Archive for the ‘fitness train’ Category
Four Important Elements Of A Good Rounded Fitness Training Routine Part IV
June 4th, 2010 | Author: admin
Stability and balance is the focus of part IV of this series. Core exercises are an important part of overall fitness training, but are often overlooked.
The area around your trunk and pelvis is your body’s core. A strong core provides you with:
? Increased protection and support for your back
? Controlled movement
? A more stable center of gravity
? A more stable platform for sports movements
Good core stability that includes muscles in the pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen work in harmony to provide support to the spine for all activities.
Weakness in these muscles can contribute to poor posture, lower back pain and muscle injuries.
Basic exercises to enhance your core fitness include the:
? Bridge
? Abdominal crunch or sit-up
? Plank
? Quadruped
Core exercises should be done at least three times a week. For the best results review the following:
? Choose exercises that work the core muscles all at the same time.
? Quality of movement is better than quantity: Start out slow, learn how to properly perform each exercise and gradually build up to a greater number of repetitions.
? Breathe steadily and slowly: Do not hold your breath while doing the exercises. Breathe freely.
? Get help from a trained professional: In the beginning it is a good idea to have a fitness trainer or physical therapist help you perfect your technique.
This concludes the four part series of: “Four Important Elements of a Good Rounded Fitness Training Routinem,” which are:
? Aerobic fitness
? Muscular fitness
? Flexibility
? Stability and balance
Inclusion of all four elements helps to ensure you are working toward the optimum in physical fitness.
Source: Mayo Clinic (2005)
Disclaimer: *The information in this article is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please consult your health care provider for advice about specific medical concerns and especially before beginning any type of exercise routine. The statements in this article has not been evaluated by the Food and Health Administration and not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any kind of a health problem.
This article is FREE to publish with the resource box. This article was written 2-2007.
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Four Important Elements Of A Good Rounded Fitness Training Routine Part I
May 25th, 2010 | Author: admin
A good rounded fitness training routine includes four elements which are:
? Aerobic fitness
? Muscular fitness
? Flexibility
? Stability and balancea
In part I of this series I will discuss aerobic fitness.
You might be very much into the commitment of fitness and just looking to optimize your results. Or you might have just begun your journey (which is where I am now) to improved health and you want to establish a rounded fitness training routine. Regardless of which category you fit into it is important to base your exercise goals upon these four primary elements of a well rounded fitness training routine.
Aerobic fitness includes any kind of activity you do, from taking a simple walk down a lovely, scenic path to mowing grass and tending flowers in your flower garden. All aerobic activities require oxygen. Regular aerobic fitness exercise increases your body’s ability to use oxygen. How well your body uses oxygen is called your “aerobic capacity.” Your goal for good health and long life is to keep your aerobic capacity high. An aerobic capacity in high gear delivers large amounts of oxygen throughout your body efficiently through your heart, lungs and blood vessels.
In addition to keeping your major life sustaining organs working properly aerobic exercise helps you in daily activities. Suppose you suddenly need to run to your car in an unexpected rain shower just as you stepped out from one of your favorite department stores or worse yet, right out of the beauty salon. A high aerobic capacity will allow you to rise to this unexpected challenge without leaving you all out of breath. Your joints and bones will also rise to the occasion and help to transport you safely and quickly to your car.
The key to achieving aerobic capacity is to find fitness training activities that you enjoy and can do regularly. I just recently took out a membership in our local YMCA. Thus far, I am still on the treadmill at a moderate speed and duration. I noticed, however, this past Sunday, there was a jazzercise class going on. I thought how wonderful, I might try that later on as I gain more and more aerobic capacity to do so. They were really taking some high steps and they were not all the younger generation either. Many were as me, from the baby boomer generation.
In the gym I also saw one of my old male classmates from 6th grade. I was sorry to see he had let his hair turn grey! However, I suppose in a way, men do look more distinguished with grey hair.
I am keeping my grey hairs covered at the moment! This is not actually a source of pride, I feel, but just a style I feel best in at the moment. We need to continue throughout our lives to do the little things that raise our self esteem.
This is another area I continually have to work on since growing up among a traditional sect of Pentecostal people. For the most part, I have endured more scorning, condemnation and judgments from this tribe of people than any other I have ever been associated with.
I do not believe it is the Good Lord’s plan to position tribes or sects of people in this world to continually look out onto others with scorn, condemnation and judgments. I am forever finding ways to set myself apart from those types of sins and unrighteousness. I now call myself just one of God’s elect. I claim no other religious affiliation.
However, it seems this certain tribe or sect of people feel like they can put on a dress, never put the scissors to their hair, never bother with the slightest type of make-up to enhance their appearance, and then proceed to scorn, judge and or condemn, use their tongue in all kinds of unkind words of malice toward others, and then leave that person to suffer with the consequences of all that, while they go on about their merry way, with their long dresses and long hair swaying in the wind.
I find myself saying, God forgive them, for they seem to know not what they do to others with that type of behavior. I get back up off the ground or out of the corner where these people have pushed me and proceed to try and live a quiet, healthy life. Every opportunity I find, I do something good to those that do evil to me. Another scripture that comes to my mind at this moment is where it is says: “it is better for a man to live on the housetop than to live inside the house with a brawling woman.” Thus, is an example of a traditional Pentecostal woman……. At least in the tribe and sect of people I have been associated with.
At any rate, back to another important part of life is gaining a high aerobic capacity. You need not ever limit yourself to a single activity, such as running or walking. Add variety to increase your motivation to stay active. Try some simple dance classes such as the jazzercise.
Continued in: “Four Important Elements of a Good Rounded Fitness Training Routine Part II.”
Source: Mayo Clinic (2005)
Disclaimer: *The information in this article is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please consult your health care provider for advice about specific medical concerns and especially before beginning any type of exercise routine. The statements in this article has not been evaluated by the Food and Health Administration and not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any kind of a health problem.
This article is FREE to publish with the resource box. This article was written 2-2007.
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Four Important Elements of a Good Rounded Fitness Training Routine Part Ii
May 21st, 2010 | Author: admin
A good way to fight age-related muscle loss is to incorporate some weight training into your fitness program. Weight training helps to tone muscles and will improve your appearance.
Research shows that a single set of 12 repetitions with the proper weight can build muscle efficiently. You really do not have to spend a lot of time doing three or more sets of the exercise to acquire results. You can do a complete series of weight training exercises for your arms, shoulders, abdomen, chest, back and legs in 20 to 30 minutes.
Beginners may find they are able to lift only a few pounds. This is fine. Your muscles, tendons and ligaments will get use to weight training exercises and you will begin to see how quickly you progress. One important key here is to start slowly. When you are able to do 12 repetitions with a particular weight, you might increase the weight by up 10 percent at a time.
Muscles need time to recover from work-outs. It is advisable to rest one full day between exercising each specific muscle group. If you rather lift weights every day, plan daily sessions for specific muscle groups. You might work your arms and shoulder on Monday, then on Tuesday work your legs, and so on until you have finished all muscle groups, then go back to the beginning of the schedule.
Most people do find it more practical to work out in short sessions two to three times a week. Two to three times a week for 20 to 30 minute sessions will give you results.
Weight training helps you reverse the trend of losing lean muscle and increasing fat as you age. Weight training and other types of strength training can improve the quality of your life. The ability to complete daily tasks can become easier even for adults in their 80s and 90s.
As muscle mass increases, you will be able to work harder and longer. Other benefits of weight training are:
•Joint flexibility which guards against risk of injury
•Increased bone density which also guards against injury
•Helps you to manage your weight
•Helps you to burn calories more efficiently
•Boosts your energy
•Can boost your self-esteem, improve your body image and reduce risk of depression
•Can help you get a better nights sleep. People who strength train regularly are less likely to suffer with insomnia
If your aerobic work outs are not balanced by a proper amount of strength training, you are missing out on overall health and fitness.
When your doctor gives you the OK to begin a strength training program, start the program slowly. Warm up with five to 10 minutes of stretching or gentle aerobic activity. Choose a weight or resistance level heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12 repetitions. Remember to stop if you feel pain. I once suffered a severe low blood sugar episode after weight training. So it is very important to start out slow, and even to check with your doctor before beginning a weight training program.
If you are not certain how to get started, which weights to use or just in general need instruction with weight and strength training, by all means consult with your doctor for an appropriate referral to an exercise specialist or physical therapist. It is better to be safe than sorry with injuries.
Continued in: “Four Important Elements of a Good Rounded Fitness Training Routine Part III.”
Source: Mayo Clinic (2005)
Disclaimer: *The information in this article is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please consult your health care provider for advice about specific medical concerns and especially before beginning any type of exercise routine. The statements in this article has not been evaluated by the Food and Health Administration and not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any kind of a health problem.
This article is FREE to publish with the resource box. This article was written 2-2007
By: Connie Limon -
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How To Design A Fitness Training Plan
April 13th, 2010 | Author: admin
Your fitness training plan should be designed to provide clear and personalized direction toward achieving your goals. It is a blueprint that organizes all of your exercise activities into one cohesive program for success.
Before you design your plan, establish specific training goals. Also, gather results from any health or performance-related assessments, such as body composition, stress tests, or strength tests. Your goals and current condition offer meaningful information on which you can craft your individualized fitness training program.
Steps 1-6 summarize how to design your plan.
1. Set your target date for achieving your goals and work backwards to the present.
2. Break down your total time line into training phases of at least 4 weeks (with some latitude), starting with your initial conditioning phase.
3. Assign a purpose to each of the phases of training so that, collectively, they lead you to your goals. For example, phases may have a purpose of increasing strength fitness, cardio fitness, or maintaining fitness. All exercise activities should work in concert within the same phase. The use of training phases, or cycles, is known as periodization.
4. Within each phase, or cycle, include variations by week and by day within a range that fits the purpose of the phase. Slight variations in training regimens produce more consistent gains and prevent boredom.
5. Choose the primary exercises and alternatives that you plan to incorporate in your program in light of the exercise equipment and facility you have available. Work in any prescribed exercises you may have received from a health professional.
6. Plan detailed daily workouts for the first training phase. Select the exercises and activities for each training session and determine the order in which you will perform them. Allow ample time for all activities, including warm up and cool down.
After the design is completed, implement the first phase of the training plan. Evaluate your progress and revise the next and subsequent phases in light of how you are progressing toward your fitness training goals.
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Interval Fitness Training for Maximal Efficiency
March 25th, 2010 | Author: admin
By Rob Rayburn, Personal Fitness Trainer
Interval training can mean several things to several individuals, but in the context of fitness training, a generic definition could be: a fitness training method that involves deliberately varying the intensity level of the training session at consistent intervals throughout the session. While interval training is not limited to the muscles of the lower body, for purposes of example, this article will focus on lower body interval training.
There are many reasons for one to incorporate interval training into his or her routine. This form of training is so efficient and effective that its popularity is growing across the nation. Ideally, lower-body interval training involves an aerobic, or fat burning activity such as running, swimming, cycling, with consistently scheduled and timed bouts of increased intensity mixed into the session. The objectives of an interval training session are:
· Lower intensity, fat-burning aerobic workout at a specific training heart rate (normally 55-65 percent of one’s maximum heart rate)
· Higher intensity, short bursts of anaerobic activity that help in building lean muscle mass, as well as increasing overall endurance
When I talk to people about fitness and exercise, a common response I hear is, “I don’t have time to exercise.” That is what makes interval training so appealing to those who don’t have a lot of time to invest in a fitness program. From a personal perspective, I have had great success with interval training. Chances are, if you are currently working out at all, you can add the change of pace that interval training provides. For instance:
1. If one regularly jogs for thirty minutes a day, and is healthy enough to do so, try mixing timed intervals of sprinting into the workout. Safety note: Obviously sprinting is much more intense than jogging. Initially keep the intervals relatively short (perhaps 15-30 seconds) and periodically check your heart rate.
2. By mixing the short, timed sprints into the workout, one is receiving a good muscle-building workout for the legs, as well. Sprinting forces the muscles of the legs to contract powerfully and repeatedly in “rapid-fire” mode, encouraging a maximum number of fast-twitch muscle fiber involvement, eventually leading to larger, more powerful muscles in the legs.
It is worth repeating that interval training works in the same fashion with a wide variety of aerobic activities. The elements that make it interval training are the short bursts of timed activity at an accelerated heart rate. It is important to note that interval training is, in fact, an advanced training technique and should not be used by someone who is just beginning to get acquainted with exercise, or someone who hasn’t exercised for a prolonged period of time.
Yet another safety note: if one currently suffers from heart disease, any other cardio disorder, asthma,
Hypertension, hypoglycemia, or pulmonary disorder, consult your physician prior to performing interval training or any other form of vigorous training.
Interval training is one of the most time efficient methods known to personal trainers to get the absolute maximum from a training session. As usual, this form of training will not be for everyone. One has to be physically capable, and in reasonably decent health to perform this type of exercise. If there is any doubt, see a physician prior to engaging in the activity.
