Download Fitness Handout - West Essex Regional School District

Fitness Unit
West Essex High School
Fitness Handout
WARM-UP / COOL-DOWN
A warm- up increases the temperature of the body and the elasticity of the muscles. A warm-up improves the
muscles’ ability to perform work and reduces the risk of injury.
 Active Dynamic Exercises
A cool-down is the reverse process of the warm-up. A proper cool – down may reduce muscle soreness, help
bring the body temperatures back to normal ranges, and allow muscles to flush wastes generated by exercise.
 Flexibilty Exercises
MUSCULAR STRENGTH
Muscular strength: is the ability of a muscle or muscle group to exert a maximum force against a resistance
through the full range of motion for a short period of time (any movement less than full range of motion is
counterproductive – strength or endurance gains occur only in the range of motion exercised).
Frequency: The number of workouts per week or number times a muscle group is trained per week.
Intensity: describes how hard a person exercises during a physical activity session.
Specificity: to bring about changes in a particular muscle or skill a person must perform activities that target
that particular part of the body.
Progression: refers to how an individual increases the overload, thereby placing greater-than-normal demands
on the musculature of the body. The level of exercise should be gradually increased and may be manipulated by
increasing frequency, intensity, time, or a combination of all three components.
Overload Principle: This principle says that in order to train muscles, they must work harder than they are
accustomed to. This “overload” will result in increased strength as the body adapts to the stress placed upon it.
Repetition: The number of times an exercise movement is performed. Generally based on % of repetition
maximum. Repetition Maximum: The maximum amount of weight performed for a specific exercise one
time. (ex: bench press 225lbs x 1rep)
Set: The number of times an exercise of specified repetitions is performed. (ex: curls 2 sets of 12 reps)
Volume: Total amount of work performed in a training cycle.
Isometric: The contraction of a muscle without significant movement; also referred to as static tension
Isotonic: The contraction of a muscle with movement against a natural resistance. (ex: weight lifting)
Isokinetic: The contraction of a muscle against concomitant force at a constant speed.
FLEXIBILITY
Flexibility: The ability to move a joint through its full range of motion. Flexibility is extremely important for
physical fitness
Poor flexibility:
*Decreases your body’s ability to maintain proper posture
*Limits proper joint motion increasing the risk for low-back pain, joint pain, and injury during everyday
activities.
Adequate flexibility and mobility
*Helps reduce joint stress decreasing general aches and pains, improving your overall quality of movement.
Following are some of the major benefits of flexibility training:
*Reduces stress in the exercising muscles and releases tension developed during the workout.
*Assists with posture by balancing the tension placed across the joint by the muscles that cross it.Proper posture
minimizes stress and maximizes the strength of all joint movements.
*Reduces the risk of injury during exercise and daily activities because muscles are more pliable.
*Improves performance of everyday activities as well as performance in exercise and sport.
Improve Flexibility by Stretching.
*Stretching should only be started when muscles are warm and the body temperature is raised.
*Increasing the range of motion creates good posture and develops proficient performance in everyday activities
increasing the length of life and overall health of the individual.
*American College of Sport Medicine, suggest training 5-7 days a week, holding each stretch for 15-30 seconds
and repeating each stretch 1-3 times each.
Static Flexibilty – the range of motion at a joint or group of joints
Dynamic (ballistic) Flexibility – the rate of increase in tension in a relaxed muscle as it is stretched
Static Stretch – slow, sustained stretch of the muscle, held for 10 to 30 seconds
Passive Stretch – partner provides the force of the stretch
MUSCULAR ENDURANCE
Muscular Endurance: The ability of a muscle or muscular group to exert sub-maximal force repeatedly over a
period of time. Muscular endurance involves high repetitions with less force compared to muscular strength
training.
Ex; Curl-ups in a minute are a muscular endurance test for the abdominal muscles.
Ex; Maximum repetitions repetitions for push-ups will work muscular endurance in the chest and arms.
Ex; Performing bodyweight squats for as many reps in 90 seconds will develop muscular endurance in
the legs
During intense long term repetitive exercise oxygen is depleted in the muscle and the body flushes in lactic acid
as a source of energy.
Olympic Rowers utilize muscular endurance and strength of the legs, upper back and core to repeatedly perform
the rowing movement.
AEROBIC FITNESS
Aerobic Fitness / Capacity; Cardiovascular fitness, cardiorespiratory endurance
Is the ability to perform large muscle, dynamic, moderate to high intensity for a prolonged period of time.
*The PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovacular Endurance Run) Test – 20-meter shuttle run with
progressive intensity aerobic fitness test (FITNESSGRAM) / One-Mile Run Aerobic Fitness Test
*The three main training methods for developing and maintaining aerobic fitness are continuous training,
interval training, and circuit training
Continuous Training – the same activity performed over an extended period
Interval training – alternating short bursts of activity with rest periods
Circuit Training – involves several different activities, vary the intensity and type of activity
*Regular aerobic exercise can help you live longer and healthier. After all, aerobic exercise reduces health risks
such as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease & diabetes.
* Regular aerobic exercise can help you live longer and healthier. After all, aerobic exercise reduces health risks,
keeps excess pounds at bay, strengthens your heart and boosts your mood. Healthy adults should aim for at least
150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity — or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity — a week. That doesn't
have to be all at one time, though. Aerobic exercise can even be done in 10-minute increments.
* Regular aerobic activity — such as walking, bicycling or swimming — can help you live longer and healthier.
*When you exercise, your heart speeds up to meet your body's energy needs. If you know your target heart rate,
you can make sure you're exercising hard enough to get a good workout, but not too hard to strain your heart.
BODY COMPOSITION
*The following are all accurate ways of measuring body composition; hydrostatic weighing, skinfold calipers,
and bioelectrical impedance.
*A long time measure of body composition that fails to recognize muscle and bone density (lean mass) is
known as BMI.
*In general, the total body fat percentage (essential plus storage fat) is between 12% and 15% for young men
and between 25% and 28% for young women {Lohman, 1993 #4151} (see also table 13.1). Average
percentages body fat for the general population and for various athletes are presented in table 13.2.
Table 13.1 Body fat percentages for males and females and their classification
Males
Females
Rating
5-10
8-15
Athletic
11-14
16-23
Good
15-20
24-30
Acceptable
21-24
31-36
Overweight
>24
>37
Obese
*Two good habits to maintain a healthy body fat percentage are proper diet and exercise.
*The major risk of having a sedentary lifestyle and high percentage of body fat is cardiovascular disease.