| Training
The Value of Weight Training and Cardio Training Regiments
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Why
Do Weight Training?
- It raises
your metabolism. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more
muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn all day long.
- It strengthens
your bones - this is especially important for women.
- It makes
you stronger and increases muscular endurance.
- It helps
you avoid injuries.
- It increases
your confidence and self-esteem.
- It improves
your coordination and balance.
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Weight
Training Tips
Important: Consult your physician before starting any exercise
program. Keep your fitness level in mind. Do you consider yourself
a beginner, intermediate, or advanced? Be patient with your body.
Start slowly.
- Warm Up
with light cardio or by doing a light set of each exercise before
going to heavier weights. This will get your muscles warm and
prevent injury.
- Breathe:
Don't hold your breath and make sure you're using full range of
motion throughout the movement. Always exhale during exertion.
- Lift And
Lower Your Weights Slowly: Don't use momentum to lift the weight.
If you have to swing to get the weight up, chances are you're
using too much weight.
- Maintain
Correct Posture And Form: This will help you to isolate the muscle
group you are working on. Engage your abs in every movement you're
doing to keep your balance and protect your spine.
- Your Body
Will Adapt: To avoid plateaus (or adaptation), you need to increase
your intensity regularly. You can do this by increasing the amount
of weight lifted, changing your sets/reps, changing the exercises
and changing the type of resistance.
- Building
Muscle: You need to use more resistance than your muscles are
used to. This is important because the more you do, the more your
body will adapt to doing. Remember #5. - your body will adapt.
Make sure you have someone to spot you. You should be able to
finish your last rep with difficulty but also with good form.
- Planning
A Weight Program: How many days per week, the length of each workout,
and exercise selection are important points to consider because
these issues will ultimately affect the outcome of your training.
Train with your goal in mind. That means, if you want to increase
your strength, your program should be designed around that goal.
To lose weight, choose a variety of rep ranges to target different
muscle fibers.
- Rest And
Recovery: Rest days are just as important as workout days. It
is during these rest periods that your muscles grow and change,
so make sure you're not working the same muscle groups two days
in a row.
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| Cardio
Training |
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Why Include
Cardio Training?
Cardio exercise improves cardiac function and helps prevent cardiovascular
disease. It can reduce blood pressure, raise HDL(good) cholesterol,
prevent and treat Type 2 Diabetes and prevent some cancers. It reduces
depression and anxiety, and even improves mental function. Cardio
exercise can improve your endurance so you can do everyday activities
easier and take on things you would not be able to do if you were
not in good cardio shape. And, of course, it burns lots of calories. |
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Target
Heart Rate
Your Target Heart Rate is the range of heartbeats per minute at
which you should work at in order to best achieve aerobic fitness.
This range is typically between 60% to 80% of your HR max. The bottom
end of the scale is best for low intensity training while the top
end is for high intensity training.
Maximum Heart Rate
Your heart rate is your guide for cardiovascular exercise intensity.
- Your maximum
heart rate (HR max) is the theoretical number
of beats per minute that your heart is capable of producing.
- This is
found by subtracting your age from 220, e.g. if you're 40 years
old, 220 - 40 = 180 HR max.
- This is simply
estimation, not an absolute limit.
- To measure
aerobic exercise intensity, percentage of HR max (%HR max) is
often used. If you want to exercise at 60% of your HR max, your
heart rate should be, using the example above, around 108 beats
per minute.
Cardio
Confusion
Your body is always continually adapting. In order to prevent your
body from adapting to any exercise, you must continually change
the following:
- Intensity
- Frequency
- Distance
- Duration
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