Principles of Physical Fitness Chapter Principles of Physical Fitness

Principles of Physical Fitness Physical Activity and Exercise for Health and Fitness Components of Physical Fitness Principles of Physical Training: Adaptation to Stress Designing Your Own Exercise Program

Physical Activity and Exercise for Health and Fitness Almost any kind of physical activity promotes health Short periods of intense exercise do not compensate for hours of inactivity

FIGURE 2.1 Exercise promotes longevity SOURCE: Adapted from a composite of 12 studies involving more than 200,000 men and women. Wen, M., et al. 2013. Physical activity and mortality among middle-aged and older adults in the United States. Journal Physical Activity & Health. Published online; Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Report, 2008. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008.

Physical Activity on a Continuum Body movement carried out by skeletal muscles that requires energy Exercise: Planned, structured, repetitive movement intended to improve or maintain physical fitness Physical activity essential to health, but exercise necessary to improve fitness

Physical Activity on a Continuum Increasing physical activity to improve health and wellness Healthy adults should perform 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise or at least 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise per week Increasing volume and intensity results in additional health benefits

Physical Activity on a Continuum Increasing Physical Activity Moderate to high intensity resistive exercises promote strength and endurance Avoid inactivity

FIGURE 2.2 Examples of moderate- intensity physical activity SOURCE: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. 2010. Why Is Exercise Important? (www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/loewt/physical/htm; retrieved July 30, 2013)

Physical Activity on a Continuum Increasing physical activity to manage weight 66% of Americans carry extra weight U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: 150 minutes per week of physical activity may not be enough to lose weight Recommend up to 90 minutes of physical activity per day

Physical Activity on a Continuum Exercising to improve physical fitness People can obtain greater health and wellness benefits by increasing the duration and intensity of physical activity

TABLE 2.2 Physical Activity and Exercise Recommendations for Promoting General Health, Fitness, and Weight Management

How Much Physical Activity Is Enough? Regular physical activity promotes health and protects from chronic diseases Need physical energy and stamina Any increase improves health and well-being

Cardiorespiratory Endurance Health-related fitness: Physical capacities that contribute to health Cardiorespiratory endurance: Ability of the body to perform prolonged, large-muscle, dynamic exercise at moderate-to-high intensity; central component of health-related fitness

Muscular Strength Muscular strength: force a muscle produces with single maximum effort Metabolism: Sum of the vital processes by which food energy and nutrients are made available to and used by the body Greater muscle mass means higher rate of metabolism Muscular endurance: Ability of muscle to remain contracted or to contract repeatedly for a long period of time

Flexibility Flexibility: ability to move joints through their full ranges of motion Fat-free mass: Nonfat component of human body, consisting of skeletal muscle, bone, and water

Body Composition Body composition: Proportion of fat and fat-free mass (muscle, bone, and water) in a body Somatotype: body-type classification system that describes people as predominantly muscular (mesomorph), tall and thin (ectomorph), or round and heavy (endomorph)

Skill (Neuromuscular)-Related Components of Fitness Skill-related fitness: Complex control of muscles and movement by the brain and spinal column; components include speed, power, agility, balance, coordination, and reaction time

Principles of Physical Training: Adaptation to Stress The human body is adaptable and adjusts to meet increasing demands Short term adjustments lead to long-term changes and improvements in fitness levels Physical training: Performance of different types of activities to produce long-term changes and improvements in the body’s functioning and fitness

Specificity – Adapting to Type of Training Specificity: Training principle that states that to develop a particular fitness component, one must perform exercises designed specifically for that component Well-rounded exercise program should include exercises geared to each component of fitness

Progressive Overload Progressive overload: Training principle that states that placing increasing amounts of stress on the body causes adaptations that improve fitness As amount of exercise progressively increases, fitness improves

Progressive Overload FITT: Frequency Intensity Time (duration) Type (mode of activity)

Reversibility—Adapting to Reduction in Training Benefits of fitness are reversible Reversibility: The training principle that states that fitness improvements are lost when demands on the body are lowered. If a person stops exercising, 50% of fitness improvements are lost within 2 months

Individual Differences – Limits on Adaptability There are large differences in our ability to improve fitness and perform skills Specific genes influence body fat, strength, and endurance

Designing Your Own Exercise Program Getting Medical Clearance Exercise stress test: involves analysis of changes in electrical activity in the heart from an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) taken during exercise; used to determine if any heart disease is present and to assess current fitness level Graded exercise test (GXT): exercise test that starts at an easy intensity and progresses to maximum capacity

Designing Your Own Exercise Program Assessing yourself Assess current level of fitness for each of the five fitness components Setting goals Think carefully about overall goals, and be clear why you are starting a program

Designing Your Own Exercise Program Choosing activities for a balanced program Combine active lifestyle with systematic exercise program Develop cardiorespiratory endurance through activities that involve continuous rhythmic movements of large-muscle groups

Designing Your Own Exercise Program Balanced program Develop muscular strength and endurance through resistance training or calisthenics Develop flexibility by stretching major muscle groups regularly Develop healthy body composition through sensible diet and regular exercise

FIGURE 2.3 Physical activity pyramid

Designing Your Own Exercise Program Guidelines for training Train the way you want to change Train regularly Start slowly, and get in shape gradually Beginning phase Progress phase Maintenance phase Increase duration and frequency before increasing intensity

Designing Your Own Exercise Program Guidelines for training Warming up can decrease your chances of injury Cooling down after exercise restores circulation to its normal resting level Exercise safely Overloading your muscles and joints can lead to serious injury, so train within your capacity

Designing Your Own Exercise Program Guidelines for training Listen to your body, and get adequate rest Cycle the volume and intensity of your workouts Vary your training activities Try training with a partner

Designing Your Own Exercise Program Guidelines for training Train your mind Fuel your activity appropriately Have fun Track Your progress Keep your exercise program in perspective

FIGURE 2.5 Progression of an exercise program SOURCE: Progression data from American College of Sports Medicine. 2009.ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 8th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins