What Your Favourite Workout Leaves Out

Quick Intro

No single activity trains every part of fitness. Running is strong on stamina and light on upper-body strength. Lifting is the reverse, and gentle yoga builds flexibility and balance with little effect on stamina. Every activity has gaps like these, so most routines have one or two, and a small addition usually fills them.

This article looks at what common activities train and leave out, and gives a simple way to check your own routine.

The Parts of Fitness

Fitness has several parts: stamina, strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, body composition, balance, coordination, agility, power, speed and reaction time. What fitness actually is explains each one. Different activities load these parts very differently, and how you do an activity matters as much as what it is called.

Common Activities and Their Gaps

Running

Trains well: stamina, leg endurance, some bone loading from impact.
Tends to leave out: upper-body strength, flexibility and the balance and agility needed beyond straight-line movement.
Simple addition: two short strength sessions with pushing and pulling exercises such as a Push-up and a Dumbbell Row, plus a few minutes of mobility.

Cycling

Trains well: stamina and leg endurance, with little impact on the joints.
Tends to leave out: upper-body strength, balance off the bike and bone loading. Reviews find regular road cyclists often have low bone density, especially in the spine.
Simple addition: strength training with some lifting and carrying, such as a Romanian Deadlift and a Farmer’s Carry, and some walking or other weight-bearing activity.

Swimming

Trains well: stamina, upper and lower-body endurance and shoulder mobility, with no impact.
Tends to leave out: bone loading, since swimming does not raise bone density, and balance on land.
Simple addition: land-based strength work and some walking or light jumping if your joints allow it.

Lifting weights

Trains well: strength, muscle, bone loading and, through a full range of movement, flexibility.
Tends to leave out: stamina, and often balance, agility and speed.
Simple addition: regular brisk walking, cycling or another aerobic activity, plus a little balance work.

Yoga

Trains well: flexibility, balance and some strength and muscular endurance.
Tends to leave out: stamina, unless sessions are vigorous and frequent. Gentle or once-a-week practice does little for aerobic fitness. Heavy strength and power are also limited.
Simple addition: brisk walking or another aerobic activity, and some strength work with progressively heavier loads.

Team and racquet sports

Trains well: stamina, agility, speed, reaction time and coordination.
Tends to leave out: strength, especially for the upper body in many sports, and sometimes flexibility.
Simple addition: two short strength sessions and some mobility work. Is playing a sport enough? covers this in more depth.

Walking

Trains well: stamina and general health, and it is easy to keep up.
Tends to leave out: strength, balance and much bone loading.
Simple addition: strength work on two days and a little balance practice. Is walking enough exercise? explains more.

How to Spot Your Own Gaps

Ask yourself five questions about a typical week:

Do I get properly out of breath for a while on at least a few days? If not, stamina is a gap.
Do I work my legs, pushing muscles and pulling muscles against real resistance at least twice? If not, strength is a gap.
Do I move my joints through a full range regularly? If not, flexibility and mobility are gaps.
Do I ever challenge my balance, such as standing on one leg or moving on uneven ground? If not, balance is a gap.
Do I ever move quickly, change direction or react to something? If not, power, agility and reaction time are gaps, which matter more with age.

Most people find one or two gaps. Filling them rarely needs much time: a couple of short sessions or a few minutes added to existing ones.

Why This Matters

Gaps tend to show up in daily life and with age. A runner with little upper-body strength may struggle to lift a suitcase into an overhead locker. A lifter with little stamina may find a long hike exhausting. Anyone with poor balance has a higher risk of falls as they get older. Covering the main parts of fitness keeps your capacity broad, which is what most of life asks for. Being a generalist makes the case in full.

FAQ

Should I stop my favourite activity to fix the gaps?

No. Keep doing what you enjoy and add small amounts of what is missing.

Is yoga enough exercise on its own?

It covers flexibility, balance and some strength well. Most people benefit from adding some aerobic activity and progressively heavier strength work.

Does running count as strength training?

It builds leg endurance, but it does little for maximal strength or the upper body. Short strength sessions fill that gap.

How much extra time do I need to fill the gaps?

Usually not much. Two short strength sessions, a little balance practice and a few minutes of mobility work cover most gaps.