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"Dear David and Trish,

I consider myself committed to Fitness, AND a loyal reader of your column. I have learned much from you through the last few months, but I am STILL confused about what you have described as "Specificity of Training". Can you explain, and elaborate, please.

Dear "Inquiring Mind",

It is wonderful that our readers, such as yourself, ask such pertinent and important questions! Thank you. You raise a wonderful question.

"Specificity of Exercise" has to do making efficient use of your time, and energy, whilst working out and engaging in fitness related activities.

One of the first questions that Trish and I ask a new client is WHAT they want to improve, or accomplish, in their fitness program. You already know that we both feel it is best NOT to be goal-oriented during the exercise experience, but to select goals when developing a program is just good sense. And, once specific goals are chosen, a training modality (gee, Trish, I know some BIG words!) and specific types and styles of exercises can be grouped, and sequenced effectively.

So let’s explore some general fitness approaches, and the types of programs that will support and enhance them….

Endurance, and Stamina. Both have a similar meaning. Stamina is typically used to described "systemic" endurance. Endurance is used usually connected to specific functional processes such as muscles, respiration, etc. What makes this function so especially important?

There are many instances in real-life situations where strong endurance will mean the difference between success and failure, and even sometimes survival itself. The heart needs to keep beating, the lungs need to keep exchanging air, and all systems are dependent on the endurance factor to do this effectively. Throw in a trauma or crisis, and the need gets even stronger! This is NOT an area for compromise.

And, of course, many types of sports and athletic activities require a very well developed endurance. Even long duration mall-walking does (except for the frequent stops to look for bargains!).

Let's say you're a cyclist. Improving the ability of your legs to generate force quickly and powerfully would enable you to complete each pedaling circle with greater power. That means you'd go faster and be able to climb hills better. That translates to improved time, as well as an easier performance of the movement. So, although you might think at first that training using rapid movements is not compatible with endurance training, a closer look shows us that in fact, an endurance sport can be made up of a lot of little kicks, jumps, etc., all of which could benefit from being more powerful.

What does benefit from slower movement and sustained muscular contraction are things that depend on you getting into place and staying there. So, to take our cyclist example, while it's useful to build extra power in the legs, the lower back and forearms must hold a particular position for a long period of time. Explosive leg training could be combined with exercises such as wrist curls, and lower back exercises such as back hyper-extensions, again done with lower weight and higher reps.

There are different types of strength. Strength-endurance is the ability to hold a position with as much force as possible, for an extended amount of time. An example of this would be a grappling sport which depends on holding a partner in position for several seconds, or figure skating which uses overhead lifts and holds.

Speed-strength is used in either movements which require a fast execution of a relatively low intensity action (such as throwing a baseball or jumping with just body weight), or movements in which it is crucial to rapidly achieve a large muscular output to move a heavier resistance. Speed strength is quite complex, but in general terms it is important to focus on rapid acceleration of the load, rather than moving the load slowly. Even if the load doesn't actually move quickly the attempt to move it rapidly is what matters.

Many people we work with a looking for changes or improvements in size and proportion. We use terms such as "firming", "shaping", "contouring", and "tightening" to describe the results of this type of exercise. One of our specialties in training has been working with professional models in specifically altering areas of the body WITHOUT altering others. This is quite a challenge… and when someone’s very livelihood depends on success, the pressure is always on. But, results are always there!

This type of training generally requires very muscle-specific, low resistance, high rep exercises, especially requiring full range of motion (stretch and contraction). Movements should be continuous and fluid, and stress should be constant throughout the range of motion. No fast explosive pushes here… just easy motion.

Many people expect major reduction in body mass as a result of this type of exercise. We often have people desiring decreases in waist size, butt girth, and other specific areas. We would like to mention that if your objective is "slimming down", it is necessary to work at losing body fat. That is typically the culprit in increased body size. So, as we’ve said before, overall fitness requires a combination of exercise and a sound nutritional program ("in other words, EASY on the cheeseburgers… unless you learn how to eat them RIGHT!" … says David smugly!).

Last, but certainly NOT least, is Cardiovascular Training. Many people attempt to use this type of exercise to promote and maintain weight loss. WRONG! This exercise is for internal function…. The heart, lungs, and circulation. The benefits of caloric expenditure are secondary, and are somewhat offset by natural shifts in post-workout basal metabolism (keep reading our column!).

There are so many different types of effective cardiovascular exercises. In the gym you have treadmills, recumbent bikes, elliptical trainers, stair-steppers, etc. Outside you have brisk walking, moderate running, sports, mountain climbing, skating, walking to the mall for a Kohr Brothers ice cream, etc. So no problem there!

The main elements of effective Cardiovascular training is duration and intensity. Duration should be from twenty to forty minutes. Intensity is generally measured by heart rate DURING the activity, and generally should be 65 to 80 percent of your maximum for your age and condition. Again, keep reading our column for more information in this and other areas.

It is apparent that what appears to be simple and easy is really quite complex and challenging. And, to top ALL of this off, there is one overwhelming principle in exercise and fitness that must be adhered to… "if it works, change it!". This has to do with homeostasis, and systemic and muscle adaptation. Yipes! And you wondered why us Personal Trainers make the big bucks!

As usual, we encourage ALL of our readers and friends to jump into fitness…. regardless of where you are. Today IS the best day to do it!

ONE BOX:

Cardiovascular Improve heart, lungs, and circulation Running, Fast Walking, Biking, Rowing

Power Training Increase "Burst" Strength Heavy Compound Lifts

Composition Modify (increase OR decrease) shape Lighter body-weight movements

Strength Training Increase strength (short & long-term) Traditional Machines & Free Weights

Endurance Increase duration AND workload High rep resistance / Aerobics