What sport provides the most wholistic workout?

ok, the best sport for total body fitness would have to be crew. If you didn’t know, crew is a sport where 1,2,4 or 8 people row a boat at high speeds. It strengthens the arms, legs, abs, pecs, and even the back. Also, it takes a lot of endurance and increases your cardiovascular health even more than running daily. Crew is a sport for both men and women, so anyone can participate. As for mind, yoga and pilates are great ways to increase flexibility and relax the mind. Note: I didn’t know that there was a question out here that you don’t have an answer for =p

yoga I love it.

I love rock climbing. It builds muscles everywhere and it feels awesome when you reach the top. :D

Tai chi: if you combine both meditative / martial art aspects.

The martial arts tai chi – where you train for combat – will demand the strength and alertness you expect from any martial art. In addition, not only does tai chi demand physical strength, but flexible inner strength (geng, the use of chi – think bamboo..)

And then the meditative slower type will train your mind to be still, and awareness in your body as you follow each moment of movement. Great understanding of mind-body.

You have to find a good sifu though, and it’s rare actually to find sifus who have both the rigor and the calm. So few sifus actually teach it as a martial art nowadays, but that’s where the roots of tai chi is from.
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@perchik – rock climbing rocks! I love figuring things out, rock by rock.

Wrestling ha ha! Actually, real wrestling is awesome conditioning- strength, agility, balance, endurance, discipline. Not the most practical answer, I’m guessing, but it’s true.

Tai chi is probably a better answer.

Swimming

Perhaps I should elaborate.
Rock climbing builds strength in your legs, arms, hands, back, abs, and fingers. It also greatly increases your flexibility. When climbing hard routes, it’s such a challenging thing that really pays off mentally when you succeed. When climbing easier stuff, it’s all about poise and grace.

Perfect meditative stuff, especially when you climb outside in nature. Climbing in a gym is also crazy awesome.

I have always heard that swimming provides the greatest workout with least damage to the body

i second @eambos. i have been rowing for 11 years (which is also half my life). i played soccer and other various sports until i decided to row full time. there is nothing like a rowing workout. 100% of your body every time (and it’s classified ‘strenuous non-contact on the physical forms)

every morning i would wake up to the dark and head off to practice. we had intense workouts, 4 seasons out of the year. indoors in the winter. racing in the spring and the fall. training with club teams in the summer. i have traveled all over the east coast for races and training camps, seen more than i could ever imagine.

i got to see the sunrise every single day. that was extremely powerful for me. the sunrise is one of the most important things for me. there is something about being on the water with your teammates, or alone and hearing the sounds of the oars propelling you across the surface, the birds and the wind, even the rain and snow. being outside on the water, rowing on the river, miles away from the dock and the road noise, so peaceful. even while working every muscle in your body. you know that only you can get yourself back to the dock. and the harder you pull, the faster you’ll get there, the faster you’ll reach the finish line.

the most incredible adrenaline rushes are at the starting line of a race. the most incredible feelings of peace and calmness are at an early morning practice as the sun peaks over the tress. there is stress and there is relaxation. it kept me going for this long, i can’t imagine a life without it.

now that i have graduated from college and am no longer part of a competitive racing team, i coach for local a master’s team. anyone over 27 is eligible. rowing is truly a sport for a lifetime. i have athletes of varying levels of fitness, age, competitiveness on my team. it is a wonderful feeling to be able to give what i have found in rowing to others.

i have been in love with the sport since i was 11 years old. i am still able to be on the water, outside and involved with the sport. the physiology and the psychology.

this answer turned out very long! i am usually one of few words, buy my passion for the sport takes over. i miss the river. the docks should be going in soon here in upstate new york. can’t wait to get back out there.

Besides skateboarding, which is 60% mental and 40% physical, I would say tennis. My wife and I love to hit that yellow ball. We haven’t played since we found out she was pregnant. The only thing is, it takes two or more people to actually play. Tai chi, like kevbo said, is awesome. A couple of years ago I bought this tai chi dvd at Wal-Mart for $1.00. It was awesome. I bought a couple more tai chi vids since then, and practice at least three times a week. It is very enlightening, and if performed right the sensation is indescribable.

A combination of swimming and snowboarding will do you wonders. The boarding takes care of any muscles you thought you were already using when swimming.

soccer or football

soccer n football is mostly physical

but yoga and karate 2

:) :p :) :) :D