows a person to get control of total body fat percentage by using a series of simple exercises.

Here are a set of simple body composition exercises everyone should know that transforms body shapes.

1. squats

Squats have a great ROI. And you don't need hundreds of pounds on the shoulders to see that. Squats are great for working the lower body.

Additionally, their simplicity often leads to unwanted results, such as injuring the back or knees. Many people do squats incorrectly. Often this leads to spraining, tenderness, and pain in the knee and ankle. But if done correctly, the squat sculpts the lower body perfectly.

Here are some tips on performing squats correctly:

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
Stretch arms out to the front.
Slowly lower the butt like you're sitting. Maintain your balance and don't trip. Keep the back straight. As you bend, the knees should not be in front of the toes.
As you drop, breathe out. Keep heels pressed to the floor. Thighs should be parallel to the floor. Toes, hips, and knees should point forward.
Hold the position.
Return to start position, breathing in.
Clench the glutes.

A variation of the squat is performing it with only one leg.

Stand in squat position but with one leg with the other leg extended out in front.
Begin the squat, maintaining stability and balance.
Keep the extended leg straight.

2. push-ups

The push-up is the most basic yet effective and most challenging exercise you'll use. Body composition exercises require you to learn to balance and stabilize your body weight.

For this, the push-up is a perfect example. It can be difficult as it asks for control of a range of muscles.

With the push-up, you engage the legs, shoulders, chest, arms, and the all-important core. And like all of the exercises on this list, you can do push-ups anywhere.

Tips for performing a correct push-up:

Kneel on the floor with the head facing downward. Press palms to the floor, keeping them beneath your shoulders. Keep arms fully extended and straight.
Stretch your legs back. Your weight should rest on the balls of the feet. Keep the spine straight.
Slowly begin to lower your body. Do not let your body touch the floor. Stop. Hold the position for a few seconds.
Push back up. Throughout, the head should face downward.
Do 10 reps. Then take a break and do another set of 10.

A beginner can start their push-up regimen with their knees on the floor. But it's advised you work your way towards the standard push-up. Doing push-ups on your knees becomes effortless and offers nothing to fitness.

There are many variations of the push-up. Each one is challenging and attacks core muscles.

3. Planks

Excellent for home workouts, planks strengthen muscles and improve posture. They work the hamstrings, shoulders, glutes, and core.

The exercise is instrumental in the alignment of the spine. Fitness experts prefer planks to sit-up or crunch machines as those can gradually damage the neck and spine.

To plank correctly, follow these steps.

Get on the floor.
Align the hands with the shoulders, stretching them to the floor. Similarly, align the hips with your knees. (For beginners, instead of extending the arms, position yourself on your forearms.)
The head should face the floor throughout.
Stretch the legs, resting on the balls of your feet. Maintain a straight line from the head, spine, and ankles. Open the chest and lean the shoulders back. Pull in the navel, tuck the tailbone and chin and squeeze the glutes.
Hold the position for 30 to 60 seconds.
Repeat as often as you can.

Variations of the Plank

4. Hip Extension

Increase your stability and strength with a hip extension. You can perform these on your hand or forearm. You're simply doing the plank with one side of the body.

Get in the plank position, put all your weight on one leg and one side. Contract the glutes, extend the hip, and raise the upper leg off the floor. Keep the alignment to avoid any arching in the lumbar. Then, extend the straight arm, keeping it aligned with the shoulders.

Hold the position for the desired time. You can do reps with the same side or alternate sides of the body.

5. Side Plank

The slide plank strengthens the external and internal obliques and glutes. In addition, side planks work muscles that support the spine and pelvis.

Do the side plank with the hand or the forearm, using only one side of the body, like the hip extension. Maintain, as always, alignment, balance, and core stability.

You can either flex the bottom leg at the knee for better weight support. The other leg, with its foot on the floor, should be straight. Raise the hips to keep the line straight from shoulder to ankle.

If confident about core control and stability, straighten both legs, stacking them with hips lifted. For more support, place the top leg in front of the bottom, allowing the top heel to touch the toes of the bottom foot.

6. Side Plank With Hip Abduction

From a side plank, contract the outer hip and lift the top leg. Lift from the heel to activate the right muscles. Hold the position. You can also raise your arm toward the ceiling. This is an extreme challenge for the core and shoulder.

7. Burpees

Burpees are one of the top body composition exercises out there. They make the heart pound and send the heart rate jumping quickly. Burpees are top-notch solutions for endurance, coordination, and power.

But they are challenging and, in the beginning, exhausting. The burpee combines the push-up and squat with a jump.

Burpees are often modified to align with specific fitness levels.

The basic sets for a burpee are:

Stand with your arms at your sides.
Drop into a squat.
Proceed to drop into a high plank position.
Perform a single push-up.
Jump back to a standing position.
Repeat several times or perform once, take a break and do another.

Depending on an individual's fitness level, the burpee, in the beginning, can be exhausting. But if you wish to blast the muffin top, the burpee is a great way to go.

8. Lunges

The lunge engages abdominal and core muscles. It builds stability and balance. With a powerful core, you can avoid lower back issues. Lunges also help improve posture, coordination, and balance.

Likewise, lunges support the strengthening of buttocks and legs while improving hip flexibility. The exercises enhance functionality and impact everyday, natural movement.

For lunges, keep these tips in mind.

Stand, feet hip-width apart. Arms on the hips. Press feet firmly to the ground.
Take a long, huge step forward. Lower your body slowly. Both knees should bend, but at not more than 90 degrees. Keep the front knee aligned over the front ankle.
Do not let the knee touch the ground.
Hold the position for several seconds.
Return to the standing position.
Do a set with the left leg, then perform a set with the right, or alternate between legs.

Sit-ups and crunches

Sit-ups and crunches also boost core strength. As they encourage intestinal function, sit-ups and crunches can also improve digestion.

There are easy variations (on an incline, while holding weights, etc.) that allow continued challenges to the core.

Do take note neither of these exercises specifically target fat. They simply work the abs and other muscle groups. These exercises help burn calories and improve the appearance without weight loss.

9. Sit-ups

Sit-ups are a multi-muscle exercise. They not only make the core strong but potentially produce that six-pack everyone admires.

Lie on your back.
Bend at the knee, place feet on the ground to stabilize the lower body. Some may have difficulty coming up without weighing the feet down. One can do the exercise with a bar or dumbbell, the underside of a couch or armchair, etc.
Either place hands behind the ears or cross them to opposite shoulders. (If hands are behind the neck, do not pull on the neck as you come up. Use the abs.)
Curl the upper body, exhaling as you lift. Go all the way to the knees.
Slowly lower yourself back as you inhale.

There are a variety of sit-ups you can add to your workout.

10. Crunches

What separates the crunch from the sit-up is the former focuses only on the ab muscles. Another difference is when overdone, crunches can cause beginners severe back pain.

You may have read about celebrities doing 1,000 crunches at a time. Don't bother. Stick to 25 to 30 reps a set and do several sets during a single workout.

Lie on your back.
Bend the knees to stabilize your body.
Cross hands to opposite shoulders or place them behind the ears.
Do not pull the neck as you engage.
Exhaling, lift head and shoulder blades from the ground.
Keep core tight.
Inhaling, return to the lying position.

Like sit-ups, there are different ways to perform crunches.

In the end, exercise does not have to be a gym experience alone. Getting clients to see how they help themselves by working out any chance they get is not simply good for fitness.

It's good for mental health as well. And the confidence gained will encourage greater diligence when clients see their trainer!

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24.3% of people are members of one or more fitness clubs in their area, but the downside is people on average only stay members for a max of four years. If you're a gym owner, one thing that's on your mind is keeping gym members motivated enough to continue coming to the gym.

We're here to give you some valuable tips that will not only help when it comes to increasing motivation but also help you retain your gym members.

1.Be Personable

There's nothing worse than using the same gym for years only for them to ask you if you're new each time you visit. The first piece of advice we have to offer when motivating gym members is to be personable.

Being personable means learning the names of the people who use your gym and calling them out directly when they come in. Clients understand they're more than just another number or another dollar bill in your pocket when you do this.

It makes them feel as if they're a part of your gym's atmosphere. You could even take things a step further and send out emails about classes you think the client will want to participate in or to say thank you for attending the day's session.

A little customer communication goes a long way.

4.2 billion people use one of the various social media platforms regularly. This gives you more than one chance to reach out to clients and engage with them.

If you're looking to motivate clients and encourage them to keep coming back, connect with them on social media. You can host challenges where clients post their workout selfies to help motivate others.

Social media is also helpful if you don't see someone in class, but follow your gym's business page. A simple, 'hey, we missed you in class today, we'll catch you at the next one,' will mean a lot to your clientele.

Ensure when you're using social media platforms that you're always following the rules and regulations in place for business accounts.

3.Create Your Own Fitness Challenge

There's no better way to motivate your gym members than to start your own competition. People love competition and the chance to beat others.

For that reason, you need to think about creating your own fitness challenge and having gym members participate. You could challenge members to walk a certain amount of miles in a week or challenge them to take a certain number of classes in a specific time frame.

Ensure you provide members somewhere to track their progress. By the end of the challenge, find a way to announce the winners extravagantly.

4.Go Virtual

With the pandemic still keeping some people at home, there will be those not coming to the gym. If they aren't going to the gym, they might feel like there's no reason to have a gym membership anymore, leading them to cancel it.

Your gym needs to go virtual to give people at home an option to work out as well. Find some of your trainers who are willing to train in-person and online.

This will motivate your gym members to get up and get moving even if they're at home. Virtual is the way to go.

5.Change the Scenery

Sometimes people don't enjoy working out because they have to look at the same walls repeatedly. Offer your members a change of scenery every once in a while and take classes outside.

This doesn't mean you've got to do it all the time, but hosting a yoga session outside in the cool fresh air makes a world of difference for your members.

6. Ask For Feedback

Asking for feedback gives members input into some of the things that go on at the gym. After someone has signed up for a membership, throughout the year ask clients what classes they want to see more of.

Do they want more weightlifting classes? Do they want to see an increase in pool workouts? Having this information will help you to tailor classes and sessions offered to fit your client's needs.

When your client's needs are met, you increase the chances of them taking more classes. If they look at the monthly calendar and don't see classes they're interested in, they lose motivation to visit the gym.

7. Host Events Outside the Gym

There's a time to work out, and there's time to relax and allow your body to recover from the exercises you've done. If possible, host nights when your members can socialize with one another without weighting their hands.

They get the chance to get to know people they've seen in classes frequently. Besides, who doesn't like enjoying food and beverages with others that have the same interests that they have?

8.Increase Bootcamp Sessions

Sometimes the push of motivating people need lies within a couple of days of boot camp. Spending time with a trainer will push them to complete their workout and not give up on themselves.

When your clients sign up for Bootcamp, they want a one-of-a-kind experience that's conducted at a higher level than regular classes. Bootcamp should raise the bar as far as intensity goes.

9.Celebrate Client Milestones

During the period of time when members were still new, you needed to speak to them about the goals they wish to accomplish and complete an assessment. Do they want to lose a certain amount of pounds?

Do they want to get leaner? After they've expressed what their goals are, sit with them to create a plan they can follow to achieve these goals. And once these goals have been achieved, celebrate them.

There are tons of ways you can celebrate members who've reached the goals they set for themselves. You could give them a shoutout on your gym's website and offer them a bonus class to celebrate the milestone they've reached.

10.Offer Discounts to Members

Your gym software system should have a way to keep track of members that haven't been to the gym in a while. Have a schedule for when you'll check the list to see who these members are and reach out to them.

Offer members a discount on the next class or personal training session they attend. For some people, the only motivation they need to get back in the gym is a discounted overall price.

Once they're back in the gym and the swing of things, it'll be easier to continue coming. All it takes is one class to get them in the mood to continue pushing themselves.

11.Go Beyond the Workout

Often the only time gym members see trainers is in the gym. Do something that other gyms don't do and take your members beyond the workouts. Give them a sneak peek into what goes into class preparations.

You could host question and answer sessions with different trainers or have trainers compete in head-to-head challenges to post on social media. This shows clients that the trainers are working hard behind the scenes as well and aren't telling members to do something they don't do.

This is another way to nurture relationships between clients and your business. It will also increase the engagement your social media page gets increasing the chances of member retention, and will also help you to attract new members.

12.Donate to Charity

If you're looking to gain members and retain the ones you have, you must connect with your community. The best way to do this is to donate to charities in the area, and we aren't talking about giving them money.

When we say donate, we mean offering a specific number of classes or holding training sessions in other places for community members to attend. This spreads the word about your gym and gives people in the area a taste of what they can expect if they sign up for a membership.

If you don't want to offer classes for free, you can always provide a discount on classes or a membership when they sign up.

The Secret to Keeping Gym Members Motivated

We've shared some of our top secrets to keeping gym members motivated above. Take time to ask your members for feedback about the classes they want to see more of and don't forget to offer a change of scenery from time to time.

If you're looking to stay updated on the latest trends in the fitness world, check out Styku. We've got all the information you need to help your clients become the best versions of themselves.