FITT2

• Course Code: FITT2
• Course Title: Fitness Exercises
• Course Description: This course provides core stability, strength, and mobility training. It includes goal setting, exercise progression and regression, and periodic assessment for the development of various fitness components
• Content


  • BENEFITS OF EXERCISE
  • WHAT IS FITNESS?
  • WHAT IS EXERCISE?
  • WHY EXERCISE?
  • HEALTH BENEFITS OF EXERCISE (DOH, 2004)
  • EXERCISE CATEGORY
• Fitness


  A condition that helps us look, feel, and do our best; it is the foundation for health and well-being
• Exercise


  Planned, structured, repetitive movement of the body designed to improve or maintain physical fitness
• The term hypokinetic describes many diseases and conditions associated with inactivity and poor fitness
• Hypokinetic Diseases


  • Obesity
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • Osteoporosis
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Lower back pain
  • Type 2 diabetes mellitus
• Authors: 'Hypokinetic Disease (Kraus & Raab,1961)'
• Physically active people have a 33-50% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with inactive people
• Physical activity programs can help reduce the risk of falling and fractures among older people
• Physical activity is effective in the treatment of clinical depression and can be as successful as psychotherapy or medication, particularly in the longer term
• Physical activity is associated with a reduction in the overall risk of cancer
• Physical activity is a major independent protective factor against coronary heart disease in men and women
• Inactive and unfit people have almost double the risk of dying from coronary heart disease compared with more active and fit people
• Physical activity significantly reduces the risk of a stroke and provides effective treatment of peripheral vascular disease
• Exercise Category


  The key differences between aerobic/cardiovascular and anaerobic/resistance exercises are the duration and exercise intensity
• Aerobic/Cardiovascular Exercises


  Low to moderate intensity, slow twitch muscle fibres, primarily utilise energy from the aerobic energy system, use large muscle groups in a rhythmical movement for extended periods of time
• Aerobic/Cardiovascular Exercises


  • cycling
  • swimming
  • running
• Cardiovascular exercise improves the efficiency of oxygen transfer between the heart and lungs
• VO2 max is the maximum capacity of an individual's body to transport and use oxygen during exercise
• Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) is widely accepted as the single best measure of cardiovascular fitness and maximal aerobic power
• Standard VO2 max tests

  • Cooper VO2 max test (12 minute maximum run)
  • The multi-stage fitness test (bleep test)
  • Queens college step test
  • Rockport Fitness walking test
• Anaerobic/Resistance Exercises


  Strength training at moderate to high intensity using fast twitch muscle fibers to apply effort or force to overcome a specific load
• Energy for resistance training is primarily anaerobic in both the ATPPC and lactate systems
• 1 repetition max tests could be completed to measure the maximal force chosen muscles can generate in a single repetition
• Ways muscles can be worked during resistance training

  • Isometric
  • Concentric
• Measurement of maximal force chosen muscles can generate in a single repetition

  1. Isometric movements - contracting muscles stay the same length whilst applying a force

  2. Concentric movements - muscles shorten as they contract under tension to apply force

  3. Eccentric movements - muscles lengthen under tension to apply a force
• Body will adapt to pressures put upon it if the overload principle is used
• Body will develop to be better suited to pressures with the overload principle
• Type of training undertaken will promote different adaptations
• Long Term Benefits of Resistance Training to the Body


  • Increased resting metabolic rate
  • Decreased body fat percentage
  • Increased creatine phosphate and adenosine triphosphate stores
  • Decreased blood pressure
  • Decreased blood cholesterol markers
  • Muscular hypertrophy
  • Improved posture
  • Improved core stability
  • Decreased risk of injury
  • Increased range of movement
  • Improved power
  • Improved strength
  • Increase in number and size of mitochondria
  • Improved motor unit firing and ability to recruit motor units
• Long Term Benefits of Cardiovascular Training to the Body


  • Increased lung capacity/increase in VO2 max
  • Hypertrophy of cardiac tissue
  • Increased blood volume and red blood cell count
  • Increased cardiac output and stroke volume
  • Increased number of capillaries (capillarisation)
  • Reduction in blood pressure
  • Increased number of mitochondria
  • Increase in bone density
  • Lower blood cholesterol markers (reduction in HDL count)
  • Reduction in body fat
• Factors affecting fitness include diet, activity level/type, physical disabilities, illness and fatigue, and drugs
• Warm-up and cool down are essential in preparing and returning the body to a pre-exercise state to reduce the risk of injury
• Warm-up gradually builds in intensity at the beginning of a workout to prepare muscles, heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature for forthcoming exercises
• Warm-up includes cardiovascular exercise with a gradual increase in intensity, mobilisation exercises, and pre-exercise stretching
• Warm-up raises the body temperature to 39/40 degrees, allowing muscles and tendons to become more extensible and increasing oxygen and essential nutrients to muscle tissue
• Effects of heating on exercise performance


  1. Muscles and tendons become more extensible, creating more supple muscle fibres and enhancing stretching

  2. Increase in oxygen and essential nutrients to muscle tissue due to increased blood flow through vasodilation

  3. Specific warm-ups that mirror the activity enhance neural pathways, speeding up reaction time

  4. Secretion of synovial fluid helps lubricate joints

  5. Psychological preparation for physical activity/exercise
• The risk of injury can be reduced by about one third and the risk of severe injuries by as much as a half (Soligard T, Myklebust G, Steffen K, et al. 2008)