57A - Fit and Well Column for Feb. 1st, 2004
TITLE: "Fitness Basics"
Dear David and Trish,
It seems that, for some reason, I become very confused about exactly HOW I should structure a fitness program for myself. It all seems so overwhelming. I know I need to change my “lifestyle”, but I just don’t know where to start. So much to do, so much to learn!
Can you two give me a basic “Fitness 101” course so I can at least start planning an effective program?
Sincerely,
Stumped in South River
Dear “Stumped”,
Yes, Trish and I often get focused on the finer points of fitness, nutrition, and exercise, and forget to reiterate and explain the real basics of improving one’s health and wellness. So, your question is a perfect opportunity for all of us to “get back to basics”!
The Five Elements of Physical Fitness
Physical fitness is most easily understood by examining its components or parts. The five elements are:
Cardiorespiratory endurance--the ability to deliver oxygen and nutrients to tissues, and to remove wastes, over sustained periods of time.
Muscular strength--the ability of a muscle to exert force for a brief period of time.
Muscular endurance--the ability of a muscle, or a group of muscles, to sustain repeated contractions or to continue to apply force against a fixed object.
Flexibility--the ability to move joints and use muscles through their full range of motion. The sit-and-reach test is a good measure of flexibility of the lower back and backs of the upper legs.
Body composition--is considered a component of fitness. It refers to the makeup of the body in terms of lean mass (muscle, bone, vital tissue, and organs) and fat mass. An optimal ratio of fat to lean mass is an indication of fitness. The right types of exercises will help you decrease body fat and increase or maintain muscle mass.
It is true that the aging process can rob you of muscular strength, endurance and especially flexibility -- if you don't maintain them. That's why a regular fitness regimen becomes increasingly important as you age. And even body composition changes…. Gravity usually wins! So it is worthwhile to learn how to fight back!
Let’s examine each one, and see exactly what type of program will enhance that element!
Cardiovascular Endurance
GOAL: Cardiovascular endurance should be the central component of your overall fitness program. Improving cardiovascular endurance not only increases the supply of oxygen and energy to your body, it decreases your risk of diseases that may shorten your life, such as heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure.
When the heart is well conditioned, it is like any other muscle -- it becomes stronger and more efficient. A normal heart beats at a rate of approximately 70 beats per minute at rest or about 100,000 beats a day. The well-conditioned heart can actually beat as few as 40 times a minute at rest or approximately 50,000 beats per day. Stroke volume is increased. Imagine your well-conditioned just kind of hanging out, sipping lemonade, and listening to Frank Sinatra records!
PROGRAM: You should train at a sustained effort between 70-80% of your maximum heart rate. For example, a 35 year old female who wants to train at 80% would use the following equation: (220-35) x .80 = Training Heart Rate of 148 beats per minute. Using a heart rate monitor or simply checking your pulse against the clock will allow you to adequately monitor your intensity.
It is generally accepted that one must sustain or hold this intensity of exercise for 30 minutes or greater for fitness and endurance gains to be made. We recommend three or four workouts per week to build your endurance.
Strength
GOAL: Increase the ability of a muscle or a group of muscles to exert an amount of force, typically in a one-time burst of effort. In other words, it’s when you hear David GRUNT!
Most muscles have a combination of two types of fibers that are utilized during strength-training activities: Fast-twitch fibers provide the explosive force needed for weight-lifting or activities such as sprinting. Slow-twitch fibers are for endurance, such as the ability of muscle to withstand fatigue. The principle is that when you make muscles work harder, you actually injure these fibers. As they rebuild, they get stronger and bigger, resulting in harder, tighter and larger muscles.
PROGRAM: Weight-lifting (or resistance training) is a classic example of strength training because it increases muscle strength and mass, as well as bone strength, by placing more strain on muscles and bones than they are accustomed to. Two to three sessions a week are ideal. Rest is crucial!
Muscular endurance
GOAL: To increase your body’s ability to resist fatigue and continue to exercise over long periods of time. Whereas strength training is needed to maintain muscle strength, endurance training is required to achieve stamina. Muscular endurance is the ability of muscles to continue working without rest.
Many sports require strength, agility, and muscular endurance. So does life! Proper training in this element can also help to tone the muscle group without adding excess bulk.
PROGRAM: The emphasis is on light weights, and high repetitions (15 or more). Recovery periods are minimized to emphasize the endurance aspect of training. Fluid movements with full range of motion is the most effective. Again, two or three sessions per week is advised, unless you develop what is called a “split routine”.
Flexibility
GOAL: Increase the ability of joints and muscles to achieve a full range of motion. This often prevents injuries and helps keep your body feeling comfortable after exercise. Despite popular opinion, there's no evidence that you must lose flexibility as you build muscle. Unfortunately, this element is often overlooked.
PROGRAM: Flexibility training refers to the practice of stretching, in addition to the correct execution of exercise by going through the maximum range of motion.
There any many approaches to stretching musculoskeletal tissues but typically stretching practices involve some type of static or ballistic stretches. Trish and I recommend staying with static stretches because they involve a slow passive stretch to the targeted muscle. The muscle is held in a stretched position for a time period usually varying from 10-20 sec and this is repeated two-to-six times.
It is essential that the stretch sufficiently stresses the target muscle or joints in order to induce what is called an adaptation. However, it is also important to avoid causing an injury by over-stressing the target area. A very fine line! Stretch to the point of mild discomfort but not to the point of pain.
NEVER stretch cold muscles! Always do a five to ten minute warm up FIRST! And remember to stretch AFTER the workout to reinforce proper range of motion.
Body Composition
GOAL: Selectively and effectively modify, alter, and IMPROVE the actual shape of the body by tightening, toning, and defining muscles, and increase definition and muscularity by decreasing body fat.
PROGRAM: This requires a very thorough understanding of body movement and function, an awareness of specific exercises that engage the muscles in specific ways, and, of course, ways to reduce body fat without reducing lean muscle mass.
Because each person is different, we generally recommend professional instruction by way of Personal Training or Coaching.
Putting It All Together
Use this knowledge as the basis for developing YOUR fitness program. Whether it is exercising in a “controlled environment” such as a gym or fitness center, or engaging in sports, or just enjoying activities that require physical exertion such as dancing, skating, or running, you can increase your level or fitness and health while actually enjoying the experience.
Explore the many possibilities of acknowledging, using, and strengthening your body. The very quality of your life will increase with every joyful movement.
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