Leisure Works 1610636-1, Owner'S Manual

21

TRAINING GUIDELINES

Exercise is one of the most important factors in the overall health of an individual. Listed among its benefits
are:

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Increased capacity for physical work (strength endurance)

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Increased cardiovascular (heart and arteries/veins) and respiratory efficiency

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Decreased risk of coronary heart disease

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Changes in body metabolism, e.g. losing weight

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Delaying the physiological effects of age

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Physiological effects, e.g. reduction in stress, increase in self-confidence, etc.

Basic Components of Physical Fitness

There are four all encompassing components of physical fitness and we need to briefly define each and
clarify its role.

Strength

 is the capacity of a muscle to exert a force against resistance. Strength contributes to power and

speed and is of great importance to a majority of sports people.

Muscular  Endurance

 is the capacity to exert a force repeatedly over a period of time, e.g. it is the capacity

of your legs to carry you 10 Km without stopping.

Flexibility

 is the range of motion about a joint. Improving flexibility involves the stretching of muscles and

tendons to maintain or increase suppleness, and provides increased resistance to muscle injury or soreness.

Cardio-Respiratory  Endurance

 is the most essential component of physical fitness. It is the efficient

functioning of the heart and lungs.

Aerobic  Fitness

The largest amount of oxygen that you can use per minute during exercise is called your

maximum oxygen

uptake

(MVo2). This is often referred to as your

aerobic  capacity.

The effort that you can exert over a prolonged period of time is limited by your ability to deliver oxygen to
the working muscles. Regular vigorous exercise produces a training effect that can increase your aerobic
capacity by as much as 20 to 30%. An increased MVO2 indicates an increased ability of the heart to pump
blood, of the lungs to ventilate oxygen and of the muscles to take up oxygen.

Anaerobic Training

This means “without oxygen” and is the output of energy when the oxygen supply is insufficient to meet the
body’s long term energy demands. (For example, 100 meter sprint).

The Training Threshold

This is the minimum level of exercise which is required to produce significant improvements in any physical
fitness parameter.

Progression

As your become fitter, a higher intensity of exercise is required to create an overload and therefore provide
continued  improvement

Overload

This is where you exercise at a level above that which can be carried out comfortably. The intensity, duration
and frequency of exercise should be above the training threshold and should be gradually increased as the
body adapts to the increasing demands. As your fitness level improves, the training threshold should be
raised.  Working through your program and gradually increasing the overload factor is important.