Flexion
and Extension
Just like the other components of your fitness program, your flexibility program should be viewed as an individual activity. Work on stretching to the point of mild discomfort before easing up a little. I recommend static stretching which requires you to hold the end position for 10-30 seconds. Static stretching is relaxing and less likely to cause injury.
Begin attending to your flexibility program with the same vigor that you give your strength training and cardiovascular training and you will have a more well rounded fitness program. The end result will have you feeling and performing better each day.
Reference:
Allerheiligen, William B. (1994). Stretching and Warm-Up. In Thomas R. Baechle (Ed.),
Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (pp. 289-313). Champaign, IL: Braun-Brumfield.
January 2003
Well the holiday season is over and
it's now time to implement your new year's resolutions. Hopefully that
involves an exercise program and healthier eating habits.
Many of us indulge a little too much during the holidays and need to rid
ourselves of some unwanted unhealthy weight gain. If you fall into
this category, then this month's article will be of special interest to
you. This month I will provide 7 nutritional habits for you to
incorporate into your health and fitness program.
| Rule
1 |
Always
eat breakfast. Eating breakfast sparks your metabolic furnace and
sets the pace for the day. This leads to RULE 2. |
 |
| Rule
2 |
Eat
frequently. Include small meals every 3 to 4 hours. Each time you
eat you increase your body temperature and metabolic rate. Smaller
meals are more easily digested and result in better nutrient
metabolism. |
|
| Rule
3 |
Avoid
refined flour and simple sugars. Foods high in sugars and refined
flour cause high blood sugar levels and insulin spikes. Insulin
spikes result in increased fat storage and inconsistent energy
levels. |
|
| Rule
4 |
Avoid
foods high in fat. One gram of fat contains 9 calories compared to
4 calories per gram of carbohydrate or protein. |
|
| Rule
5 |
Eat
a high fiber diet including fruits and vegetables. Fibrous foods
aid in digestion, cleanse the large intestine, and curb hunger. |
|
| Rule
6 |
Drink
plenty of water. Water acts as a catalyst for all the body's
chemical reactions including the absorption of nutrients. Water
also cleanses the body of toxin, and curbs hunger. |
|
| Rule
7 |
Never
diet! That's right, never diet! A diet is nothing more than a
temporary fix. Instead, work on developing better eating habits
that will help you long-term. |
Sample food choices:
| Protein |
Carbohydrates |
Fibrous
Carbohydrates |
|
| lean cuts
of beef |
sweet
potatoes |
broccoli |
| chicken
breast |
oatmeal |
spinach |
| turkey
breast |
whole
grain bread |
cauliflower |
| egg
whites |
rice |
fruits |
| fish |
potatoes |
string
beans |
| cottage
cheese |
whole
wheat pastas |
asparagus |
Follow these 7 habits and you will
begin to look, feel and perform better. A final note, healthy women come
in all sizes. The key is maintaining that healthy woman lifestyle.
Good luck,
Vic Tringali
Great American Fitness
November
2002
Cardiovascular Exercise: How to utilize aerobic training to tweak your fitness program,
Phase II.
Last month we discussed the benefits of a strength training program and I designed a
beginning program (Phase I) to get you started. Hopefully, you have
followed it with some consistency and are ready to move on to Phase II.
In this month's section,
I will explain to you some of the many benefits of
cardiovascular (aerobic) training and design a program to add to your strength training program.
One of the great advantages to
cardiovascular exercise is that you don't have to learn any special technique or form like you did with strength training. The
biggest challenge you will face will be making cardiovascular exercise
a priority. Here is some information that may motivate you to do
just that.
Cardiovascular exercise decreases blood
pressure, increases HDL (good) cholesterol, decreases LDL (bad) cholesterol, helps decrease body fat, increases
blood flow, increases heart and lung function, and decreases tension and
anxiety. These benefits combined reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
The American College of
Sports Medicine recommends 20-60 minutes of cardiovascular
exercise 3-5 times per week at 50%-85% of your maximum heart
rate. What I would recommend to those of you who are just
beginning a cardiovascular program is 15-20 minutes performed 3
times per week at 50% of your maximum heart rate (I will explain
how to determine your training heart rate later in the article).
For those of you who are already doing cardiovascular exercise,
you can increase to 60% of maximum heart rate for as many as 5
sessions per week for as long as 45 minutes per session. Keep in
mind, that the CV program is supplemental to the strength
training program and too much cardio can actually stop or
reverse your overall progress. Recent evidence suggests that
more than 45 minute of CV exercise can eat away at muscle
tissue. This is what you don't want to happen. Your muscle is
your calorie-burning furnace. Therefore, be consistent with your
cardio program, but keep it in check.
|
CV program guide
|
|
Frequency |
Duration |
Intensity
Level |
| Beginner |
3x |
15-20
min |
50%MHR |
Intermediate
(more than 6
months consistent) |
3-5x |
20-45
min |
50-60%MHR |
|
|
|
|
|
Determining maximum and training heart rate using the Karvonen formula. |
| RHR
= resting heart rate = your pulse at rest |
| MHR
= maximum heart rate = 220 - age |
HRR
= heart rate reserve = MHR - RHR
|
|
Once
you have determined your HRR you can calculate your THR
(training heart rate) |
(HRR
* .50) + RHR = THR
.50
represents intensity level 50%
|
|
Here's
an example using a 40 yr old woman with a resting pulse of 70 |
| MHR
= 220-40 = 180 |
| RHR
= 70 |
| HRR
= 180 -70 =110 |
THR
= (110)* .50 + 70 =125
|
|
Choosing your cardiovascular activity |
Here are some examples of activities that will provide a good cardiovascular
workout:
- bicycling
- walking
- jogging
- stepper machines
- eliptical machines
- swimming
Keep in mind that whichever activity you choose, your heart rate should be elevated to 50% or
more for the duration of the exercise.
|
Phase II Strength Training
For Phase II of the strength training program, I have prescribed a
few changes During this phase you will follow the program 3 times per week on non-consecutive days. The workload has been increased slightly and the rest time between sets has been
decreased. You should now start using weights that are challenging.
Choose a weight that allows you to perform the prescribed number of repetitions slowly and meticulously. If you can
perform more than the prescribed number of repetitions, you may
increase the weights, but be sure to increase in very small increments.
|
| Exercise |
repetitions |
sets |
rest
period |
| Bench press |
8-12 |
3-4 |
1.5
min. |
| Lat pulls |
8-12 |
3-4 |
1.5
min. |
| Shoulder
press |
8-12 |
3-4 |
1.5
min. |
| Leg press |
10-15 |
3-4 |
2
min. |
| Hip Abduction |
10-15 |
3-4 |
1.5
min. |
Follow this program with the
addition of the cardiovascular training program for the next 4 weeks.
Look for more information on health and fitness from
FemmePharma next month and every month...
Vic Tringali
Great American Health and Fitness
For FemmePharma, Inc.
Inquiries should be directed to:
info@FemmePharmainc.com
|
Cardiovascular Exercise: How to utilize aerobic training to tweak your fitness program,
Phase I.
FemmePharma is pleased to
introduce its Women's Health and Fitness Segment. Each month visit the web page for information that will positively influence your overall sense of well being; brought to you by
the Company that has made women's health its mission.
Research has demonstrated that as women age they lose muscle mass and bone density, After menopause, these losses are accelerated. The results are a lower metabolic rate due to less muscle and a weak, brittle bone
structure that is susceptible to fractures. Currently, half of women over the age of 62
suffer from osteoporosis.
However, there is a prescription
for women
that can prevent such a problem from arising. That's correct. A simple prescription can increase muscle
strength, increase muscle
density, increase bone strength and density, increase connective tissue strength, and increase resting metabolic rate. The side effects include: firmer, tighter, and trimmer appearance and an overall improvement in self-image.
In addition, expect to have more energy.
Now that I have piqued your curiosity, I will give you a
hint. Women of all age groups use this formula to improve their health and appearance. You can follow a simple plan
and you can start as soon as your physician gives you her/his blessing.
The prescription is WEIGHT-TRAINING. Yes,
weight-training can do wonders for a woman's health and appearance, and it is time for you to begin to reap the benefits.
It is very simple to get started.
Before beginning any exercise program please check with your physician to be sure that there are no underlying health conditions that might interfere with your ability to successfully undertake such a
program.
 |
|
I have outlined below a low-intensity, beginning
weight-training program that concentrates on the most important areas of the body to
train (hips, thighs, back, chest, and shoulders). Use weights that are challenging, but do not be too ambitious! If this is the first
time you are
doing weight-training you may want to begin with 5 lb. or 10 lb. weights. |
|
|
|
Phase I
|
| Exercise |
sets |
reps |
rest |
| Bench press |
2-3 |
10-15 |
2
min. |
| Lat pulls |
2-3 |
10-15 |
2
min. |
| Shoulder
press |
2-3 |
10-15 |
2
min. |
| Leg press |
3 |
10-15 |
3
min. |
| Hip Abduction |
2-3 |
10-15 |
2
min. |
*** Follow this program twice per week on non-consecutive days for the first three weeks.
Regardless of your age or level of fitness, I would encourage you to include
weight-training in your fitness program. It is a great prescription for looking, feeling, and performing better...that
is, if you can deal with the side effects.
Look for more information on health and fitness from
FemmePharma next month and every month...
Vic Tringali
Great American Health and Fitness
For FemmePharma, Inc.
Inquiries should be directed to:
info@FemmePharmainc.com
