Physical Education & Fit Living

Strength or Resistance Training is any type of exercise in which your muscles are working against a force. Examples include using free weights, weight machines, a resistance band, or even gravity.

Strength training should ideally be done 2-4 days per week–allowing for a 48 hour rest period before working the same muscle groups again.

A typical strength training program involves performing 10-15 repetitions in 2-3 sets, with a few minutes rest in between sets. However, any amount of resistance training can be beneficial.

Cross training is simply the idea of performing a variety of exercises to work different muscle groups in different ways. An ideal cross-training program involves various aerobic, strength, and flexibility training exercises.

For an athlete, cross training can help one improve in his sport, as well as maintain muscle balance and flexibility.
For example, a runner mainly performs cardiovascular activity using his legs. The following are examples of cross training activities helpful for runners.

1. Stretching regularly is important to maintain flexibility and prevent injury.

2. Strength training of the legs can increase speed and power. Upper body strength training is also important so the upper body muscles are not neglected.

3. Other cardio activities, such as biking, can be good cross training activities. Although biking also focuses on the legs, it uses the muscles differently and with less impact.

The more you do the same exercises, the better your body will be able to perform them and the less work it will take. In order to continually improve your fitness level, it is important to consider the principle of overload.

Overload is the idea of continually increasing one element of your workout, such as time, intensity, or resistance.

Here are two examples:

1. If you walk one mile at the same pace every day, your body will become used to that exercise over time. In order to progress, try increasing your speed, distance, or adding light ankle or hand weights.

2. If you start a resistance program doing bicep curls with 5 lb weights, it may initially be difficult. However, once it becomes easier, it is time to increase your weight, sets, or repetitions.

The cool down has vital physiological functions. When your heart rate is increased from exercise and you suddenly stop your activity, the blood flow rapidly decreases, which can cause blood to pool in your feet.

Since blood carries oxygen to your brain, heart, and muscles, it is vital to decrease your exercise intensity slowly and keep the blood flowing evenly.

The cool down also allows your muscles to cool down slowly. Without a cool down period, muscles may cool down rapidly and tighten up. This can lead to muscle stiffness and soreness.

To properly cool down, decrease to a light intensity level until your breathing and heart rate have slowed. The cool down is also an excellent time to stretch.

Cardiovascular, or aerobic, fitness is the ability to sustain moderate to high intensity activity over an extended period of time. Activities in which the large muscles of the body are in constant or almost constant motion are considered aerobic. Generally your heart rate and breathing increase for a sustained period of time.

In addition to being good for burring calories, aerobic activity is particularly good for your heart. The heart is a muscle; just like any other muscle, it grows stronger with frequent use. A well conditioned heart is able to pump more blood and oxygen to the body and maintain a higher rate for longer periods of time. That is why aerobic activities are also known as “Heart Healthy” exercise.

Examples of aerobic activities include running, walking, swimming, biking, and dance.

We often hear advertisements for ways to burn fat from just your mid-section, glutes, or other problem areas. However, as much as we’d all love to target fat on the abdomen, glutes, hips, thighs, or underarms, there is no such thing as spot reduction. That means you can’t burn fat from just one specific spot on your body.

Exercise in specific areas of your body may increase your muscle strength or endurance in those areas. However, fat is generally reduced throughout the entire body, not just one spot.

The best way to reduce overall body fat is to eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly.

Why warm-up? According to the American Council on Exercise, a warm up does the following:

• Leads to efficient calorie burning by increasing your core body temperature
• Produces faster, more forceful muscle contractions
• Increases your metabolic rate so oxygen is delivered to the working muscles more quickly
• Prevents injuries by improving the elasticity of your muscles
• Gives you better muscle control by speeding up your neural message pathways to the muscles
• Allows you to work out comfortably longer because all your energy systems are able to adjust to exercise, preventing the buildup of lactic acid in the blood
• Improves joint range of motion
• Psychologically prepares you for higher intensities by increasing your arousal and focus on exercise

If you don’t want to track your heart rate, there are other ways to determine your intensity during exercise. One method is the talk test.

When you are exercising at a moderate intensity level, you shouldn’t be so winded that you cannot talk. You should still be able to carry on a conversation with your workout partner. However, you should be working hard enough that you do not have enough breath to sing.

If you are doing intervals or performing at a more vigorous intensity level, your ability to hold a fluent conversation may be more stilted.

How do you know if you are working too hard or not hard enough? Tracking your heart rate is one way to determine your intensity.

To calculate your Exercising Heart Rate:

• Pause
• Find your pulse, preferably in your neck
• Count the number of beats in 15 seconds
• Multiply that number by 4

What does it mean? First determine your Age-Predicted Maximal Heart Rate by using the equation below:

220- your age = Your Age-Predicted Maximal Heart Rate

Your Target Heart Rate Zone is 60-85% of your Age-Predicted Maximal Heart Rate. When performing cardiovascular activity, your exercising heart rate should fall in this zone.

When it comes to exercise, most people still believe in the philosophy of “no pain, no gain.” While it can be nice to feel that muscle burn during a workout, you do not want the after-affects of exercise to cripple you for days after.

Going full force or pushing too hard when beginning an exercise program can lead to soreness and injury. This can also be discouraging when you are trying to get into a regular exercise schedule, as it’s difficult to be motivated to exercise if you can still barely move from your workout two days ago!

When starting a new exercise program, or even just a new exercise, start slowly and increase your time and intensity gradually over time.