Practical Tips for Fitness

1. Practical Tips for Fitness Joe D. Bell, Ph.D. Abilene Christian University

2. What do we really need? • We need some kind of activity almost every day. • We must include some kind of muscular fitness activity. • We should supplement our excessive aerobic activity with other things.

3. Why? • Metabolic changes after age 30 are significant. • Aerobic exercise alone cannot compensate. • Maintaining lean body mass is vital for: • Keeping metabolism relative high. • Maintaining bone density. • There are even some CV benefits.

4. So, What Do I Do? • Basic Principles of Strength Training • Progression • Variety • Adaptation • Balance • Consistency • Specificity

5. Progression • Progression, variety and adaptation are highly interactive principles. • Progression means to stress the body in increasing amounts from workout to workout. • Variety dictates that the type of stress should be different in order for the body to continually adapt. • Adaptation can be either positive or negative.

6. Variety - The Spice of Life • Once the body is repeatedly exposed to the same stress, it ceases to adapt to that stress. • Variation can be accomplished by changing exercises, sets or reps, or by cross training.

7. Adaptation • Occurs when we combine appropriate work loads with appropriate recovery. • The rest is almost as important as the work.

8. Practical Tips • You don’t really need a gym membership. • You can get a good workout with very little equipment. • Just be consistent in your work habits! • Vary what you do from day to day.

9. Rubber-band Exercises • Inexpensive (one with handles costs about $10). • Convenient (you can do it in your office or at home). • Effective (resistance varies across the range of motion and an eccentric phase is emphasized).

10. Exercises (Use your imagination). • Bi’s and Tri’s • Shoulders • Hips • Legs

11. Questions?

12. Practical Tips for Fitness Joe D. Bell, Ph.D. Abilene Christian University

13. What do we really need? • We need some kind of activity almost every day. • We must include some kind of muscular fitness activity. • We should supplement our excessive aerobic activity with other things.

14. Why? • Metabolic changes after age 30 are significant. • Aerobic exercise alone cannot compensate. • Maintaining lean body mass is vital for: • Keeping metabolism relative high. • Maintaining bone density. • There are even some CV benefits.

15. So, What Do I Do? • Basic Principles of Strength Training • Progression • Variety • Adaptation • Balance • Consistency • Specificity

16. Progression • Progression, variety and adaptation are highly interactive principles. • Progression means to stress the body in increasing amounts from workout to workout. • Variety dictates that the type of stress should be different in order for the body to continually adapt. • Adaptation can be either positive or negative.

17. Variety - The Spice of Life • Once the body is repeatedly exposed to the same stress, it ceases to adapt to that stress. • Variation can be accomplished by changing exercises, sets or reps, or by cross training.

18. Adaptation • Occurs when we combine appropriate work loads with appropriate recovery. • The rest is almost as important as the work.

19. Practical Tips • You don’t really need a gym membership. • You can get a good workout with very little equipment. • Just be consistent in your work habits! • Vary what you do from day to day.

20. Rubber-band Exercises • Inexpensive (one with handles costs about $10). • Convenient (you can do it in your office or at home). • Effective (resistance varies across the range of motion and an eccentric phase is emphasized).

21. Exercises (Use your imagination). • Bi’s and Tri’s • Shoulders • Hips • Legs

37. Questions?