Pathfit 2- Exercised Based Fitness Module
Pathfit 2- Exercised Based Fitness Module
EXERCISE
PATHFIT 2- EXERCISED-BASED FITNESS
PHYSICAL FITNESS
The ability to carry out tasks with vigor and alertness, without undue fatigue, and still
with ample energy to enjoy leisure time pursuits and to meet unforeseen emergencies.
Experts have identified several components that an individual should maintain at an
adequate level to remain healthy and reduce the risk of premature death, disease, and
injury.
Importance of Exercise:
CLASSIFICATION OF EXERCISES:
1. AEROBIC EXERCISE: Involve large muscle groups (e.g thighs) that perform rhythmic and
continuous movement for a prolonged period of time in order to improve aerobic
capacity (ex. Swimming, biking, running and dancing)
2. RESISTANCE TRAINING: require the muscle to contract against an external load (e.g.
barbell) in order to improve muscular strength, muscular endurance and bone strength
(e.g. TRX: Total Resistance exercise, Thera-Bands etc.)
3. STRETCHING EXERCISE: increase the elasticity of muscles and tendons surrounding the
joint in order to improve flexibility.( e.g. static, ballistic, dynamic stretching)
● STRETCHING
Refers to the process of elongation and is often correctly considered. The stretching
portion of the warm up can be done before or after the cardiovascular portion.
Consequently, some individuals make a common mistake or stretch cold muscle before
beginning their workout rather than first warning up the body with some preparation is
evident. Keep in mind that warm up to stretch, you do not stretch to warm-up
DYNAMIC STRETCH – it imposes a lot of light movement or motion that can be done
safely prior to warming up exercise.
STATIC STRETCH – is the type of stretch for beginners whose aim is extreme
flexibility. It is a deep and slow movement of extending body parts held in one place
for seconds or more.
● COOL DOWN
Light moderate tapering off actively after vigorous exercise often consists of the
same used in warm up. Cool-down after exercise is important for 5-15 minutes of light
exercise. The primary purpose of cool-down is to allow physiological activity to return to
normal gradually, thereby preventing blood from pulling which could result in dizziness
or fainting.
A cool-down may also decrease the muscle soreness and cardiac irregularities
that sometimes appear after a vigorous workout. Although cardiac irregularities are rare
in healthy individuals it is prudent to cool down and reduce the risk.
Cool-down is done immediately after the workout and should consist of exercise
similar to the warm-up to permit a gradual decrease in the heart rate and gentle
stretches of the muscles used in the workout.
Before you will engage any physical activities or workouts, you should perform warm-up first to
allow muscle temperature to elevate and to prepare your body for the activity as this increases
blood flow to muscles and also stretch your body to Enable your muscles to work most
effectively and lastly after engaging physical activities, you must do the cool down for you to
return your blood to the heart and helps your muscle to relax.
Unit I: FITNESS AND EXERCISE INTRODUCTION
Based on studies conducted by Global School-based Student Health Survey, they indicated that
Filipino teenagers are one of the most sedentary in the world due to the fact that they only
engage in physical activity for at least 60 minutes on an average of one day per week.
UNDERSTANDING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY and EXERCISE
Frequency
How often you exercise/train.
Intensity
How hard you train/How hard you work during exercise.
For Cardiovascular Exercise: The general rule is to work in your target heart rate
zone
(60-85% or 120-180) and focus on a variety of intensities to stimulate different
energy
systems.
For Strength Training: The exercises you do (at least 8-10 exercises), the amount
of
weight you lift and your reps and sets determine the intensity of your strength
workouts. In general, you want to lift enough weight that you can only complete
the
desired number of reps (around 1-3 sets of 8-16 reps of each exercise).
Time
(or duration) How long you train for/How long you exercise.
For Cardiovascular Exercise: The exercise guidelines suggest 30-60 minutes of
cardio (or
working your way up to that). How long you exercise will not just be dependent
on your
fitness level, but also your intensity. The harder you work, the shorter your
workouts
will be.
For Strength Training: How long you lift weights depends on the type of workout
you're
doing and your schedule. For example, a total body workout could take up to an
hour,
whereas a split routine could take less time.
Type
The kind of training you do/The type of activity you are doing.
For Cardiovascular Exercise: Any activity that gets your heart rate up counts as
cardio -
Running, walking, cycling, dancing, swimming, sport-related activities, etc.
For Strength Training: This pretty much includes any exercise where you're
using some
type of resistance (bands, dumbbells, machines, etc.) to work your muscles.
Bodyweight
exercises can also be considered a form of strength training, as well, although
building
strength will likely require more resistance.
If your aim is simple health related fitness, then the type of exercise you do does
not matter
very much –it just needs to raise your pulse into the aerobic zone for about 20
minutes.
You could even include activities like gardening, walking the dog or just dancing
round your
kitchen. However, if you are training for a specific event or competition, then the
type of
the exercise you do is very important.
Intensity will affect the time (or duration) of each training session. The length of
session
required to achieve improvements depends on how hard a performer is training.
Continuous Training
Continuous training is any form of training that maintains the heart rate at a
desired level over a sustained period of time.
Advantages
Disadvantages
The main disadvantages of continuous training is that it can become boring and
tedious. We all know how boring it can be doing the same activity over and over
again. Varying your activity can help and our article on 5 ways on how to be a
better coach may be of interest here.
Fartlek Training
Fartlek training is a method of training that uses periods of exercise and rest. An
example of Fartlek training is running at a full sprint for 10 seconds, walking for 1
minute followed by a medium intensity jog for 4 minutes. An athlete would then
rest for a set period of time and then repeat the programme again.
Fartlek training should always consist of both high and low intensity training.
Advantages
A further advantage of Fartlek training is that you can use this method virtually
anywhere so very little equipment is needed.
Disadvantage
A disadvantage of Fartlek training is that it can become very repetitive and those
new to training can find the intensity difficult to sustain for a long period of time.
Circuit Training
● Burpees
● Press ups
● Sit ups
● Skipping
● Tricep dips
● Squats
Advantage
An advantage to circuit training is the stations can be easy to set up and can
require very little equipment.
Another advantage is that the stations can work on the same or different parts of
the body and circuit training can also involve sport related activities, fitness
exercises or both.
Circuit training can also allow for a period of rest between each station and work
on both the aerobic and anaerobic systems.
Disadvantage
A disadvantage of circuit training is that athletes can fatigue very easily if the
circuit is not designed correctly.
Weight Training
Weight training is a method of training using weights. This could be free standing
weights such as the Yes4All adjustable dumbbells, body weight exercises,
resistance bands (View Price on Amazon here) or weight machines such as the
Bow Flex Home Gym Series.
Athletes use their 1 Rep Max to determine the intensity of the activity in weight
training (Read more on how to measure intensity here). Weight training is
measured using Sets and Reps.
Advantage
Disadvantage
Interval Training
Interval training is exercising with periods of rest planned into the session. An
example of interval training is completing 10x30m sprints with 20 seconds rest in
between each effort.
Advantage
Disadvantages
A disadvantage of interval training is that athletes new to exercise can find this
method of training hard to repeat over a sustained period of time.
Plyometric Training
Plyometric training is a type of training that involves exercises with short bursts of
high intensity. An example of a plyometric exercise is a reverse lunge with
knee-up.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Advantages
The advantage of completing flexibility training is that it can reduce the chance of
injury. In addition to this, it increases the range of motion and could improve your
technique and skill development.
Disadvantages
Improving performance is not just about training more –competitors need to follow a
carefully planned training programme. There are a number of principles that performers and
coaches must follow if they are to fulfill their potential. This programme must be systematic and
take into account the demands of the activity and the needs, preferences and abilities of the
performer.
Individual needs:
All training programmes must consider the following individual needs of the performer.
● What is their initial level of fitness?
● How old are they?
● Are they male or female?
● Why do they want to train?
● What is their aim or motivation?
PRINCIPLES OF TRAINING:
When planning any training, you have to apply the principles of training. The principles can be
easily memorized using the mnemonic, SPORT.
● Specificity
● Progression
● Overload
● Reversibility
● Tedium
PRINCIPLE OF SPECIFICITY
You must do specific types of activity to improve specific parts of the body in specific ways.
Different events can require very different forms of training.
● For example, if you’re training for a weightlifting competition, it’s no use going
swimming every day.
● You need to concentrate on strength training for your arms and legs.
● Muscles–if your sport requires a lot of running, work mainly on your legs.
● Type of Fitness–do you need strength, speed, stamina or a combination?
● Skills–you need to practice any relevant skills like kicking, serving and passing.
PRINCIPLE OF PROGRESSION
Means gradually increasing the amount of exercise you do. When a performer first starts
exercising, their levels of fitness may be poor. If a coach increases the training too quickly, the
body will not have time to adapt and this may result in injury. Slow and steady progress is the
best way forward.
● For example, if you were training for a 10 km run, you might start by going for two 30
minute runs a week.
● You could then increase the time you run by 3 minutes each week .
Gradually increasing the frequency, intensity and duration of fitness sessions is an important
factor in developing an effective training programme. In terms of type of training, progression
should be based on the principle of moving from easy activities to difficult ones.Moderation is
the Key.
PRINCIPLE OF OVERLOAD
Fitness can only be improved by training more than you normally do. Unless the body is
subjected to increased demands, improvements in physical fitness will not be made. If a
physical fitness programme is to be effective, it must place increased and specific demands on
the body. If training levels remain the same, then the programme will only be maintaining the
participant level of fitness, not improving it.
PRINCIPLE OF REVERSIBILITY
Unfortunately, most of the adaptations which result from training are reversible.
This simply means that unless you keep training, any fitness gains will be lost.
Fitness will be lost if the training load is reduced (meaning overload is not achieved) or if a
performer stops training, for example, if they are injured. Coaches need to ensure that long
periods of inactivity are avoided when possible.
PRINCIPLE OF TEDIUM
When planning a training programme, it is important to vary the training a bit to prevent
performers becoming bored. If every training session is the same, a performer can lose
enthusiasm and motivation for training. You should include a variety of different training methods
or vary the type of activity.