Sears Free Spirit C249 29261 0, Owner'S Manual

 26 

©2011 

TRAINING GUIDELINES 

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

benefits are: 

x

Increased capacity for physical work (strength endurance) 

x

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

x

Decreased risk of coronary heart disease 

x

Changes in body metabolism, e.g. losing weight 

x

Delaying the physiological effects of age 

x

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.