Muscular Strength; Cardiovascular Fitness; Training Effect - Schwinn Airdyne User Manual

■ Muscular Strength

Th e n e w g uid elin es have ad d e d r esistance t rainin g since t h e ACSM
r eco g niz es t h e incr easin g i m p o r tance o f m ain tainin g st r e n g t h as a h ealt h
b e n efit as w e g e t old er. Th e ratio nale f o r t h e ad ditio n o f st r e n g t h t rainin g
t o t h e g uid elin es is a r esult o f a t e n year f ollo w -u p st u d y o n m ast er r u n n ers
(alo n g wit h o t h er st u dies). Th ose w h o co n tin u e d t o t rain aer o bically wit h o u t
u p p er b o d y exercise m ain tain e d t h eir b o d y's oxy g e n t ransp o r tin g capacit y
o ver t h e years, b u t lost ab o u t 4.5 p o u n ds o f lean b o d y m ass; t h ose w h o
inclu d e d st r e n g t h t rainin g in t h eir p r o g ra m m ain tain e d t h eir lean b o d y m ass
alo n g wit h t h eir aer o bic capacit y af t er 10 years o f agin g.
Th e g uid elin es also sh o w w h er e co nsist e n t r esistance t rainin g h elps m ain-
tain b o n e an d m uscle m ass as w e g e t old er. F o r w o m e n, st r e n g t h t rainin g
(alo n g wit h t h e aer o bic w o rk) m ay also p r o t ect against p ost m e n o pausal b o n e
loss an d ost e o p o r osis in t h eir lat er years.
Th e g uid elin es r eco m m e n d t hat t w o st r e n g t h t rainin g sessio ns p er w e ek
sh o uld b e ad d e d t o y o u r w o rko u t sch e d ule. We r eco m m e n d t h r e e sessio ns a
w e ek d u rin g t h e o ff-seaso n an d t w o sessio ns a w e ek f o r m ain t e nance d u rin g
t h e in-seaso n. Th e n e w ACSM g uid elin es r eco m m e n d o n e se t o f eig h t t o 12
r e p e titio ns o f eig h t t o 10 st r e n g t h exercises o f y o u r m ajo r m uscle g r o u ps p er
sessio n as t h e m ini m u m r e q uir e m e n t. A co m ple t e d e taile d st r e n g t h t rainin g
p r o g ra m will b e o u tlin e d in a lat er sectio n o f t his b o ok. If w eig h ts o r o t h er
r esistance t rainin g d evices ar e n o t available, ad d calist h e nics t o y o u r p r o g ra m .

■ Cardiovascular Fitness

Th e n e w stat e m e n t, p u blish e d in 1991, r e p eats t h e f o u r r eco m m e n datio ns
o n d u ratio n, in t e nsit y, fr e q u e ncy an d vario us m o d es o f aer o bic activit y, wit h
slig h t chan g es. Th e d uratio n is n o w 20 t o 60 min u t es, versus a minim u m of 15
min u t es in t h e past.
In t e nsity o f exercise can b e d e t er min e d by t w o m e t h o ds. Th e first is t h e
fa miliar use o f tar g e t h ear t rat e. Th e g uid elin es stat e t hat yo u sh o uld aim t o
w o rk at 60 t o 85 p erce n t o f yo u r m axim u m h ear t rat e (m ax HR = 220 - yo u r ag e)
o r 50 t o 85 p erce n t o f yo u r m axim al oxyg e n capacity (d e t er min e d by d oin g a
stress t est o n a bicycle er g o m e t er o r tread mill at a m e dical facility).
D u ratio n is d e p e n d e n t u p o n t h e in t e nsit y o f t h e activit y; f o r t h ose w h o like
t o w o rk at a lo w er in t e nsit y t h ey sh o uld w o rk o u t lo n g er. Lo w t o m o d erat e
in t e nsit y cyclin g, st e p pin g, w alkin g, o r cr oss-co u n t ry skiin g is b est f o r m ost
ad ults, b ecause hig h er in t e nsit y w o rko u ts can lead t o incr ease d risk o f inju ry
an d it is easier t o ad h er e t o t h e exercise r o u tin e. Be gin n ers can achieve a
sig nifican t t rainin g eff ect fr o m lo w in t e nsit y w o rko u ts. If y o u'r e alr ead y fit
an d w an t t o i m p r o ve, g rad ually incr ease y o u r in t e nsit y.
Th e typ e of activity, o nce again, sh o uld inclu d e anyt hin g t hat uses larg e
m uscle gro u ps, an d is rhyt h mical an d aero bic in nat ure, such as cyclin g or ru n-
nin g. Ot h er activities co uld inclu d e stair clim bin g, cross-co u n try skiin g, w alkin g,
e tc. Th ese activities n e e d t o b e carrie d o u t t hre e t o five days p er w e ek.

■ Training Effect

D u ratio n, in t e nsit y an d fr e q u e ncy o f t rainin g sti m ulat e t h e aer o bic t rainin g
eff ect. An y t rainin g d o n e b elo w t h e ACSM g uid elin es will n o t b e su fficie n t
e n o u g h t o give y o u t h e aer o bic t rainin g eff ect. If y o u ar e exercisin g m o r e
t han t h e r eco m m e n datio ns, it will n o t sig nifican tly incr ease t h e aer o bic t rain-
in g eff ect, t h o u g h at hle t es t rainin g f o r co m p e titio n n e e d t o exercise m o r e t o
b e co m p e titive. It is i m p o r tan t t o r e m e m b er n o t t o o ver d o it; y o u r b o d y
n e e ds ad e q uat e r eco very fr o m a har d w o rko u t.
In g e n eral, e n d u rance t rainin g f o r f e w er t han t w o days p er w e ek at less
t han 60 p erce n t o f m axi m al h ear t rat e, f o r f e w er t han 20 m in u t es p er day, an d
wit h o u t a w ell-r o u n d e d r esistance an d flexibilit y p r o g ra m is inad e q uat e f o r
d evelo pin g an d m ain tainin g fit n ess in h ealt h y ad ults. It is just t hat si m ple.
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IDENTIFYING YOUR BALANCED FITNESS GOALS
Ke e p in m in d t hat t h e ACSM r eco m m e n datio ns ar e g uid elin es f o r t h e
averag e p erso n, n o t a cha m pio n at hle t e t rainin g f o r t h e Oly m pic Ga m es.
An ap p r o p riat e w ar m -u p an d co ol-d o w n, w hich w o uld also inclu d e flexibilit y
exercises, is also r eco m m e n d e d. W hile m an y o f y o u will n e e d t o t rain wit h
m o r e m ileag e an d at a g r eat er in t e nsit y t o race co m p e titively, t h e i m p o r tan t
fact o r t o r e m e m b er f o r m ost p e o ple is t hat if t h ey f ollo w t h e ACSM g uid elin es
o f p h ysical activit y t h ey will at tain incr ease d p h ysical an d h ealt h b e n efits at
t h e lo w est risk. Belo w is a table o u tlinin g t h e g uid elin es (Table 1.1).
Th e ACSM g uid elin es, if follo w e d, can result in p er m an e n t lifestyle chan g es
for m ost in divid uals. Th e g o o d n e ws is t hat, wit h t h e rig h t ap proach, exercisin g
at h o m e can an d sh o uld b e pleasan t. Yo u can co m bin e stre n g t h trainin g, aero bic
exercise an d flexibility activities t hat yo u e njoy an d gain valuable h ealt h b e n efits.
Stren g t h Trainin g Aero bic Exercise
Frequency 2 t o 3 tim es/ w eek 3 t o 5 tim es/ w eek
Intensity 8-12 reps 60-90% of " easy"
feelin g u n til fatig u e
Stretch Time 20-40 min u t es 20-60 min u t es
Type 10 exercises any rhyt h mical
activity
■ Flexibility
To b e in t o tal balance it is i m p o r tan t t o b e flexible. W hile n o t par t o f t h e
ACSM g uid elin es, flexibilit y is i m p o r tan t f o r y o u t o p erf o r m tasks t hat r e q uir e
r eachin g, t wistin g an d t u r nin g y o u r b o d y. Hip flexibilit y, f o r exa m ple, is
i m p o r tan t t o p r eve n tin g lo w er back pain.
■ Exercise and Body Composition
Bo d y co m p ositio n is an i m p o r tan t co m p o n e n t o f h ealt h-r elat e d fit n ess.
Go o d b o d y co m p ositio n r esults fr o m aer o bic activit y, st r e n g t h t rainin g an d
p r o p er die t.
Yo u r every day calo ric balance will d e t er m in e w h e t h er y o u will gain o r lose
w eig h t fr o m day-t o-day. Calo ric balance r ef ers t o t h e diff er e nce b e t w e e n t h e
calo ries y o u take in fr o m f o o d eat e n an d calo ric exp e n dit u r e o r t h e a m o u n t o f
e n er g y y o u p u t o u t in daily activities, w o rk o r exercise.
Bo dy w eig h t is lost w h e n calo ric exp e n dit u re exce e ds calo ric in take o r
w h e n calo ric in take is less t han calo ric exp e n dit u re. It is a kn o w n p hysiolo gical
fact t hat o n e p o u n d o f fat is e q ual t o 3500 calo ries o f e n er gy. Th o u g h it is p re-
dictable t hat shif ts in calo ric balance will b e acco m panie d by chan g es in b o dy
w eig h t, h o w yo u r b o dy loses w eig h t varies o n t h e vario us p r o g ra ms yo u m ay
u n d er take t o lose w eig h t. F o r exa m ple, lo w calo rie die ts cause a su bstan tial
loss o f w a t e r a n d le a n b o d y tissu e, su c h as m uscle. In c o n t rast, a n e x e rcise-
in d u c e d n e g a tiv e calo ric b ala n c e r esults in a w eig h t loss o f p ri m arily fa t
st o r es. If y o u w e r e t o a d d a r esist a n t t rainin g c o m p o n e n t t o y o u r p r o g ra m ,
y o u m ay also se e a slig h t in cr e ase in w eig h t d u e t o a g ain in m uscle m ass,
w hile a n a e r o bic b ase d p r o g ra m usu ally r esults in a m ain t e n a n c e o f m uscle
m ass. W hile b o t h a p p r o ac h es t o w eig h t loss ar e e ff e c tiv e, a e r o bic ac tivit y
is f o u n d t o b e v e ry e ff e c tiv e b e ca use m e t a b olis m st ays sust ain e d f o r lo n g e r
p e rio ds o f ti m e a n d e n e r g y. Ex p e n dit u r e is g r e a t e r w it h ac tivities t h a t use
lar g e m uscle g r o u ps su c h as w alkin g, cyclin g, cr oss-c o u n t y skiin g, e t c.
F ollo w t h ese g uid elin es w h e n e n g a gin g in a w eig h t loss p r o g ra m t h a t
c o m bin es e x e rcise a n d calo ric r est ric tio n:
• Ensu r e t hat y o u ar e co nsu m in g at least 1,200 calo ries p er day in a balance d
die t. Yo u n e e d t o co nsu m e calo ries f o r every day b o dily, h ealt h y f u nctio ns.
• Yo u sh o uld n o t exce e d m o r e t han a 500 t o 1,000 calo ries p er day n e gative
calo ric balance, co m binin g b o t h calo ric r est rictio n an d exercise. This will
r esult in a g rad ual w eig h t loss, wit h o u t a loss o f lean b o d y w eig h t (m uscle).
Yo u sh o uld n o t lose m o r e t han 2 p o u n ds p er w e ek o n a die t.
Stretchin g
3 t o 6 tim es/ w eek
max HR
10 min u t es
10 stretch es
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