Weight Training I

Unit: Intro to Weight Training

Benefits of weight training:Physical

  1. Increase in metabolism
  2. Reverse decline in metabolism, common with aging
  3. Improves muscular endurance
  4. Remain active for a longer period of time without running the risk of injury
  5. Decrease in resting blood pressure
  6. Decrease in resting heart rate
  7. Strengthens bones, decrease risk of osteoporosis
  8. Strengthens immune system
  9. Provides energy to be active and mentally gives a person confidence in their appearance and abilities
  10. Better Sleep

Benefits of weight training: Mental

  1. Stress Relief (Stimulates body to produce endorphins)
  2. Mood Enhancement (Promotes production of other chemicals to combat depression and anxiety)

Risks of Sedentary Lifestyle: (Physical activity and exercise combat the following)

  1. Weight gain and obesity
  2. Risk of developing cardiovascular disease (i.e. stroke and heart attack)
  3. Osteoporosis (weakening of the bones)
  4. Type 2 diabetes
  5. Certain forms of cancer
  6. Osteoarthritis
  7. Asthma and breathing problems
  8. Depression and anxiety

Health Related Fitness: 4 main areas of health improved by exercise

  1. Cardiovascular Endurance – Running a mile, going on a long walk or swimming without tiring. Decrease risk of cardiovascular disease.
  2. Muscular Strength – Needed for activities that put stress on the muscles (i.e. lifting, jumping, running and pushing)
  3. Muscular endurance -gives you the power to carry out daily tasks without fatigue, such as carrying boxes up and down a flight of stairs.
  4. Flexibility - Being flexible can improve your performance in many sports and reduce your risk of muscle strain and other injuries.

2 Main Types of Exercise:

  1. Aerobic Exercise– Jogging, swimming and riding a bike are examples of aerobic exercise. These forms of exercise raise your heart rate and increase the body’s use of oxygen. Aerobic exercise will improve cardiovascular endurance, thus combating cardiovascular disease.
  2. Anaerobic Exercise – Sprinting and lifting weights are examples of anaerobic exercise. These forms of exercise help increase strength and endurance.
  3. Isometric exercise – Use muscle tension to improve strength with little or no movement of body parts. Example – Planks
  4. Isotonic exercise- Movement of joints combined with the contraction of muscles. Example – Lifting free weights and calisthenics.
  5. Isokinetic exercise – resistance against a muscle as it move through a range of motion at a steady speed. Example- Weight training machines.

Getting Started: Creating a Routine

Measuring Progress:

  1. Set goals
  2. What do you want to get out of weight training?
  3. High rep/low weight=lean appearance (cut appearance)
  4. Low rep/high weight=build muscle mass (bulk appearance)
  5. Weight loss = High rep/low weight, decrease rest time between sets
  6. Personal Needs
  7. Cost- Gym membership fees vs. Home program
  8. Where you live (climate) Indoors vs. Outdoors
  9. Your schedule (Morning people vs. Sleepers)
  10. Current state of health and fitness level

Warm Up – Process of increasing blood flow to provide oxygen to the muscles to fuel movement/exercise. Stretching, calisthenics and light cardiovascular exercise are all good examples of warm up activities. Warm up activities improve flexibility and decrease the likelihood of injury occurring. Muscles perform better when they are warm.

What is a set?

- A series of one exercise performed for a certain amount of repetitions

What is a repetition?

- Each time you go through the correct full range of motion with a weight

Applying the F.I.T.T. principle(Blueprint for structuring a routine)

- The F.I.T.T principle should be applied according to the goals of the individual.

F – Frequency (How many days of the week you work out?)

I – Intensity (How demanding are your workouts?)

T – Time (How long are your workouts?)

T – Type (What type of exercise are you doing? Cardio or Weights

-Increase frequency, high intensity in a shorter period of time will increase lean mass.

-Lifting for bulky appearance, and increasing weight should be done less frequent with a lower intensity to give muscles proper rest and recovery.

Fitness Principles:

  1. Specificity – Swimming, biking and running are examples of exercise, which improve cardiovascular endurance. Weight training will improve muscular strength and muscular endurance.
  2. Overload - You must push your body beyond its normal level to increase fitness. As you increase the demands on your body, it will adapt by growing stronger.
  3. Progression-To continue building fitness, you must continue to raise the demands on your body. Try working a little harder or longer during each session or working out more often during the week. Increasing weight, sets and repetitions are examples of progression. Exercise cannot remain static if you expect improvement.
  4. Regularity - This means working out on a regular basis. You need at least three balanced workouts a week to maintain your fitness level. Include different activities to get the recommended hour of physical activity each day.

Cool Down: Processes of the body should work gradually (not 0-100). When we warm up we prepare the body to gradually elevate the heart rate and blood flow. With the goal of the cool down being to gradually return the heart rate and blood flow to resting rates. Stretching is a great way to cool down after exercise.