Women And Exercise

Dwight, 2000

In addition to stretching the muscles involved in cardiovascular exercise, you need to stretch each specific muscle you train in a fitness program. When you stretch your muscles it helps to provide better physical performance, prevents injuries, and can help to improve your posture.When muscles are stretched, the elasticity in them improves which will help to increase your range of motion and improve the quality of your movements.

Never stretch a cold muscle; meaning you should always make sure your muscles are warm before stretching. It's usually better to do a more extensive stretch at the very end of your fitness program, but light stretching between exercises is fine. Stretching doesn't take a long time, and it shouldn't, but you do benefit tremendously from it. Stretch only after the muscle has been properly warmed-up. Again, the best time for a complete stretch is when your exercise session has been completed. By the time you have finished your specific weight lifting program, which will be about 35 - 45 minutes in length, your muscles will have warmed up as much as they can possibly get.

Remember any fitness program must always include a warm-up and proper stretching for maximum effectiveness and to prevent injury.When you do this you will indeed experience the terrific benefits a good weight training program will give you.

Exercise Selection:

For you to succeed in your over-all fitness plan you need to select at least one exercise for each major muscle group in your body. This will help to promote well-balanced muscle development.

Another important part of your over-all fitness plan is the order your exercises are performed. When doing a range of weightlifting exercises, it's better to start with the larger muscle groups then perform exercises for the smaller muscle groups. Performing your fitness program in this manner will allow you to be exercising at your best during the most demanding exercises when fatigue levels are the lowest and you feel fresh.

Another important area of exercise selection is the total number of sets per exercise and total number of sets per exercise session. A "set" as it relates to weight lifting is the number of successive repetitions of a single exercise performed in succession without stopping. Now the number of sets per exercise and per exercise session is really going to depend on exactly what your goals are. Always treat your very first set for each muscle group as a warm-up, as was discussed in the warm-up section above. Then the rest of your sets will be determined by whether or not you are using a beginner, intermediate, or advanced level fitness program and what your particular goals are.

Regardless of the number of sets performed, all sets and repetitions have to be done with proper exercise form and under complete control.

Exercise Form Or Technique

One thing that always seems to be missing in most fitness programs, and the most common and critical training mistake is exercise form or "technique." Too much weight usually results in poor form, which decreases your ability to get results and also increases the risk of injury.

Examples of poor form or technique include, but aren't limited too…

• Bouncing the bar off your chest when performing a chest press;
• Using your hips for momentum and over extending your back to initiate the bicep curls;
• Arching your back or bending backwards when performing a shoulder press during the resistance portion of your fitness session;
• Using momentum in any exercise;
• And training at a fast tempo.

Be aware of these types of mistakes and remove them.

The Benefit Of Exercise

Stretching:

Concentrates on improving flexibility. Stretching requires no fitness equipment. Types of stretching include Yoga and Pilates. Whether you decide to stretch before, after or during your exercise routine, there is no doubt that stretching should be included every time you exercise. It keeps your body agile while engaging in any type of resistance or cardio training routine.

Benefits of stretching:

1. improves flexibility
2. increases range of motion
3. promotes relaxation
4. improves performance and posture
5. reduces stress on your body and reduces risk of injury for any resistance training routines or athletic performance

Strength Training, Weight Training or Resistance Training:

Concentrates on improving muscles. Strength training or weight training may require you to lift free weights or use equipment that makes you lift weight. It may also be called resistance training because you are putting resistance on your muscles to improve them. In resistance training you may use tools like rings and tubes rather than weights. Some exercises also allow you to use your own body as resistance. For instance, abdominal crunches can be part of a strength or resistance training routine. Strength training should be included in an exercise routine.

The benefits of resistance and strength training:

1. helps you lose weight in two ways: improves your muscle
   mass and increases your energy expenditure, both make you to
   burn more calories.
2. helps you tone and look better even if you are not overweight.
3. gives you more strength and endurance
4. increases bone density
5. has cardiovascular benefits
6. may help reduce risks of injury in athletes

Cardiovascular or Aerobic Training:

Aimed at improving your heart muscle and cardiovascular system. Cardiovascular training or aerobic training may be accomplished in several ways and you don't need to spend any money. Walking, jogging, skipping rope, boxing, dancing, riding a bike - any of these qualify as aerobic exercise. Cardiovascular training should be an essential element of your
fitness routine.

Benefits of cardiovascular training:

1. strengthens your heart
2. helps you lose weight and reduce fat
3. increases your endurance

Interval Training or Anaerobic Training:

Aimed at improving aerobic endurance for athletes. Interval training is characterized by repetitions of heavy exercise with a recovery period following each repetition. For instance, you might sprint for 10 seconds and then follow that sprint with a two minute recovery jog. Then you repeat the sprint/jog routine for about 20 minutes. During the sprinting you are producing a state of oxygen debt. This can also be called anaerobic training because you are out of oxygen. Circuit training is also a form of interval training.

Benefits of Interval Training:

1. improves athletic endurance
2. strengthens the heart muscle
3. improves the lungs or the ability to take in oxygen

Cross Training:

Aimed at improving aerobic endurance, strength and flexibility in athletes. Can also help fight boredom for anyone who exercises. Type of training that requires you to do two or more types of exercise either within the same routine or in successive routines. For example, you may stretch every day for flexibility, lift weights two days a week for strength training, and ride a bike once a week
for aerobic endurance.

Circuit Training:

Type of interval training aimed at losing weight and inches. Circuit training has been made popular by places like Curves and Ladies Workout Express. In circuit training you have several pieces of strength training equipment interspersed with aerobic equipment like steps or jogging pads. It has all the benefits of both cardiovascular and strength training workouts.