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Your body will do what you train it to do. That’s why it’s important to define your goals and focus them. Here are some
fitness components that will help you define your goals and choose your fitness program.
Muscle Strength
is the maximum force that you
can exert against resistance at one time. Your muscle
strength comes into play when you pick up a heavy bag
of groceries or lift a small child. It is developed when a
localized muscle is worked both positively (concentric)
and negatively (eccentric) at a resistance—great enough
so you can perform only five to eight repetitions of the
exercise before the muscle fails. Each set of repetitions is
followed by a rest interval that typically runs three times
longer than the set. Later, between exercise sessions,
the muscle overcompensates for the stress and usually
increases in both strength and size.
Muscle Endurance
is the ability to perform repeated
contractions. It comes into play when you cross-country
ski or work on your feet all day. Endurance training
addresses the slow twitch, endurance muscle fibers,
which depend on oxygen for energy. To develop muscle
endurance, use low resistance and high repetitions about
15-20 repetitions in each set, three sets to each exercise,
working the muscle only to fatigue.
Muscle Power
is the combination of strength
and speed of the muscular contraction. This is often
misinterpreted as a) being directly associated with certain
skill or sport and/or b) meaning that you must move fast.
Load is actually a more important factor than speed when
attempting to improve power. When training to achieve
muscular power, pick a resistance that fatigues you in the
3-5 repetition range. When performing these reps, it is
more important to think of contracting the muscles faster
rather than attempting to move faster. Performing sport
simulation exercises usually results in a deterioration of
the motor pattern or skill. The biomechanically sound
method of improving power in your sport is to train for
power using the correct joint movements, as described in
this manual. Then practice the skill associated with your
sport, learning to apply this newly achieved power.
Body Composition
is the ratio of fat weight (fat) to
lean weight (muscles, bones and tissue). As you age, the
ratio shifts. The fat weight increases and the lean weight
decreases. Training for muscle strength will generally
increase muscle size and aerobic conditioning will help
burn extra calories. Performing these two forms of
exercise, either at different times or together, will create
the greatest changes in body fat weight.
Balanced Strength
and alignment are the result
of equal strength developed in all parts of the body. It
comes into play in your standing and sitting posture, and
in your ability to perform just about any activity safely and
effectively. An over-development of the back will round
the shoulders; weak or stretched abdominals can cause
lower back pain. You want a balance of muscle strength in
front and back. In addition, you need a balance of strength
between your middle, lower, and upper body.
Flexibility
is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles
to move the joint through a full range of motion. Flexibility
comes into play when you execute an overhand serve or
stretch for the top shelf in the kitchen. It is a cooperative
movement of opposite muscle groups. When a muscle
contracts, its opposite muscle group must relax for the
action to occur. Increased flexibility means an increased
range of motion, made possibly by this simultaneous
contracting and relaxing. Good flexibility is important
in protecting the body from injury and can be achieved
through the balanced strength training programs that are
included in this manual.
Cardiovascular Endurance
is the ability of the
heart and lungs to supply oxygen and nutrients to
exercising muscles over an extended period of time. It
comes into play when you jog a mile or ride a bike. It is a
critical component of overall fitness
and health.
Define Your Goals
Define Your Goals