PED 127 Chapter 3

When you exercise to improve the cardio respiratory system, you should maintain the heart rate between 60-85 percent training intensity to obtain development (lower if you have been very inactive).

Following a few weeks of training, you may have a considerably lower resting heart rate (10-20 beats fewer in 8-12 weeks).

Do the lab activity on page 73.

2.    Mode of exercise: For cardiovascular, the mode has to be aerobic, and must be rhythmic and continuous.

Any activity of combination of activities that will get your heart rate up to that training zone and will keep it there for as long as you exercise will give you adequate development. The activity you choose should be based on your personal preferences.

The closer the heart rate is to the higher end of the cardiovascular training zone, the greater the improvements in VO2 max (taking in and using oxygen…high physical fitness).

3.    Duration of exercise; 20-60 minutes per session, depending on how intensely a person trains (at 85 percent, 20 minutes is good, at 50 percent, at least 30 minutes or more). Even breaking exercise up into three 10 minute sessions at 70 percent also produces fitness benefits.

Exercise sessions always should be preceded by a 5 minute warm up and a 5 minute cool down (stretching a cold muscle is not recommended). When exercise stops, blood will pool in the exercised parts and may cause dizziness. The cool down allows the body to return more readily to its normal state.

4.    Frequency of exercise: 3 to 5 times per week is recommended to improve VO2 max. More than 5 days does not guarantee further improvements.

MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE

The capacity of muscle cells to exert force increases and decreases according to demands placed upon the muscular system. If specific muscle cells are overloaded beyond their normal use, the cells increase in size (hypertrophy), strength, and/or endurance. If the demands on the muscle cells decrease, the cells decrease in size (atrophy) and lose strength.

Overload principle:

 For strength or endurance to improve, demands placed on the muscle must be increased over time, and the resistance (weight lifted) must be significant enough to produce development.

Specificity of training:

Muscular strength: the ability to exert maximum force against resistance.

Muscular endurance: the ability of a muscle to exert sub maximal force repeatedly over time.

A person attempting to increase muscular strength needs a program of few repetitions and near maximum resistance.

A person attempting to increase muscular resistance, the program consists of many repetitions at a lower resistance.

If a person is trying to improve a specific movement or skill through strength gains, the selected strength training exercises must resemble the actual movement or skill as closely as possible.

Improving strength:

1.    Isometric exercise: pushing or pulling against immovable objects. This also called static exercise.

2.    Isotonic exercise: the movement of resistance through a full range of motion. You can use free weights, weight machines, or your own body weight. This is also called dynamic exercise and much more efficient a training method because it is related to sport movement activity.

3.    Isokinetic exercise: strength development through the entire range of motion of a sport related skill (pitching in baseball).

Dynamic training has 2 action phases:

a.    Concentric: the muscle shortens as it contracts to overcome the resistance.

b.   Eccentric: the muscle lengthens as it contracts.

Both of these should be executed in a controlled manner to avoid injury.

Free weights require that the individual balance the resistance through the entire lifting motion. Additional stabilizing muscles need to balance the resistance. This may seem to make free weights the best resistance source for strength gains, but the muscles do not know whether the source of a resistance is a barbell, dumbbell, a universal machine, or a sandbag.

Resistance

To stimulate strength development, a resistance of 80 percent of the maximum capacity is recommended (someone who can bench 200 pounds should work at 160). The repetition maximum should be between 3 and 12 for adequate strength gains.

Once you can lift in a set more than 12 times, you want to increase the weight maybe 5 to 10 pounds. Working around 10 reps seems to produce the best results in terms of muscular hypertrophy.

Sets

Strength training is done in sets. A person lifting 120 pounds 8 times performs one set of 8 repetitions. 3 sets per exercise is the recommendation.

As the number of sets increases, so does the extent of muscle fatigue and recovery time. Strength gains may be lessened by performing too many sets.

To make the exercise program more time-effective, 2 or 3 exercises that require different muscle groups may be alternated. For example, the bench press, leg extension, and abdominal curl may be combined so the person can go almost directly from one set to the next.

Frequency of training

Strength training should be done either with a total body workout 2 to 3 times per week, or more frequently if using a split body routine (upper body one day and lower body the next).

The muscles should be rested for about 48 hours to allow adequate recovery and reap the full benefits of the program.

Strength training exercises without weights can be just as beneficial for you. Your body weight is the resistance for strength gain.

Strength training guidelines: Page 61

Core training: refers to the trunk and pelvis. A strong core allows a person to perform activities of daily living with greater ease, improve sports performance through a more effective energy transfer from large to small body parts, and decrease the incidence of back pain.

Flexibility

The most significant detriments to flexibility are lack of physical activity and sedentary living. Muscles lose elasticity and tendons and ligaments tighten and shorten. Aging also reduces flexibility.

Slow sustained stretching causes the muscles to relax so greater length can be achieved. PNF stretching is a contract and relax method requiring the assistance from another person is which they force the stretch direction.

When doing flexibility exercises, the intensity of the stretch should be only to a point of mild discomfort.

When to stretch?  Do not stretch before the muscles are warmed up. After workouts is the ideal time because higher body temperature helps to increase joint range of motion.

Pilates: a program designed to help strengthen the body’s core by developing pelvic stability and abdominal control, coupled with focused breathing patterns.