PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICAL FITNESSChapter 2

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

To improve your health, you must exercise vigorously for at least 30 minutes straight, 5 or more days per week. True or False?

FALSE. Experts recommend about 30 minutes of moderate physical activity 5 or more days per week, but activity can be done in short bouts – 10 min per sessions.

Among American adults, about what percentage of trips of less than 1 mile long are made by walking?a) 15% b) 25% c) 50%

a. The vast majority of short trips are made in cars. Most people have many opportunities to incorporate more moderate physical activity to their daily routine.

If all inactive American adults became physically active, the savings in direct costs for medical care would be about _______ per year.a) $75 million b) $7,5 million c) $75

billion

c. People who engage in regular physical activity make fewer physician visits, use less medication, and have fewer hospital stays than physically inactive people.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND EXERCISE FOR HEALTH AND FITNESS - CONCEPTS

Physical activity: any body movement carried out by the skeletal muscles and requiring energy.

Exercise: Subset of physical activity planned, structured, repetitive movement of the body intended to specifically improve or maintain physical fitness.

Physical fitness: set of physical attributes that allows the body to respond or adapt to the demands and stress of physical effort without becoming overly tired.

IMPORTANCE OF THE INCREASE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Health benefits Manage weight Improve physical fitness Quality of life Freedom: more energy and better body

control

HOW MUCH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS ENOUGH?

To promote or maintain health, adults need a minimum or 30 minutes of moderate – intensity aerobic physical activity 5 days per week or 20 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity 3 days per week.

To set a goal for physical activity and exercise, consider your

current activity level, your health status and your overall goals.

If weight management is a concern for you, try to raise your activity level further.

Choose to be active whenever you can.

HEALTH RELATED COMPONENTS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS

Health related fitness includes the following components: Cardiorespiratory endurance Muscular strength Muscular endurance Flexibility Body composition

CARDIORESPIRATORY ENDURANCE

The ability to perform prolonged, large-muscle, dynamic exercise at moderate-to-high levels of intensity.

Related physical functions that are also improved include: Heart pumps more blood per heartbeat Resting heart rate slows Blood volume increases Blood supply to tissues improves. The body can cool itself better Resting blood pressure decreases

Activities to develop CE involve continuous, rhythmic movements or large muscle groups, such as the legs (walking, jogging, cycling, and aerobic dancing.

MUSCULAR ENDURANCE

The ability to resist fatigue and sustain a given level of muscle tension.

Depends on: size of muscle cells, ability of muscles to store fuel, and blood supply to muscles.

Important for good posture and for injury prevention.

Activities to develop ME involve resistance training or strength training (weight lifting)

FLEXIBILITY

The ability to move the joints through their full range of motion.

Depend on joint structure, length and elasticity of connective tissue, and nervous system activity.

Stretching exercises can help to ensure a healthy range of motion for all major joints.

BODY COMPOSITION

Is the portion of fat vs. portion of fat free mass in the body.

The best way to lose fat is through a lifestyle that includes a sensible diet and exercise.

SKILL RELATED COMPONENTS OF FITNESS

Some types of exercise do not contribute to the health components of physical fitness, however, they can contribute to other areas of wellness.

Speed Power Agility Balance Coordination Reaction and movement time

PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICAL TRAINING: ADAPTATION TO STRESS.

The goal of physical training is to produce long term changes and improvements in the body’s functioning.

To put together an effective exercise program, you should first understand the basic principles of physical training, including the following:

Specificity Progressive overload Reversibility Individual differences

ADAPTABILITY

Specificity: Muscular strenght Weight lifting Cardiorespiratory endurance jogging

Become a tennis player exercise arms and legs

Progressive overload:

The body adapts to the demands of exercise by improving its functioning (or the other way around).

The amount of overload is important: Too little will have no effect Too much may cause injury and other problems.

The amount of overload needed to maintain or improve a particular level of fitness depends on the individual and is determined by four dimensions:

Frequency how often (recovery time) Intensity how hard (exercise harder than the normal level) Time how long (depending on the type of activity) Type mode of activity (depends on your fitness goals)

LAB 1. PAR-Q & YOU

Complete the questionnaire to find out if you can start working out or visit a physician first.

Reversibility

The body adjusts to lower levels of activity the same way it adjusts to higher levels.

If you must temporarily reduce your training time an option would be increasing the intensity to reduce the frequency.

Individual differences:

Each person responds to training in different ways

There are limits on the adaptability potential for improvement of any human body.

LAB 2. OVERRCOMING BARRIERS TO BEING ACTIVE

Answer the questionnaire to find out about the barriers that keep you from doing more exercise.

DESIGNING YOUR OWN EXERCISE PROGRAM

Get medical clearance Specially if you have health

problems such as:high blood pressure, heart disease, muscle or joint problems, or obesity.

Assess yourself Asses your current level of

physical activity and fitness for each of the five health related fitness components

Set your goals Your goals must be important enough to

keep you motivated Be clear on why you are starting a

program.

Choose activities for a balanced program Start on easy to do activities and gradually

increase the amount of physical activity in your daily life.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PRAMID

Sedentary activities – Do infrequently: Watch tv,

internet, taking on telephone

Strength training at least 2 days per week. All major

muscles

Cardio respiratory endurance exercise 3 to 5 days per week

Moderate Intensity physical activity 5 or more days per week, 30

minutes per day, 60 to 90 minutes per day for weight loss or

prevention of weight regain following weight loss.

Flexibility trainingAt least 2 to 3 days per week.

All major joints

Walking jogging, bicycling, swimming, aerobic dancing, in line

skating, cross country skiing, dancing, basketball

Walking to the store or bank, washing windows or your car, , climbing stairs, working your

yard, walking your dog, cleaning your room.

GUIDELINES FOR TRAINING

Train the way you want your body to change Muscular build lift weights Flexibility stretching exercises Performance practice a sport.

Train regularly Consistency is the key to improving fitness

Start slowly, and get in shape gradually Beginning phase: the body adjusts to the new type and level

of activity Progress phase: fitness increases Maintainance phase: the targeted level of fitness is sustained

over the long term.

GUIDELINES FOR TRAINING

Warm up before exercise Warming up can decrease your chances of

injury Warming up includes low intensity, whole

body movements. It is important to stretch after an endurance

or strength training workout.

Cool down after exercise If you suddenly stop moving after exercise,

the amount of blood returning to your hear and brain may be insufficient and you may experience dizziness and drop in blood pressure or other problems.

GUIDELINES FOR TRAINING

Exercise safely: Always wear protective gear when needed: Ex. Helmet for

biking, eye protection for playing racquetball, bright clothes when exercising on the street, be careful with vehicles.

Exercise with a partner Train within your capacity

Listen to your body and get adequate rest

Rest is as important as exercise Don’t exercise if it doesn’t feel right You can’t train sporadically

GUIDELINES FOR TRAINING

Cycle the volume and intensity of your workouts Don’t train at the same intensity during every workout, train

intensely some days and lightly on others. Increase the volume and intensity of your program

gradually, never more than 10% per week.

Vary your activities Change your exercise program from time to time to keep things fresh and help develop a higher degree of fitness: adapt to many types of exercise.

GUIDELINES FOR TRAINING

Train with a partner Partners motivate, encourage each other, make exercise

seem easier and more fun. Commitment to a friend is a powerful motivator.

Fuel your activity appropriately: Good nutrition Rehydration

Have fun You are more likely to stick with an exercise program if its

fun.

GUIDELINES FOR TRAINING

Track your progress Monitoring your progress helps to keep you motivated.

Keep your exercise program in perspective You have to have time for work and school, family and

friends, relaxation and hobbies Balance and moderation are the key ingredients of a fit and

well life.