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 By
reducing risk factors--such as obesity--and through its direct effect
on the body, aerobic exercise has been shown to be helpful in the prevention
of diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary heart disease,
stroke and possibly certain cancers. Although it is often said that you need a minimum of 20 minutes of exercise, three times per week at 70 percent to 85 percent of your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR), recent studies have now found that any increase in activity helps to improve your health.
But
what kind of workout should you try? Here are some of the types of exercise
programs commonly used.
Interval training One way to maximize the effectiveness of aerobic exercise for an experienced exerciser is interval training. Interval training varies the intensity of the activity by increasing speed, elevation or resistance for short periods of high intensity activity between bouts of low to medium intensity activity. For those who are fit enough, one can even venture past the anaerobic threshold, which usually occurs at about 85% of maximum heart rate (MHR). The less fit can perform intervals at 75-80% of MHR alternating with periods at 60-70% MHR. To avoid over-training, use interval training judiciously, alternating with days of low and medium intensity and distance and days of complete rest. A 10 minute warm up, strength training for one to three muscle groups and stretching for those areas, followed by 12-15 minutes of high intensity interval training can be an effective way to develop all areas of fitness in just 45 minutes. Other days can include strength training and stretching only. An interval-training workout in the aerobic zone can be an effective use of 30 minutes, if that is all the time available. Vary the type of aerobic exercise over the course of each week or from week to week to avoid overuse, injuries and burnout. This kind of training also develops fitness for the whole body when different exercises are used. Types of exercises Aerobic exercise  Aerobic
exercise uses the oxidative process for producing energy from fats and
carbohydrates. When the intensity is high enough, the cells must produce
energy from the anaerobic glycolytic process at a higher rate utilizing
carbohydrates only, not fats. It also produces more carbon dioxide than
the amount of oxygen consumed. This process cannot go on for very long
and results in exhaustion. Running, swimming or cycling events of two
minutes or less, field events (throws and jumps) in track and field and
strength training are in this category of exercise. The anaerobic threshold is the point at which exercise requires more energy than can be produced aerobically by the exerciser. Interval training increases the speed or intensity at which the anaerobic threshold is reached. When that occurs, aerobic exercise can be done at higher calorie expenditure. For example, someone who used to go anaerobic when running 8-minute miles can now do seven or six minute miles and burn more fat calories in the same period of time. This also increases the body's metabolic rate at rest for several hours after. Strength training Strength training is used to improve or maintain strength, muscle mass, body shape and tone. When properly done, it also helps to prevent injuries. Any strength-training program must take joint balance into consideration. The minimum program should include six specific types of movements. These include:
Combinations
Sometimes combining two or more exercises for unrelated muscles into one continuous movement can save time, and keep the heart rate higher during the workout. This is a very effective method if the completion of the first exercise puts the body in the starting position for the second exercise and the first movement doesn't tire a secondary muscle in the next exercise. For example, curls for the biceps would make low pulley rows for the latissimus dorsi (upper back) less effective, since the biceps are the weaker muscle involved in doing the second exercise. A better combination would be DB curls and DB press for deltoids (shoulders). Muscular failure Another method of saving time is doing one movement until no more repetitions can be performed (known as going to muscular failure), then immediately doing an unrelated movement in the same way, while the muscles used in the first exercise are rested. An excellent example would be performing bench presses (upper body pushing muscles) alternating with crunches (abdominal muscles). Super-setting You may also alternate exercises for opposing (antagonist) muscle groups, which is known as super-setting. Antagonists move a joint in opposite directions and should have a balance of strength and flexibility for joint stability. One muscle works, while it's opposite rests and gets stretched. Tricep extensions (straightening the elbow) and bicep curls (bending the elbow) are one pair of antagonists. Pre-exhaustion Pre-exhaustion is a technique that provides a more demanding workout for large muscle groups in a short period of time. Often, sets of basic exercises for large muscles are cut short because one of the smaller muscles used in the exercise fatigued before the target muscle. A pre-exhaustion routine fatigues the large muscle with an isolation exercise and is followed without rest by a multi-joint exercise for the same area followed by a short rest. One example is leg extensions followed by squats for the quadriceps of the thighs. A pair of exercises used in this way can tire a muscle more thoroughly than a greater number of sets of each performed separately. This produces more results in less time. Stretching Stretching between sets of weight training uses time more effectively. Stretching the muscle being worked between sets helps prevent muscle soreness. It also incorporates the flexibility component into the routine without taking more time. Adequate flexibility prevents injuries. Low back and hamstring inflexibility is a risk factor for low back pain, as are weak abdominal, and low back muscles and excessive accumulation of belly fat. Circuit training Circuit training involves moving through a series of exercises for the whole body with each one set of high repetitions with little rest between before returning to the start of the series. The theory is that moving so rapidly with such short rests will improve endurance and strength simultaneously, while saving time. Two things have been discovered from studies comparing circuit-training effects with those of priority system weight training and normal endurance exercise such as running, cycling, or swimming. Circuit training produces less improvement in endurance than normal aerobic exercise and those effects are mainly to the heart and lungs only, not to the local blood supply and muscle cells. Circuit training also generates less improvement in muscular strength and muscle mass and tone than priority set system weight training. Priority system weight training Priority system weight training works a muscle group completely for all sets before moving on to the next muscle group. Rests of one to three minutes are taken between each set so the muscle can completely regenerate its supply of ATP. More weight can be used in this type of program, so a larger percentage of muscle fibers are used. Alternating weight training with aerobic exercise An excellent method for simultaneously producing strength and endurance is alternating sets of weight training exercises with bouts of 60-180 seconds of aerobic activity. It is best if the aerobic activity is not using the same muscle groups as the exercises. One could jump rope, run or walk on the treadmill, ride a bike, use a stair climber between upper body exercises, use a rowing machine or even hit a punching bag between sets of lower body exercises. People erroneously believe performing high number of repetition sets ('reps') in weight training exercises burns fat from the area being isolated. That is incorrect. Fat burning 'burns' body fat systemically, in a genetically predetermined sequence. It is unaffected by performing direct exercises for a problem area. Other forms of exercise Other forms of exercises can be incorporated into workouts to provide variety and improve balance and agility. Sports agility drills, ball throwing or martial arts practice can be done between sets of weights or bouts of aerobic exercise to lend variety and improve balance and coordination, as well as burn calories. Par courses are outdoor obstacle courses that can be found in many communities and allow exercisers to enjoy the fresh air. When doing strength training, free-weights require more balance and coordination than machine exercises, especially when doing basic multi-joint exercises such as squats, deadlifts and the various barbell and dumbbell presses. Dips, pull-ups and other calisthenics also provide a way to work the muscles when other equipment is being used. Team and individual sports or activities may add variety and balance to the program. Sometimes, a game of basketball or a hike with family or friends can turn social time into exercise time. Now that you know a little more about the types of exercise programs used, talk with a personal trainer to find out what's best for you. Do whatever exercise you feel comfortable doing and try to increase the duration of exercise as tolerated. As always, check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.
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