excercise

With the broad spectrum of nutrition available and the knowledge many people have of being health conscious, there is one factor that many people are confused and mislead by. It is that of exercise programs that are best suited for there needs and their goals. Through research and my own evaluation I have complied a few different basic exercise programs to meet the needs of different persons.

    The first program is a basic aerobic workout. The benefits of aerobic are it improves cardiorespiratory endurance, strengthens the heart and stimulates lean muscle mass. Aerobic exercises are the best in order to achieve an overall good health status.
        Types of aerobic workouts- running, walking, participating in sports, and biking
        Duration- varies, only do what you are capable of.

        Beginner- short distances, exercise 3-4 times a week, beginning at 1/4 a mile to 1/2 mile
                          Do this program for two weeks to a month, pending on how your body is           responding to the workout.
        Goal- to build upon the distance and intensity of the workout

        Intermediate- built upon progress, exercise 3-4 times a week. Walk, run or bike 1-3 miles.
                                If biking increase distance by 1/2 a mile. This needs to be followed for 1-3 months pending on how your body is responding to the duration.
        Goal- improve upon previous times and maintain level of performance or increase activity to reach a high level. Reaching this level indicates overall good health.

        Advanced- built upon progress, exercise 3-5 times a week. Walk, run or bike 4+ miles.
        Goal- is to maintain this peak level of physical performance. Strengthen program gradually from here. Reaching this level of training you are in peak physical shape, but remember to maintain this level of intensity requires you to be consistent with your program.

Remember- to stretch before and after working out. This will help prevent injuries.

Cross Training- is participation in both aerobic and anaerobic activities in one training program. In order to do this routine you should already have established a basis in both types of training.

Program- can be shaped according to your preferred activity. Any program that involves both anaerobic and aerobic is suitable. Normally both activities are done in one day this requires access to free weights. Train 3-5 times a week.

Goal- to improve cardiovascular condition and build muscle. The aerobic activity is of your choice it may be easy to use and running or biking machine or a stair stepper. For weight training, you want a few exercise's that will hit all the major muscle groups.

Routine- Treadmill 10-15 minutes, 2-3 sets of chest exercise(bench press), treadmill 10-15 minutes, 2-3 sets of back(seated rows), treadmill 10-15 minutes, 2 sets of biceps curl, 2 sets of triceps extensions, 10-15 minutes of treadmill, 2-3 sets of shoulder press.

Remember- this sort of training is for those individuals that are already fit, this workout places stress on the heart and muscle groups. The first week of training should be done with caution, do not over exert yourself.

Anaerobic training- the idea and goal behind anaerobic training is building muscle mass. The process is simple, it only requires some adjusting time to get your body acclimated to the movements. We are going to break this program down into two sections. The first being endurance strength and the next mass training.

Endurance strength- weight training in order to build sustained use of muscular tissue.

Training method- to gain muscular endurance you should train 3-4 times a week and do high repetitions with lower weights. A suggestion of schedules training would be start on a Sunday, lift Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday then the next week train Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You then start again on Sunday. This continual two week training program will allow you to rest the day after you train. Remember the idea of this training is endurance so this program will allow for maximum training and rest.

Routine- Day one chest and biceps. Warm-up with dips 8-12 reps. Keep in mind you are doing high reps so choose a weight that you will be able to work with.

4 sets of bench 12-15 reps each set
3 sets of incline bench 12-15 reps each set
4 sets of fly's or pec dec 10-15 reps each set
4 sets of two arm curl. Use either the straight bar or EZ curl bar. 12-15 reps of each set
4 sets of single arm curl. Use can do preacher, concentration or incline curls. 12-15 reps of each set.

Day Two- back and triceps. Warm-up with pull ups 8-12 reps.

4 sets of seated row 12-15 reps of each set
4 sets of bent over one arm row(use a flat bench have one arm and leg on bench the other leg is one the ground and your other arm is holding the weight, keep you back straight to avoid injury.) 12-15 reps of each set
4 sets of lat-pull downs 12-15 reps of each set
4 sets of behind the head triceps extensions. Keep your elbows in and back straight 12-15 reps of each set
3 sets of dips 15-20 reps of each set.

We do less sets of triceps because it is such a small muscle group and can easily be over trained. Also you use triceps in a chest workout, the triceps act as a stabilizing muscle.

Day Three- shoulders and legs. Warm-up with a light set of shoulder press and when you switch to legs, warm-up with a treadmill.

4 sets of military press 12-15 reps of each set
3 sets of front deltoid raises. Use a dumbbell and when raising up the weight, position your hands so your thumb knuckle is facing up. Turning the dumbbell so your finger knuckles are up will put pressure of your shoulder rotary cuff, and possibly cause injury. 12-15 reps of each set
3 sets of side lateral raises. 12-15 reps of each set
4 sets of squat machine 10-15 reps of each set. Be sure to bring your knees to your chest, this allows all the muscle groups in your legs to work. The lifting off your chest is done by your gluteus maxima's, the raising of the weight to the half way point is done by your hamstrings and the extending of your legs works your quadriceps and calves.
4 sets of leg extensions 12-15 reps each set
4 sets of leg curls 12-15 reps each set

Main idea behind endurance training is to do as many as repetitions as possible. Always stretch before, during and after training. Also train with a friend to avoid injury.

Mass Training - the idea behind mass training is to build large muscle tissue and great strength. In order to do this type of training you should already have experience in the gym. Mass training requires heavy weights and low reps.
                          - to start weight training you need to take a day and do your maximum lifts in each muscle group. Record those results and from that weight you determine the amount of weight to use in an increasing manner.
                          - your first set should be 50% of your max with 10 reps
                                  - second set should be 60% with 8 reps
                                  - third set should be 70 % with 6 reps
                                  - fourth set should be 80-90% with 2-4 reps
                          - This type of increasing weight and lowering reps should be done with every muscle group. Mass training requires four days of lifting and the use of a partner is highly recommended not only for safety but for pushing you to get in that last rep. We would recommend to start on a Monday, lift Tuesday, rest Wednesday, and lift Thursday and Friday.

Monday Day One Chest- warm-up with dips 10-15 reps
                                         4 sets of flat bench press, increase weight decrease reps
                                         4 sets of incline bench press, increase weight decrease reps
                                         3 sets of weighted angled forward dips(angleing forward places the resistance on your chest and acts as a chest expander.)
                                         4 sets of flys, do either flat or incline, increase weight decrease reps

Tuesday Day Two Back- warm-up with pull ups 10-15 reps
                                         4 sets of seated row, increase weight decrease reps
                                         4 sets of one arm bent over row using a bench to stabilize yourself, increase weight decrease reps.
                                         4 sets of behind the head lat pull down, increase weight decrease reps
                                         6 sets of shoulder shrugs, increase weight decrease reps. DO NOT ROTATE YOUR SHOULDERS WHILE DOING THIS EXERCISE IT PUTS PRESSURE ON YOUR Rotary CUFF AND CAN CAUSE INJURY.

Wednesday REST

Thursday Day Four Shoulders And Legs-
                                         4 sets of over head dumbbell press. DO NOT touch dumbbells together at the top doing this takes the emphasis off the deltoids and places it on the triceps. PUSH THE WEIGHT STRAIGHT UP. Increase weight decrease reps
                                         4 sets of dumbbell raises. Position the dumbbell so your thumb knuckle is facing up, turning the dumbbell so your finger knuckles are facing up will put pressure on your rotary cuff and possibly cause a injury.
                                         4 sets of rear deltoid dumbbell exercise, increase weight decrease reps
                                         Warm-up with 5 minutes on a exercise bike to get the blooding flowing
                                         4 sets of squats, increase weight decrease reps. USE A BELT
                                         4 sets of stiff leg dead lifts, increase weight decrease reps
                                         4 sets of leg extensions, increase weight decrease reps
                                         4 sets of leg curl, increase weight decrease reps

Friday Day Five Triceps and Biceps- warm-up dips 10-12 reps
                                                         4 sets of over the head two hand dumbbell triceps extensions
                                                         4 sets of lying french curl, increase weight decrease reps
                                                         4 sets of triceps push downs, increase weight decease reps
                                                         Warm-up pull-ups with your knuckles facing you
                                                         4 sets of straight bar curl, increase weight decrease reps
                                                         4 sets of alternate dumbbell curl, increase weight decrease reps
                                                         4 sets of preacher curl, increase weight decrease reps

By following this program you give your triceps three days to rest after chest, and you give your shoulders two days to rest after chest. Also after back day you give your biceps two days rest before using them again on bi and tri day. This process allows your muscles to recuperate and grow. The process of muscle building is the breakdown of tissue and then the regrowth of new tissue. This program maximizes both the rest and training for the muscle groups. Plus by having the weekend off you allow your muscle's to recuperate. Along with proper training comes correct nutrition. Be sure when mass training to take in extra amounts of protein. For protein is the food of choice for muscle growth. Also look into using different supplements to help you achieve your goals. Try to lift with a friend and always stretch. Know your limits, over doing any type of exercise will be more harmful than helpful. BEST OF LUCK WITH WHATEVER TYPE OF TRAINING YOU PURSUE.