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Planning An Exercise Program
When designing an aerobic or strength training exercise program, fitness professionals, such as personal trainers and gym instructors, invariably use the F.I.T.T. principle as their starting point. The good news is that with a little bit of knowledge anyone can use this principle in designing an exercise program that will help them to become progressively fitter and stronger, and help them lose or control their weight. If you want to start an exercise program or take your current routine to the next level, you'll find the information and tips in this article just what you need. What is the F.I.T.T. Principle? The F.I.T.T. principle is a basic philosophy of what is necessary to gain a training affect from an exercise program. Specifically, the letters F.I.T.T. stand for: ? Frequency Here's what each of these four things stand for: Frequency refers to the number of times you exercise. For those new to training or those just wanting to lose weight, frequency is usually calculated within the context of a week. For example, your plan might be to walk 3, 4 or 5 times per week. Intensity is the level of effort you put into each exercise. For aerobic exercises intensity is usually measured in terms relative to your maximum heart rate while the intensity of strength exercises is measured in terms of the amount of weight you use, the number of repetitions and sets you perform, and the amount of rest time you take in between sets. Time is simply how long you exercise during each session. For example, 30 minutes of aerobic exercise (walking, jogging, cycling, etc) per session. Type refers to whether you do aerobics or strength training during your exercise sessions and the specific exercises you select for each. The F.I.T.T. principle and Weight Loss Why are the basic F.I.T.T. principle concepts important if you are planning an exercise program to lose weight? They're important because they help you to: ? Start with the right exercises and intensity. Using the F.I.T.T. principle isn't just important in your initial exercise planning, it is also crucial to your long term planning and weight loss and fitness success. By increasing or varying any or all parts of the F.I.T.T. principle elements, you can: 1. Increase the number of calories you burn during each exercise session. 2. Improve your cardiovascular fitness and strength. 3. Help minimize overuse/over training injuries. 4. Build variety into your program. F.I.T.T Principle Guidelines Here are some basic F.I.T.T. principle guidelines for both aerobics and strength training to help you plan an exercise program. Please keep in mind that these examples represent general guidelines only for those of us with low to moderate fitness levels. Use these guidelines to establish a program and then customize your program to fit your specific needs and goals as your experience and knowledge increases. And remember to always consult your doctor before commencing any new exercise program and consult a fitness professional (personal fitness trainer, gym instructor, etc) if you require help. Basic Aerobic Training Guidelines Frequency: Exercise between 3 and 5 times per week. Intensity: Maintain a heart rate of between 60 - 80% of your Maximum Heart Rate. Your Maximum Heart Rate can be calculated using a Maximum Heart Rate test conducted by a fitness or health professional or estimated using the formula: For Women (230 - Age = Maximum Heart Rate).For Men (220 - Age = Maximum Heart Rate). The best and most practical way to monitor your heart rate is with a heart rate monitor. Time: Those of us with low levels of fitness should maintain our heart rates in our selected target zone for a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes, excluding warm-up and cool down periods. Those with a good fitness base should exercise for between 20 and 60 minutes in their target heart rate zone. Type: Exercises that involve as many muscles as possible and allow a relatively consistent level of intensity are best. Good examples of these include: ? Walking Basic Strength Training Guidelines Frequency: Exercise each body part 1 to 2 times per week. For lower intensity workouts or for those who have trained for some time, try exercising each body part 2 to 3 times per week. You can exercise different parts of the body on different days (called split routines) or you can train your whole body at each workout. Intensity: Choose a weight that can be performed 10 to 15 times (repetitions) per set. When you can perform more than 15 repetitions without rest, increase the weight slightly for your next workout. If you are training your whole body each time you exercise, only do 1-2 exercises for each muscle group and perform 1-3 sets of each exercise. If you employ a split routine try performing no more than 2-3 exercises per muscle group and 2-4 sets of each exercise. Time: Beginners usually benefit from exercise sessions that last between 30 to 45 minutes. As you become fitter and stronger, you may want to increase your total workouts from 45 to 90 minutes. For most of us, particularly those with limited time, sessions of 60 minutes are typically ideal. With rest between sets, try not to take longer than 2-3 minutes as a beginner. As you get fitter, try to reduce this time to 1 minute or less. Type: Generally speaking, there are two types of exercises for muscles, compound exercises and isolation exercises. Compound exercises use more than one muscle group to perform and are the most effective for those interested in losing weight. Examples of compound exercises include Bench press, Push-ups, Squats, Shoulder press and Deadlifts. Isolation exercises use only one muscle group to perform and include Bicep curls, Tricep extensions, Leg extensions, etc. For those new to resistance training, compound exercises are best. Once you have a base level of strength you can add isolation exercises to your workouts for variety and to help shape individual muscles. Conclusion No matter what your goal, current fitness level or exercise experience, you can employ the F.I.T.T. principle to plan an effective long term exercise program. By using the guidelines above, you too can plan an effective regime that will help you to improve your cardiovascular fitness, strength, flexibility and of course help you lose weight. Using the F.I.T.T. principle in your exercise planning will ensure that you achieve your weight loss goals as efficiently as possible. Not only will you achieve your goals in the shortest possible time, you'll also enjoy your routine more because of the variety built into it. If that weren't enough, you'll also minimize the chances of experiencing annoying and painful overtraining injuries that can stall or stop your weight loss and fitness progress. While anyone with the basic knowledge provided above can plan their own workout, if you are new to exercise or have an existing injury or ailment, we suggest you consult a personal trainer or other fitness professional. As well as designing a personal plan for you using the method above, they can help you rehabilitate or work around existing injuries, teach you the right techniques for each exercise in your program and advise you of when to modify your plan to take advantage of your new fitness levels. For all your weight loss and healthy lifestyle needs, visit www.weightloss.com.au and become a happier, healthier you. Scott Haywood
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news News Corp exec becomes chief of Germany's Premiere (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp's chief financial officer for Europe and Asia has been named chief executive of German pay television group Premiere, following the resignation of Michael Boernicke, Premiere said on Wednesday. News Corporation to redevelop London Wapping site (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is to redevelop its Wapping site in London, moving all its UK businesses, including News International, Harper Collins, MySpace and Dow Jones, under one roof. DeJesus, Royals sad at Sweeney news (MLB.com) DeJesus, Royals sad at Sweeney news Tribune blames Google for damaging news story (Market Watch) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Tribune Co. said Wednesday that the mistaken online publishing of an old news story that cratered UAL Corp.'s stock price earlier this week was because of a repeated technology failure at Google Inc. UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News (UPI) Chesney nominated for 7 CMAs ... Hoffman: I'm not playing Penguin ... 'RocknRolla' No. 1 at U.K. box office ... Jessica Simpson stops song on 'GMA' ... News from United Press International. DailyMe: News tailored to your individual tastes (The Christian Science Monitor) Column: Custom news websites come and go, but this one gets it right. Get the latest news in racing (Daily Racing Form) In order to read Daily Racing Form's free daily news stories it is required that you have a DRF.com free membership. If you do not have a DRF.com free membership, please register here . You will NOT need to be logged in to read each day's free news stories. Newport News police in standoff with man, possibly armed (The Virginian-Pilot) NEWPORT NEWS Newport News police are involved in a standoff with a man inside an apartment who may have a gun, police said. A detective went to an apartment in the 500 block of 19th Street to try to serve a warrant on a suspect, said Officer Lou Thurston, a police spokesman. AIS adds news video to services (Bangkok Post - Thailand's English news) Advanced Info Service (AIS) is introducing real-time news video clips over mobile phones, aiming to make its news content services a flagship source of non-voice revenue. Kyodo News agency says three inmates executed (AP via Yahoo! Malaysia News) Kyodo News agency says three death-row inmates have been executed in Japan. Site: news - Google News New Voices in Congress Will Change the Tone of the Democratic Majority - New York Times
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for exercise Fort Jackson terror exercise canceled (The State) Army officials have canceled a training exercise at Fort Jackson testing soldiers? ability to deal with dozens of injuries after a terrorist attack. Forecasts calling for thunderstorms and lightning Wednesday prompted the cancellation because much of the activity was supposed to take place in open fields at the base, a spokeswoman for the Army said. Dozens of mock casualties were to be ... Santa Clara County plans emergency responder training exercise (San Jose Mercury News) A large-scale, multi-jurisdictional emergency response training exercise is planned for Thursday at the DePaul Medical Center in Morgan Hill. Many with 'fat' gene may need exercise (UPI) MIAMI, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- More than half of all people of European descent have one or two copies of a "fat" gene variation, but lots of exercise may help, researchers say. Aerobic exercise for the wheelchair-bound (EurekAlert!) ( University of Texas at Austin, Electrical & Computer Engineering ) Simple exercise machine makes it fun for wheelchair users to fight high obesity, diabetes and heart disease rates. In Ramadan, Jordan TV campaign urges holy month observers to try healthy eating, exercise (AM New York) AMMAN, Jordan (AP) _ The public-service TV ads deliver a cheerful, yet pointed, message to Muslims observing Ramadan's traditional dawn to dusk fast: "Don't overeat" when night comes. "Exercise and stay healthy." Canadian ships arrives to exercise with Indian Navy (Islamic Republic News Agency) India - Canada - Navy Exercise Two Canadian warships will be visiting Indian waters for four days from Wednesday and carry out an exercise in the sea off the Chennai coast on Saturday. Community-based exercise organizations can help prevent diabetes (New Kerala) Washington, Sept 10 : A study conducted at the YMCA has shown that community-based exercise organizations can help in preventing diabetes. Training exercise on Whittington Drive (The Peterborough Examiner) The Peterborough Lakefield Community Police Service Emergency Response Team is conducting a training exercise in the area of Whittington Drive. This is a training exercise only and the public is not at risk. Exercise Tips for Success (Carteret County News-Times) (ARA) - Everybody knows that exercise is good. Doctors have told us for years that exercise can help us lose weight, look better, feel better, and even sleep better. However, exercise sounds like work, and many of us claim that we just don't have time to add more work to our daily lives. Wearable Fitbit automatically tracks your exercise routines (Engadget) Filed under: Misc. Gadgets , Wearables Although the world already has a set of headphones that encourages you to work out , the newly announced Fitbit is just a hair more sophisticated. Designed to be worn or carried around in a spare pocket, the personal tracker is about the size of a standard flash drive and includes a built-in motion sensor to keep tabs on "exercise intensity ... Site: exercise - Google News Ask the Trainer: Add exercise to your efforts to stop smoking - Sheboygan Press
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