Achieving Your Fitness Goals - Horizon Fitness OXFORD 5 Owner's Manual

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sTreTching
sTreTch firsT
Before using your product, it is best to take a few minutes to do a few gentle stretching exercises. Stretching prior to exercise will
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improve flexibility and reduce chances of exercise related injury. Ease into each of these stretches with a slow gentle motion. Do not
stretch to the point of pain. Make sure not to bounce while doing these stretches.
1. sTanding caLf muscLe sTreTch
Stand near a wall with the toes of your left foot about 18" from the wall, and the right foot about 12"
behind the other foot. Lean forward, pushing against the wall with your palms. Keep your heels flat and
hold this position for a count of 15 seconds. Make sure that you do not bounce while stretching. Repeat
on the other side.
2. sTanding quadricep sTreTch
Using a wall to provide balance, grasp your left ankle
with your left hand and hold your foot against the
back of your thigh for 15 seconds. Repeat with your
right ankle and hand.
3. siTTing hamsTring & LoWer back muscLe sTreTch
Sit on the floor with your legs together and straight out in front of you. Do not lock your knees. Extend
your fingers towards your toes and hold for a count of 15 seconds. Make sure that you do not bounce
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while stretching. Sit upright again. Repeat one time.
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The imporTance of Warm up & cooL doWn
Warm up
The first 2 to 5 minutes of a workout should be devoted to warming up. The warm-up will limber your muscles and prepare them for
more strenuous exercise. Make sure that you warm-up on your product at a slow pace. The warm up should gradually bring your heart
rate into your Target Heart Rate Zone.
cooL doWnn
Never stop exercising suddenly! A cool-down period of 3-5 minutes allows your heart to readjust to the decreased demand. Make
sure that your cool down period consists of a very slow pace to allow your heart rate to lower. After the cool-down, repeat the
stretching exercises listed above to loosen and relax your muscles.
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achieVing your fiTness goaLs

An important step in developing a long term fitness program is to determine your goals. Is your primary goal for exercising to lose
weight? Improve muscle? Reduce stress? Prepare for the spring racing schedule? Knowing what your goals are will help you
develop a more successful exercise program. Below are some common exercise goals:
• Weight Loss - lower intensity, longer duration workouts
• Improve Body Shape and Tone - interval workouts, alternate between high and low intensities
• Increased Energy Level - more frequent daily workouts
• Improved Sports Performance - high intensity workouts
• Improved Cardiovascular Endurance - moderate intensity, longer duration workouts
If possible try to define your personal goals in precise, measurable terms, and then put your goals in writing. The more specific you
can be, the easier it will be to track your progress. If your goals are long term, d5ide them up into monthly and weekly segments.
Longer term goals can lose some of the immediate mot5ation benefits. Short term goals are easier to achieve. your console provides
you with several readouts that can be used to record your progress. you can track Distance, Calories or Time.
keeping an eXercise diary
To make your personal exercise log book, photocopy the weekly and monthly log sheets, which are located on the following pages.
As your fitness improves, you can look back and see how far you've come!
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