Finally, a progressive, easy-to-follow plan for total-body fitness that produces results!
Packed with group and at-home exercises, recreational activities, yoga, balance work, core work, and nutrition essentials, Fitness: Steps to Success provides a variety of options to create the perfect program for your goals, desires, and schedule.
Step-by-step instruction, full-color photo sequences, and expert advice accompany the most effective exercises and activities for cardiorespiratory endurance, balance, strength, flexibility, and core strength. The easy-to-administer assessments will help you identify where to start your program and track your progress along the way. You’ll also learn the benefits of each activity; recommendations for what, when, and how often; and the best exercises for achieving specific results.
With tips for staying motivated, recovering from lapses, and avoiding missteps in your fitness journey, you have all the tools you need to feel better, look great, and lead an active, healthy lifestyle. As part of the popular Steps to Success series—with more than 2 million copies sold—Fitness: Steps to Success is an instant action plan you can trust.
STEP 1 Overview of Fitness
STEP 2 Testing and Evaluation
STEP 3 Goals
STEP 4 Cardiovascular Fitness
STEP 5 Muscular Strength and Endurance
STEP 6 Flexibility
STEP 7 Balance
STEP 8 Core
STEP 9 Nutrition
STEP 10 Behavior
Nancy Naternicola earned a BS in physical education teacher education and health at Florida Southern College, and an MS in physical education teacher education from West Virginia University (WVU). She is the fitness and wellness director of the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences (CPASS). Nancy develops fitness programming and teaches fitness classes for the WVU Lifetime Activities Program. She also oversees and teaches courses in the personal trainer minor and group fitness minor programs and teaches classes in the basic instruction program.
Naternicola manages the WVU Stansbury Fitness Center and supervises personal training and exercise physiology interns. She is a faculty member and master trainer for the American Council on Exercise. She has taught more than 15 types of group fitness, including step, kickboxing, fitness yoga, mat Pilates, sport conditioning, hip-hop, and boot camp.
Naternicola teaches for Fitness Pro Travel in Mexico, the Bahamas, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Curacao. She chairs the Wellness Task Force and is the CPASS employee wellness coordinator and an American Red Cross instructor. She is a member of the West Virginia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (WVAHPERD).
She enjoys all types of activities and sports and believes a body in motion stays in motion.
“Fitness: Steps to Success helps you gain the confidence and know-how you need to improve your fitness and energy levels for a lifetime!” Use the step by step instructions to help you create your own fitness plan – working at your own pace and own intensity.”
Anthony Wall MS-- Director of Professional Education, American Council on Exercise
Proper push-up form
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise.
Most Common Exercises
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise. Common exercises of the core include the crunch and back extension.
Chest
The pectoralis muscles fan over the chest area. Although the main purpose of the chest muscles is to push, they are also responsible for moving the shoulder joint and flexing and rotating the arm above the elbow. You use your chest to push a lawn mower, lift a child, arm-wrestle, and clap your hands. One of the best exercises for the chest is the push-up demonstrated in figures 5.1 and 5.2. You can perform this exercise anywhere. You can start in a modified position on your knees or in a regular push-up position on your toes.
Figures 5.1 and 5.2 Push-Up
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Proper push-up form.
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Modified proper push-up form.
Preparation
- Lie facedown on the floor with your weight either on your knees (modified position) or on your toes.
- Place your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Your elbows should be pointed toward your toes.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly push up until your arms reach full range but not the locked position.
- Your weight should be supported on your hands and knees (modified position) or toes.
- Your spine should be in neutral alignment with your head and neck; look at the floor.
- Inhale and lower within 4 inches of the floor, keeping your elbows close to your sides, then push back up.
Note: Varying your hand position will affect the workout. Wider hands engage more chest muscle and closer hands engage more triceps.
Misstep.
Lower back sags.
Correction
Tighten your abdominal and glute muscles.
Misstep
Head drops down.
Correction
Lift your head until the back of the head is in line with the shoulders.
Five areas of physical fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What’s the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat?
Components of Fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What's the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat? In comparison, weightlifters may have nice physiques but not be able to run a mile; runners may complete a mile in record time but not be able to complete a push-up.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Cardiorespiratory fitness is how efficiently your heart and lungs are able to deliver oxygen to the working muscle, which means it has a direct impact on both strength and endurance. The heart is a muscle and must be worked to be strong and efficient just as other muscles of the body. Not only is cardio the base for all activity, but keeping your heart in good condition also helps prevent many health problems. Following are more benefits from having a healthy heart:
- Adds years to your life
- Increases the HDL (good) cholesterol in the body
- Decreases the LDL (bad) cholesterol in the body
- Lowers blood pressure
- Lowers resting pulse so your heart doesn't have to work as hard
- Helps you lose or maintain weight
- Helps prevent heart disease and stroke
- Lowers your risk for developing diabetes
- Reduces stress levels
- Boosts your immune system
- Increases energy
- Improves sleep
Success Check
- What is cardiorespiratory fitness?
- Name five benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness.
Resistance Training
Resistance training involves challenging your muscles to work against an external force in order to improve endurance, increase muscle mass, and improve strength. It is imperative to include resistance training in your workout plan because strong muscles make strong tendons, which make strong and dense bones. This in turn reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
After age 20, adults lose five to seven pounds of muscle every decade. Resistance training will help stop this loss of muscle and rebuild the muscle at any age! Muscle is active tissue, so you must use it or you will lose it. Having strong, toned muscles improves your ability to perform everyday activities, including getting in and out of the bathtub and carrying grocery bags. There are many other benefits of resistance training:
- Helps control weight (increases calorie burn)
- Improves balance and decreases risk of injury
- Reduces low back pain
- Boosts stamina
- Reduces blood pressure
- Increases metabolism
- Maintains or increases joint flexibility
- Helps reduce pain from arthritis
- Improves insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism
- Reduces depression
- Improves brain function
- Enhances appearance
Success Check
- What is resistance training?
- Why is it important to include resistance training in your workout?
Flexibility
Flexibility is the range of motion around a joint. It is the cornerstone of your workout program because your muscles move only as far as your flexibility allows. Tight joints restrict range of motion, causing you to compensate the movement by using other muscles. This can cause muscle imbalances that affect posture, performance, and movement efficiency. Loss of flexibility can also lead to lost independence; for example, you can no longer bend to clip your toenails or reach the high shelf in your kitchen.
Incorporating flexibility into your workout (at any age) can improve posture and make movement more efficient. It also aids in these areas:
- Reduces back pain
- Improves digestion
- Enhances performance
- Decreases the risk of injury
- Improves muscular coordination
- Enhances circulation
Success Check
- What is flexibility?
- Why is it important?
Balance
Balance is the ability to control your body's position in space. It involves proprioception, which is how your body takes the information it receives from the environment (such as getting up from a chair) and sends this information to the brain. This information tells the muscles what to do so they can adapt to the change and you keep your balance. When this system gets overloaded, you lose your balance. Whether you are standing still (static balance) or moving (dynamic balance), your body continually makes adjustments to keep you from falling. Although you may think that having good balance is important only for gymnasts or figure skaters, regular balance training improves posture and coordination, enhances movement and performance, and helps prevent injuries and falls.
Success Check
- What is balance?
- What is proprioception?
- Why should you include balance training in your workouts?
Core Strength and Stability
Core muscles are responsible for extending, flexing, and rotating your trunk. These consist of many layers of muscle that will determine your posture. Strengthening and conditioning these muscles reduce the chances of back pain and spinal injuries, improve performance, and result in better coordination and balance. Therefore, all exercise programs should consist of a solid foundation of core work.
Success Check
- What is the core?
- Why is a strong, conditioned core important?
Components of a weight training program
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope.
Components of a Muscular Strength and Endurance Routine
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope. This allows the blood flow that is concentrated in your core to be shunted out to the extremities, thereby supplying additional blood to the working muscles to warm them up. Then perform gentle, static preexercise stretching for the muscle groups that will be worked. If you are a more advanced exerciser, active stretching (moving joints through the full range of motion) as a warm-up may be sufficient. Note that if your weight training goal is power, stretch your muscles at the end of your routine. You should perform static stretching on all muscles after resistance training. If you perform static stretching before completing power activities such as sprinting and jumping, you may impede performance.
Next, complete the weight training exercises in your program. These exercises should start with larger muscle groups followed by smaller muscle groups, because many of the smaller muscle groups are used as stabilizer (or helping) muscles. If these smaller muscles are fatigued first, the larger muscles may not be worked sufficiently. Finally, perform postexercise stretching. You have the option of stretching each muscle group after all the reps are completed for that specific muscle group or stretching all the muscles at the end of your workout.
You can perform numerous weight training exercises and combinations depending on equipment available. Following are examples of general weight training circuits where you complete exercises for the entire body in one workout as well as a split routine for a more complex weight training program in which muscle groups of the body are split and exercised on different days. The number of days depends on your schedule as well as your personal preference.
General Weight Training Circuit
8 to 10 exercises for a total-body workout in one session
- Machine leg press (glutes, quads, hamstrings)
- Multi-hip machine (abductors and adductors)
- Machine back extension (lumbar)
- Seated cable row (lats, traps, rhomboids, rear delt, biceps)
- Machine chest press (pecs, anterior delts, triceps)
- Machine shoulder press (deltoids)
- Machine arm extension (triceps)
- Machine arm curl (biceps)
- Abdominals
Split Routine (2 Days)
Day 1: Upper Body
- Chest (machine pec fly and dumbbell chest press)
- Back (lat pull-down machine and T-bar row)
- Shoulders (dumbbell lateral raise and military barbell shoulder press)
- Biceps (preacher curl and dumbbell curl)
- Triceps (cable triceps push-down and seated triceps extension)
Day 2: Lower Body
- Glutes, quads, hamstrings (leg press machine and body-weight lunge)
- Hamstrings (hamstring curl machine)
- Quadriceps (leg extension machine)
- Abductors (side leg raise with ankle weights)
- Adductors (inner-thigh machine)
- Calves (seated calf raise and standing body-weight calf raise)
Split Routine (3 Days)*
Day 1: Chest and Back
- Chest (bench press, incline dumbbell press, pec fly machine)
- Back (lat pull-down, one-arm dumbbell bent-over row, body-weight pull-up)
Day 2: Legs and Shoulders
- Legs (sled leg press, step-up, walking lunge with dumbbells)
- Shoulders (seated dumbbell shoulder press, rear delt machine, front dumbbell shoulder raise)
Day 3: Biceps and Triceps
- Biceps (hammer curl, barbell curl, cable curl)
- Triceps (seated dip, triceps kickback, arm extension machine)
*Another combination could be chest and triceps, back and biceps, legs and shoulders. There is no wrong way to combine muscle groups.
Split Routine (4 Days)
Day 1: Chest
- (bench press, flat-bench dumbbell fly, decline dumbbell chest press)
Day 2: Legs and Biceps
- Legs (barbell squat, deadlift, seated calf raise)
- Biceps (arm curl machine, concentration curl, hammer curl)
Day 3: Back
- (T-bar row, lat pull-down, barbell bent-over row)
Day 4: Shoulders and Triceps
- Shoulders (shrug, incline reverse lateral dumbbell raise, machine shoulder press)
- Triceps (standing dumbbell overhead extension, cable push-down, body-weight dip)
Strengthen the triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors.
Triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors. In addition, the triceps works with other muscles to extend the arm at the shoulder joint, as when holding something behind the back. Following are exercises that strengthen the triceps.
Figure 5.27 Triceps Extension
Note: You can perform this exercise seated or standing.
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Preparation
- Position the feet together and keep your eyes looking forward, not down.
- Grasp a dumbbell with both hands and lift it overhead with your arms straight but not locked.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Keeping the elbows close to your ears, inhale and slowly lower the weight behind your head until your upper arms are perpendicular to the floor.
- Exhale and slowly lift the weight to the starting position.
- Keep elbows pointing upward throughout the entire movement.
Misstep
Back arches and hips rotate forward.
Correction
Stagger the feet; tighten the core and glutes.
Figure 5.28 Machine Arm Extension
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- Sit in the machine with your feet flat on the floor and back and head against the padded support.
- Place your elbows slightly below the shoulders on the padded support shoulder-width apart (adjust seat accordingly).
- Grasp the handles and make sure your elbows are aligned with the pivot point of the machine (axis).
- Pull your navel toward your spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly extend your arms until straight but not locked.
- Keep your back and head against the pad and wrists straight.
- Inhale and slowly return to the starting position.
Misstep
Elbows lift off the pad.
Correction
Push elbows down throughout the movement.
Misstep
Shoulders rise during the downward phase of the movement.
Correction
Keep the shoulders back and down throughout the movement.
Understanding food labels
You have already learned the importance of exercise, and this step will help you understand the importance of your nutrition needs and how to meet those needs. A nutrient is a substance the body needs in order to work properly.
Food Labels
The can in the grocery store says "tuna in water." However, the list of ingredients says tuna, water, soy, carrots, and celery! In 1990 the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act was passed, and the USDA and FDA were in charge of deciding what information you need to know about the food you eat. Every food and beverage product must contain the following information:
- Nutrition facts are quantities of protein, fat (saturated, unsaturated, and trans), carbohydrate (sugar and fiber), vitamins, and minerals for one serving.
- Ingredients are contents listed in descending order.
- Serving size is what constitutes one serving.
- Product name.
- Manufacturer's name and address.
- Weight, measure, or count of the product.
Finding out whether a food product is healthy for you may be more difficult if you don't understand the product's label. Many times the claims on the front of the package are deceptive because they are not monitored as closely as the nutrition label on the back and may be misleading. You will see "fat-free," "no added sugar," "natural," "lite," and "helps your immune system" on labels to entice you to purchase the food item, but it's not clear what these labels really mean. We'll take a closer look at what some of these claims mean (per serving) so you will be better informed when you are pushing that cart through the market. See figure 9.3 for a sample food label.
Fat-Free, Sugar-Free, Zero Calories
This may be one of the most misleading topics because many people think that if a food is fat free or sugar free, it's healthy. If a food item has this label, the fat and sugar must be less than 0.5 gram per serving, and calorie free must be no more than 5 calories per serving. It's important to understand that just because a food item is fat free it may be very high in sugar and calories. If it claims to be sugar free, it still may be in high in fat and calories. Look at the total calories per serving to decide whether the food is healthy for your diet plan.
Low Fat, Low Sugar, Low Calorie
This type of label on a product means it contains less than 3 grams of fat and less than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. To be considered low calorie, the food must contain fewer than 40 calories per serving. This is where the manufacturer's front label can be deceiving, because the claim will be "no trans fat" on the front, but the actual nutrition label may indicate that saturated or unsaturated fat content is high, and may legally contain up to 0.5 gram of trans fat. If you eat more than one serving of this "no-trans-fat" food, the trans fat can add up.
Natural
Not surprisingly, this label has no real definition and it can be whatever the manufacturer wants it to be! According to the FDA, as long as the product has no artificial flavors, added color, or synthetic substances, it can be called natural. Foods such as yogurt, granola bars, nondairy cheese, and honey that you thought were healthy may not be. The purple color and flavor in yogurt may not be from blueberries! And the 100 percent natural jar of honey you just bought home isn't technically honey due to so many levels of processing that removes the natural pollen. Purchase honey from a local beekeeper or at a farmer's market for truly natural honey.
What about the granola bar - the staple of many fitness fanatics for a snack or after-workout food? Many of these bars, sometimes called energy bars or protein bars, contain an ingredient made from wood pulp or cotton (called cellulose) to up the fiber content. They also contain processed sweeteners. They may not be healthy for you at all! Make sure you read not only the nutrition label but the ingredients as well.
Organic
A food labeled as organic is not the same as being 100 percent natural. If a food is labeled as organic, it must pass specific USDA guidelines, which state that animal products must not have antibiotics or growth hormones, and plants must be grown without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. You will notice that the levels of organic range from 70 to 100 percent, depending on how they were grown.
Fresh
This label means not only that the food must be unprocessed or raw, but that it has never been heated or frozen. Although this may sound like a great food source, this label doesn't mean the food was just picked. You never know how long it has been in transit to the store or how long it has been sitting on the shelf. This may increase the surface bacteria on these foods, so make sure you wash all fresh foods before preparing or eating them.
You can use a nutrition label to help you choose foods that are healthy for your body. Don't simply look at the total grams of carbohydrate in foods; rather, choose those that are high in fiber and low in sugar. See what type of fat (unsaturated, saturated, or trans fat) is in the food.
Look at the list of ingredients to see if sugar or fat is one of the first four ingredients listed. If so, this food probably is not the best choice. Also look for sugar alcohols, which are actually neither sugar nor alcohol but a chemical structure that sweetens food and can cause intestinal problems. Sugar alcohols usually end in - ol, such as sorbitol and mannitol.
How to read a food label.
Success Check
- Name three ways food labels can help you choose a healthy food product.
- What type of fat should you avoid when purchasing a food product?
Proper push-up form
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise.
Most Common Exercises
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise. Common exercises of the core include the crunch and back extension.
Chest
The pectoralis muscles fan over the chest area. Although the main purpose of the chest muscles is to push, they are also responsible for moving the shoulder joint and flexing and rotating the arm above the elbow. You use your chest to push a lawn mower, lift a child, arm-wrestle, and clap your hands. One of the best exercises for the chest is the push-up demonstrated in figures 5.1 and 5.2. You can perform this exercise anywhere. You can start in a modified position on your knees or in a regular push-up position on your toes.
Figures 5.1 and 5.2 Push-Up
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Proper push-up form.
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Modified proper push-up form.
Preparation
- Lie facedown on the floor with your weight either on your knees (modified position) or on your toes.
- Place your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Your elbows should be pointed toward your toes.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly push up until your arms reach full range but not the locked position.
- Your weight should be supported on your hands and knees (modified position) or toes.
- Your spine should be in neutral alignment with your head and neck; look at the floor.
- Inhale and lower within 4 inches of the floor, keeping your elbows close to your sides, then push back up.
Note: Varying your hand position will affect the workout. Wider hands engage more chest muscle and closer hands engage more triceps.
Misstep.
Lower back sags.
Correction
Tighten your abdominal and glute muscles.
Misstep
Head drops down.
Correction
Lift your head until the back of the head is in line with the shoulders.
Five areas of physical fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What’s the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat?
Components of Fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What's the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat? In comparison, weightlifters may have nice physiques but not be able to run a mile; runners may complete a mile in record time but not be able to complete a push-up.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Cardiorespiratory fitness is how efficiently your heart and lungs are able to deliver oxygen to the working muscle, which means it has a direct impact on both strength and endurance. The heart is a muscle and must be worked to be strong and efficient just as other muscles of the body. Not only is cardio the base for all activity, but keeping your heart in good condition also helps prevent many health problems. Following are more benefits from having a healthy heart:
- Adds years to your life
- Increases the HDL (good) cholesterol in the body
- Decreases the LDL (bad) cholesterol in the body
- Lowers blood pressure
- Lowers resting pulse so your heart doesn't have to work as hard
- Helps you lose or maintain weight
- Helps prevent heart disease and stroke
- Lowers your risk for developing diabetes
- Reduces stress levels
- Boosts your immune system
- Increases energy
- Improves sleep
Success Check
- What is cardiorespiratory fitness?
- Name five benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness.
Resistance Training
Resistance training involves challenging your muscles to work against an external force in order to improve endurance, increase muscle mass, and improve strength. It is imperative to include resistance training in your workout plan because strong muscles make strong tendons, which make strong and dense bones. This in turn reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
After age 20, adults lose five to seven pounds of muscle every decade. Resistance training will help stop this loss of muscle and rebuild the muscle at any age! Muscle is active tissue, so you must use it or you will lose it. Having strong, toned muscles improves your ability to perform everyday activities, including getting in and out of the bathtub and carrying grocery bags. There are many other benefits of resistance training:
- Helps control weight (increases calorie burn)
- Improves balance and decreases risk of injury
- Reduces low back pain
- Boosts stamina
- Reduces blood pressure
- Increases metabolism
- Maintains or increases joint flexibility
- Helps reduce pain from arthritis
- Improves insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism
- Reduces depression
- Improves brain function
- Enhances appearance
Success Check
- What is resistance training?
- Why is it important to include resistance training in your workout?
Flexibility
Flexibility is the range of motion around a joint. It is the cornerstone of your workout program because your muscles move only as far as your flexibility allows. Tight joints restrict range of motion, causing you to compensate the movement by using other muscles. This can cause muscle imbalances that affect posture, performance, and movement efficiency. Loss of flexibility can also lead to lost independence; for example, you can no longer bend to clip your toenails or reach the high shelf in your kitchen.
Incorporating flexibility into your workout (at any age) can improve posture and make movement more efficient. It also aids in these areas:
- Reduces back pain
- Improves digestion
- Enhances performance
- Decreases the risk of injury
- Improves muscular coordination
- Enhances circulation
Success Check
- What is flexibility?
- Why is it important?
Balance
Balance is the ability to control your body's position in space. It involves proprioception, which is how your body takes the information it receives from the environment (such as getting up from a chair) and sends this information to the brain. This information tells the muscles what to do so they can adapt to the change and you keep your balance. When this system gets overloaded, you lose your balance. Whether you are standing still (static balance) or moving (dynamic balance), your body continually makes adjustments to keep you from falling. Although you may think that having good balance is important only for gymnasts or figure skaters, regular balance training improves posture and coordination, enhances movement and performance, and helps prevent injuries and falls.
Success Check
- What is balance?
- What is proprioception?
- Why should you include balance training in your workouts?
Core Strength and Stability
Core muscles are responsible for extending, flexing, and rotating your trunk. These consist of many layers of muscle that will determine your posture. Strengthening and conditioning these muscles reduce the chances of back pain and spinal injuries, improve performance, and result in better coordination and balance. Therefore, all exercise programs should consist of a solid foundation of core work.
Success Check
- What is the core?
- Why is a strong, conditioned core important?
Components of a weight training program
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope.
Components of a Muscular Strength and Endurance Routine
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope. This allows the blood flow that is concentrated in your core to be shunted out to the extremities, thereby supplying additional blood to the working muscles to warm them up. Then perform gentle, static preexercise stretching for the muscle groups that will be worked. If you are a more advanced exerciser, active stretching (moving joints through the full range of motion) as a warm-up may be sufficient. Note that if your weight training goal is power, stretch your muscles at the end of your routine. You should perform static stretching on all muscles after resistance training. If you perform static stretching before completing power activities such as sprinting and jumping, you may impede performance.
Next, complete the weight training exercises in your program. These exercises should start with larger muscle groups followed by smaller muscle groups, because many of the smaller muscle groups are used as stabilizer (or helping) muscles. If these smaller muscles are fatigued first, the larger muscles may not be worked sufficiently. Finally, perform postexercise stretching. You have the option of stretching each muscle group after all the reps are completed for that specific muscle group or stretching all the muscles at the end of your workout.
You can perform numerous weight training exercises and combinations depending on equipment available. Following are examples of general weight training circuits where you complete exercises for the entire body in one workout as well as a split routine for a more complex weight training program in which muscle groups of the body are split and exercised on different days. The number of days depends on your schedule as well as your personal preference.
General Weight Training Circuit
8 to 10 exercises for a total-body workout in one session
- Machine leg press (glutes, quads, hamstrings)
- Multi-hip machine (abductors and adductors)
- Machine back extension (lumbar)
- Seated cable row (lats, traps, rhomboids, rear delt, biceps)
- Machine chest press (pecs, anterior delts, triceps)
- Machine shoulder press (deltoids)
- Machine arm extension (triceps)
- Machine arm curl (biceps)
- Abdominals
Split Routine (2 Days)
Day 1: Upper Body
- Chest (machine pec fly and dumbbell chest press)
- Back (lat pull-down machine and T-bar row)
- Shoulders (dumbbell lateral raise and military barbell shoulder press)
- Biceps (preacher curl and dumbbell curl)
- Triceps (cable triceps push-down and seated triceps extension)
Day 2: Lower Body
- Glutes, quads, hamstrings (leg press machine and body-weight lunge)
- Hamstrings (hamstring curl machine)
- Quadriceps (leg extension machine)
- Abductors (side leg raise with ankle weights)
- Adductors (inner-thigh machine)
- Calves (seated calf raise and standing body-weight calf raise)
Split Routine (3 Days)*
Day 1: Chest and Back
- Chest (bench press, incline dumbbell press, pec fly machine)
- Back (lat pull-down, one-arm dumbbell bent-over row, body-weight pull-up)
Day 2: Legs and Shoulders
- Legs (sled leg press, step-up, walking lunge with dumbbells)
- Shoulders (seated dumbbell shoulder press, rear delt machine, front dumbbell shoulder raise)
Day 3: Biceps and Triceps
- Biceps (hammer curl, barbell curl, cable curl)
- Triceps (seated dip, triceps kickback, arm extension machine)
*Another combination could be chest and triceps, back and biceps, legs and shoulders. There is no wrong way to combine muscle groups.
Split Routine (4 Days)
Day 1: Chest
- (bench press, flat-bench dumbbell fly, decline dumbbell chest press)
Day 2: Legs and Biceps
- Legs (barbell squat, deadlift, seated calf raise)
- Biceps (arm curl machine, concentration curl, hammer curl)
Day 3: Back
- (T-bar row, lat pull-down, barbell bent-over row)
Day 4: Shoulders and Triceps
- Shoulders (shrug, incline reverse lateral dumbbell raise, machine shoulder press)
- Triceps (standing dumbbell overhead extension, cable push-down, body-weight dip)
Strengthen the triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors.
Triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors. In addition, the triceps works with other muscles to extend the arm at the shoulder joint, as when holding something behind the back. Following are exercises that strengthen the triceps.
Figure 5.27 Triceps Extension
Note: You can perform this exercise seated or standing.
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Preparation
- Position the feet together and keep your eyes looking forward, not down.
- Grasp a dumbbell with both hands and lift it overhead with your arms straight but not locked.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Keeping the elbows close to your ears, inhale and slowly lower the weight behind your head until your upper arms are perpendicular to the floor.
- Exhale and slowly lift the weight to the starting position.
- Keep elbows pointing upward throughout the entire movement.
Misstep
Back arches and hips rotate forward.
Correction
Stagger the feet; tighten the core and glutes.
Figure 5.28 Machine Arm Extension
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- Sit in the machine with your feet flat on the floor and back and head against the padded support.
- Place your elbows slightly below the shoulders on the padded support shoulder-width apart (adjust seat accordingly).
- Grasp the handles and make sure your elbows are aligned with the pivot point of the machine (axis).
- Pull your navel toward your spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly extend your arms until straight but not locked.
- Keep your back and head against the pad and wrists straight.
- Inhale and slowly return to the starting position.
Misstep
Elbows lift off the pad.
Correction
Push elbows down throughout the movement.
Misstep
Shoulders rise during the downward phase of the movement.
Correction
Keep the shoulders back and down throughout the movement.
Understanding food labels
You have already learned the importance of exercise, and this step will help you understand the importance of your nutrition needs and how to meet those needs. A nutrient is a substance the body needs in order to work properly.
Food Labels
The can in the grocery store says "tuna in water." However, the list of ingredients says tuna, water, soy, carrots, and celery! In 1990 the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act was passed, and the USDA and FDA were in charge of deciding what information you need to know about the food you eat. Every food and beverage product must contain the following information:
- Nutrition facts are quantities of protein, fat (saturated, unsaturated, and trans), carbohydrate (sugar and fiber), vitamins, and minerals for one serving.
- Ingredients are contents listed in descending order.
- Serving size is what constitutes one serving.
- Product name.
- Manufacturer's name and address.
- Weight, measure, or count of the product.
Finding out whether a food product is healthy for you may be more difficult if you don't understand the product's label. Many times the claims on the front of the package are deceptive because they are not monitored as closely as the nutrition label on the back and may be misleading. You will see "fat-free," "no added sugar," "natural," "lite," and "helps your immune system" on labels to entice you to purchase the food item, but it's not clear what these labels really mean. We'll take a closer look at what some of these claims mean (per serving) so you will be better informed when you are pushing that cart through the market. See figure 9.3 for a sample food label.
Fat-Free, Sugar-Free, Zero Calories
This may be one of the most misleading topics because many people think that if a food is fat free or sugar free, it's healthy. If a food item has this label, the fat and sugar must be less than 0.5 gram per serving, and calorie free must be no more than 5 calories per serving. It's important to understand that just because a food item is fat free it may be very high in sugar and calories. If it claims to be sugar free, it still may be in high in fat and calories. Look at the total calories per serving to decide whether the food is healthy for your diet plan.
Low Fat, Low Sugar, Low Calorie
This type of label on a product means it contains less than 3 grams of fat and less than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. To be considered low calorie, the food must contain fewer than 40 calories per serving. This is where the manufacturer's front label can be deceiving, because the claim will be "no trans fat" on the front, but the actual nutrition label may indicate that saturated or unsaturated fat content is high, and may legally contain up to 0.5 gram of trans fat. If you eat more than one serving of this "no-trans-fat" food, the trans fat can add up.
Natural
Not surprisingly, this label has no real definition and it can be whatever the manufacturer wants it to be! According to the FDA, as long as the product has no artificial flavors, added color, or synthetic substances, it can be called natural. Foods such as yogurt, granola bars, nondairy cheese, and honey that you thought were healthy may not be. The purple color and flavor in yogurt may not be from blueberries! And the 100 percent natural jar of honey you just bought home isn't technically honey due to so many levels of processing that removes the natural pollen. Purchase honey from a local beekeeper or at a farmer's market for truly natural honey.
What about the granola bar - the staple of many fitness fanatics for a snack or after-workout food? Many of these bars, sometimes called energy bars or protein bars, contain an ingredient made from wood pulp or cotton (called cellulose) to up the fiber content. They also contain processed sweeteners. They may not be healthy for you at all! Make sure you read not only the nutrition label but the ingredients as well.
Organic
A food labeled as organic is not the same as being 100 percent natural. If a food is labeled as organic, it must pass specific USDA guidelines, which state that animal products must not have antibiotics or growth hormones, and plants must be grown without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. You will notice that the levels of organic range from 70 to 100 percent, depending on how they were grown.
Fresh
This label means not only that the food must be unprocessed or raw, but that it has never been heated or frozen. Although this may sound like a great food source, this label doesn't mean the food was just picked. You never know how long it has been in transit to the store or how long it has been sitting on the shelf. This may increase the surface bacteria on these foods, so make sure you wash all fresh foods before preparing or eating them.
You can use a nutrition label to help you choose foods that are healthy for your body. Don't simply look at the total grams of carbohydrate in foods; rather, choose those that are high in fiber and low in sugar. See what type of fat (unsaturated, saturated, or trans fat) is in the food.
Look at the list of ingredients to see if sugar or fat is one of the first four ingredients listed. If so, this food probably is not the best choice. Also look for sugar alcohols, which are actually neither sugar nor alcohol but a chemical structure that sweetens food and can cause intestinal problems. Sugar alcohols usually end in - ol, such as sorbitol and mannitol.
How to read a food label.
Success Check
- Name three ways food labels can help you choose a healthy food product.
- What type of fat should you avoid when purchasing a food product?
Proper push-up form
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise.
Most Common Exercises
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise. Common exercises of the core include the crunch and back extension.
Chest
The pectoralis muscles fan over the chest area. Although the main purpose of the chest muscles is to push, they are also responsible for moving the shoulder joint and flexing and rotating the arm above the elbow. You use your chest to push a lawn mower, lift a child, arm-wrestle, and clap your hands. One of the best exercises for the chest is the push-up demonstrated in figures 5.1 and 5.2. You can perform this exercise anywhere. You can start in a modified position on your knees or in a regular push-up position on your toes.
Figures 5.1 and 5.2 Push-Up
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Proper push-up form.
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Modified proper push-up form.
Preparation
- Lie facedown on the floor with your weight either on your knees (modified position) or on your toes.
- Place your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Your elbows should be pointed toward your toes.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly push up until your arms reach full range but not the locked position.
- Your weight should be supported on your hands and knees (modified position) or toes.
- Your spine should be in neutral alignment with your head and neck; look at the floor.
- Inhale and lower within 4 inches of the floor, keeping your elbows close to your sides, then push back up.
Note: Varying your hand position will affect the workout. Wider hands engage more chest muscle and closer hands engage more triceps.
Misstep.
Lower back sags.
Correction
Tighten your abdominal and glute muscles.
Misstep
Head drops down.
Correction
Lift your head until the back of the head is in line with the shoulders.
Five areas of physical fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What’s the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat?
Components of Fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What's the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat? In comparison, weightlifters may have nice physiques but not be able to run a mile; runners may complete a mile in record time but not be able to complete a push-up.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Cardiorespiratory fitness is how efficiently your heart and lungs are able to deliver oxygen to the working muscle, which means it has a direct impact on both strength and endurance. The heart is a muscle and must be worked to be strong and efficient just as other muscles of the body. Not only is cardio the base for all activity, but keeping your heart in good condition also helps prevent many health problems. Following are more benefits from having a healthy heart:
- Adds years to your life
- Increases the HDL (good) cholesterol in the body
- Decreases the LDL (bad) cholesterol in the body
- Lowers blood pressure
- Lowers resting pulse so your heart doesn't have to work as hard
- Helps you lose or maintain weight
- Helps prevent heart disease and stroke
- Lowers your risk for developing diabetes
- Reduces stress levels
- Boosts your immune system
- Increases energy
- Improves sleep
Success Check
- What is cardiorespiratory fitness?
- Name five benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness.
Resistance Training
Resistance training involves challenging your muscles to work against an external force in order to improve endurance, increase muscle mass, and improve strength. It is imperative to include resistance training in your workout plan because strong muscles make strong tendons, which make strong and dense bones. This in turn reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
After age 20, adults lose five to seven pounds of muscle every decade. Resistance training will help stop this loss of muscle and rebuild the muscle at any age! Muscle is active tissue, so you must use it or you will lose it. Having strong, toned muscles improves your ability to perform everyday activities, including getting in and out of the bathtub and carrying grocery bags. There are many other benefits of resistance training:
- Helps control weight (increases calorie burn)
- Improves balance and decreases risk of injury
- Reduces low back pain
- Boosts stamina
- Reduces blood pressure
- Increases metabolism
- Maintains or increases joint flexibility
- Helps reduce pain from arthritis
- Improves insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism
- Reduces depression
- Improves brain function
- Enhances appearance
Success Check
- What is resistance training?
- Why is it important to include resistance training in your workout?
Flexibility
Flexibility is the range of motion around a joint. It is the cornerstone of your workout program because your muscles move only as far as your flexibility allows. Tight joints restrict range of motion, causing you to compensate the movement by using other muscles. This can cause muscle imbalances that affect posture, performance, and movement efficiency. Loss of flexibility can also lead to lost independence; for example, you can no longer bend to clip your toenails or reach the high shelf in your kitchen.
Incorporating flexibility into your workout (at any age) can improve posture and make movement more efficient. It also aids in these areas:
- Reduces back pain
- Improves digestion
- Enhances performance
- Decreases the risk of injury
- Improves muscular coordination
- Enhances circulation
Success Check
- What is flexibility?
- Why is it important?
Balance
Balance is the ability to control your body's position in space. It involves proprioception, which is how your body takes the information it receives from the environment (such as getting up from a chair) and sends this information to the brain. This information tells the muscles what to do so they can adapt to the change and you keep your balance. When this system gets overloaded, you lose your balance. Whether you are standing still (static balance) or moving (dynamic balance), your body continually makes adjustments to keep you from falling. Although you may think that having good balance is important only for gymnasts or figure skaters, regular balance training improves posture and coordination, enhances movement and performance, and helps prevent injuries and falls.
Success Check
- What is balance?
- What is proprioception?
- Why should you include balance training in your workouts?
Core Strength and Stability
Core muscles are responsible for extending, flexing, and rotating your trunk. These consist of many layers of muscle that will determine your posture. Strengthening and conditioning these muscles reduce the chances of back pain and spinal injuries, improve performance, and result in better coordination and balance. Therefore, all exercise programs should consist of a solid foundation of core work.
Success Check
- What is the core?
- Why is a strong, conditioned core important?
Components of a weight training program
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope.
Components of a Muscular Strength and Endurance Routine
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope. This allows the blood flow that is concentrated in your core to be shunted out to the extremities, thereby supplying additional blood to the working muscles to warm them up. Then perform gentle, static preexercise stretching for the muscle groups that will be worked. If you are a more advanced exerciser, active stretching (moving joints through the full range of motion) as a warm-up may be sufficient. Note that if your weight training goal is power, stretch your muscles at the end of your routine. You should perform static stretching on all muscles after resistance training. If you perform static stretching before completing power activities such as sprinting and jumping, you may impede performance.
Next, complete the weight training exercises in your program. These exercises should start with larger muscle groups followed by smaller muscle groups, because many of the smaller muscle groups are used as stabilizer (or helping) muscles. If these smaller muscles are fatigued first, the larger muscles may not be worked sufficiently. Finally, perform postexercise stretching. You have the option of stretching each muscle group after all the reps are completed for that specific muscle group or stretching all the muscles at the end of your workout.
You can perform numerous weight training exercises and combinations depending on equipment available. Following are examples of general weight training circuits where you complete exercises for the entire body in one workout as well as a split routine for a more complex weight training program in which muscle groups of the body are split and exercised on different days. The number of days depends on your schedule as well as your personal preference.
General Weight Training Circuit
8 to 10 exercises for a total-body workout in one session
- Machine leg press (glutes, quads, hamstrings)
- Multi-hip machine (abductors and adductors)
- Machine back extension (lumbar)
- Seated cable row (lats, traps, rhomboids, rear delt, biceps)
- Machine chest press (pecs, anterior delts, triceps)
- Machine shoulder press (deltoids)
- Machine arm extension (triceps)
- Machine arm curl (biceps)
- Abdominals
Split Routine (2 Days)
Day 1: Upper Body
- Chest (machine pec fly and dumbbell chest press)
- Back (lat pull-down machine and T-bar row)
- Shoulders (dumbbell lateral raise and military barbell shoulder press)
- Biceps (preacher curl and dumbbell curl)
- Triceps (cable triceps push-down and seated triceps extension)
Day 2: Lower Body
- Glutes, quads, hamstrings (leg press machine and body-weight lunge)
- Hamstrings (hamstring curl machine)
- Quadriceps (leg extension machine)
- Abductors (side leg raise with ankle weights)
- Adductors (inner-thigh machine)
- Calves (seated calf raise and standing body-weight calf raise)
Split Routine (3 Days)*
Day 1: Chest and Back
- Chest (bench press, incline dumbbell press, pec fly machine)
- Back (lat pull-down, one-arm dumbbell bent-over row, body-weight pull-up)
Day 2: Legs and Shoulders
- Legs (sled leg press, step-up, walking lunge with dumbbells)
- Shoulders (seated dumbbell shoulder press, rear delt machine, front dumbbell shoulder raise)
Day 3: Biceps and Triceps
- Biceps (hammer curl, barbell curl, cable curl)
- Triceps (seated dip, triceps kickback, arm extension machine)
*Another combination could be chest and triceps, back and biceps, legs and shoulders. There is no wrong way to combine muscle groups.
Split Routine (4 Days)
Day 1: Chest
- (bench press, flat-bench dumbbell fly, decline dumbbell chest press)
Day 2: Legs and Biceps
- Legs (barbell squat, deadlift, seated calf raise)
- Biceps (arm curl machine, concentration curl, hammer curl)
Day 3: Back
- (T-bar row, lat pull-down, barbell bent-over row)
Day 4: Shoulders and Triceps
- Shoulders (shrug, incline reverse lateral dumbbell raise, machine shoulder press)
- Triceps (standing dumbbell overhead extension, cable push-down, body-weight dip)
Strengthen the triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors.
Triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors. In addition, the triceps works with other muscles to extend the arm at the shoulder joint, as when holding something behind the back. Following are exercises that strengthen the triceps.
Figure 5.27 Triceps Extension
Note: You can perform this exercise seated or standing.
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Preparation
- Position the feet together and keep your eyes looking forward, not down.
- Grasp a dumbbell with both hands and lift it overhead with your arms straight but not locked.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Keeping the elbows close to your ears, inhale and slowly lower the weight behind your head until your upper arms are perpendicular to the floor.
- Exhale and slowly lift the weight to the starting position.
- Keep elbows pointing upward throughout the entire movement.
Misstep
Back arches and hips rotate forward.
Correction
Stagger the feet; tighten the core and glutes.
Figure 5.28 Machine Arm Extension
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- Sit in the machine with your feet flat on the floor and back and head against the padded support.
- Place your elbows slightly below the shoulders on the padded support shoulder-width apart (adjust seat accordingly).
- Grasp the handles and make sure your elbows are aligned with the pivot point of the machine (axis).
- Pull your navel toward your spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly extend your arms until straight but not locked.
- Keep your back and head against the pad and wrists straight.
- Inhale and slowly return to the starting position.
Misstep
Elbows lift off the pad.
Correction
Push elbows down throughout the movement.
Misstep
Shoulders rise during the downward phase of the movement.
Correction
Keep the shoulders back and down throughout the movement.
Understanding food labels
You have already learned the importance of exercise, and this step will help you understand the importance of your nutrition needs and how to meet those needs. A nutrient is a substance the body needs in order to work properly.
Food Labels
The can in the grocery store says "tuna in water." However, the list of ingredients says tuna, water, soy, carrots, and celery! In 1990 the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act was passed, and the USDA and FDA were in charge of deciding what information you need to know about the food you eat. Every food and beverage product must contain the following information:
- Nutrition facts are quantities of protein, fat (saturated, unsaturated, and trans), carbohydrate (sugar and fiber), vitamins, and minerals for one serving.
- Ingredients are contents listed in descending order.
- Serving size is what constitutes one serving.
- Product name.
- Manufacturer's name and address.
- Weight, measure, or count of the product.
Finding out whether a food product is healthy for you may be more difficult if you don't understand the product's label. Many times the claims on the front of the package are deceptive because they are not monitored as closely as the nutrition label on the back and may be misleading. You will see "fat-free," "no added sugar," "natural," "lite," and "helps your immune system" on labels to entice you to purchase the food item, but it's not clear what these labels really mean. We'll take a closer look at what some of these claims mean (per serving) so you will be better informed when you are pushing that cart through the market. See figure 9.3 for a sample food label.
Fat-Free, Sugar-Free, Zero Calories
This may be one of the most misleading topics because many people think that if a food is fat free or sugar free, it's healthy. If a food item has this label, the fat and sugar must be less than 0.5 gram per serving, and calorie free must be no more than 5 calories per serving. It's important to understand that just because a food item is fat free it may be very high in sugar and calories. If it claims to be sugar free, it still may be in high in fat and calories. Look at the total calories per serving to decide whether the food is healthy for your diet plan.
Low Fat, Low Sugar, Low Calorie
This type of label on a product means it contains less than 3 grams of fat and less than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. To be considered low calorie, the food must contain fewer than 40 calories per serving. This is where the manufacturer's front label can be deceiving, because the claim will be "no trans fat" on the front, but the actual nutrition label may indicate that saturated or unsaturated fat content is high, and may legally contain up to 0.5 gram of trans fat. If you eat more than one serving of this "no-trans-fat" food, the trans fat can add up.
Natural
Not surprisingly, this label has no real definition and it can be whatever the manufacturer wants it to be! According to the FDA, as long as the product has no artificial flavors, added color, or synthetic substances, it can be called natural. Foods such as yogurt, granola bars, nondairy cheese, and honey that you thought were healthy may not be. The purple color and flavor in yogurt may not be from blueberries! And the 100 percent natural jar of honey you just bought home isn't technically honey due to so many levels of processing that removes the natural pollen. Purchase honey from a local beekeeper or at a farmer's market for truly natural honey.
What about the granola bar - the staple of many fitness fanatics for a snack or after-workout food? Many of these bars, sometimes called energy bars or protein bars, contain an ingredient made from wood pulp or cotton (called cellulose) to up the fiber content. They also contain processed sweeteners. They may not be healthy for you at all! Make sure you read not only the nutrition label but the ingredients as well.
Organic
A food labeled as organic is not the same as being 100 percent natural. If a food is labeled as organic, it must pass specific USDA guidelines, which state that animal products must not have antibiotics or growth hormones, and plants must be grown without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. You will notice that the levels of organic range from 70 to 100 percent, depending on how they were grown.
Fresh
This label means not only that the food must be unprocessed or raw, but that it has never been heated or frozen. Although this may sound like a great food source, this label doesn't mean the food was just picked. You never know how long it has been in transit to the store or how long it has been sitting on the shelf. This may increase the surface bacteria on these foods, so make sure you wash all fresh foods before preparing or eating them.
You can use a nutrition label to help you choose foods that are healthy for your body. Don't simply look at the total grams of carbohydrate in foods; rather, choose those that are high in fiber and low in sugar. See what type of fat (unsaturated, saturated, or trans fat) is in the food.
Look at the list of ingredients to see if sugar or fat is one of the first four ingredients listed. If so, this food probably is not the best choice. Also look for sugar alcohols, which are actually neither sugar nor alcohol but a chemical structure that sweetens food and can cause intestinal problems. Sugar alcohols usually end in - ol, such as sorbitol and mannitol.
How to read a food label.
Success Check
- Name three ways food labels can help you choose a healthy food product.
- What type of fat should you avoid when purchasing a food product?
Proper push-up form
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise.
Most Common Exercises
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise. Common exercises of the core include the crunch and back extension.
Chest
The pectoralis muscles fan over the chest area. Although the main purpose of the chest muscles is to push, they are also responsible for moving the shoulder joint and flexing and rotating the arm above the elbow. You use your chest to push a lawn mower, lift a child, arm-wrestle, and clap your hands. One of the best exercises for the chest is the push-up demonstrated in figures 5.1 and 5.2. You can perform this exercise anywhere. You can start in a modified position on your knees or in a regular push-up position on your toes.
Figures 5.1 and 5.2 Push-Up
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Proper push-up form.
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Modified proper push-up form.
Preparation
- Lie facedown on the floor with your weight either on your knees (modified position) or on your toes.
- Place your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Your elbows should be pointed toward your toes.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly push up until your arms reach full range but not the locked position.
- Your weight should be supported on your hands and knees (modified position) or toes.
- Your spine should be in neutral alignment with your head and neck; look at the floor.
- Inhale and lower within 4 inches of the floor, keeping your elbows close to your sides, then push back up.
Note: Varying your hand position will affect the workout. Wider hands engage more chest muscle and closer hands engage more triceps.
Misstep.
Lower back sags.
Correction
Tighten your abdominal and glute muscles.
Misstep
Head drops down.
Correction
Lift your head until the back of the head is in line with the shoulders.
Five areas of physical fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What’s the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat?
Components of Fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What's the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat? In comparison, weightlifters may have nice physiques but not be able to run a mile; runners may complete a mile in record time but not be able to complete a push-up.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Cardiorespiratory fitness is how efficiently your heart and lungs are able to deliver oxygen to the working muscle, which means it has a direct impact on both strength and endurance. The heart is a muscle and must be worked to be strong and efficient just as other muscles of the body. Not only is cardio the base for all activity, but keeping your heart in good condition also helps prevent many health problems. Following are more benefits from having a healthy heart:
- Adds years to your life
- Increases the HDL (good) cholesterol in the body
- Decreases the LDL (bad) cholesterol in the body
- Lowers blood pressure
- Lowers resting pulse so your heart doesn't have to work as hard
- Helps you lose or maintain weight
- Helps prevent heart disease and stroke
- Lowers your risk for developing diabetes
- Reduces stress levels
- Boosts your immune system
- Increases energy
- Improves sleep
Success Check
- What is cardiorespiratory fitness?
- Name five benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness.
Resistance Training
Resistance training involves challenging your muscles to work against an external force in order to improve endurance, increase muscle mass, and improve strength. It is imperative to include resistance training in your workout plan because strong muscles make strong tendons, which make strong and dense bones. This in turn reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
After age 20, adults lose five to seven pounds of muscle every decade. Resistance training will help stop this loss of muscle and rebuild the muscle at any age! Muscle is active tissue, so you must use it or you will lose it. Having strong, toned muscles improves your ability to perform everyday activities, including getting in and out of the bathtub and carrying grocery bags. There are many other benefits of resistance training:
- Helps control weight (increases calorie burn)
- Improves balance and decreases risk of injury
- Reduces low back pain
- Boosts stamina
- Reduces blood pressure
- Increases metabolism
- Maintains or increases joint flexibility
- Helps reduce pain from arthritis
- Improves insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism
- Reduces depression
- Improves brain function
- Enhances appearance
Success Check
- What is resistance training?
- Why is it important to include resistance training in your workout?
Flexibility
Flexibility is the range of motion around a joint. It is the cornerstone of your workout program because your muscles move only as far as your flexibility allows. Tight joints restrict range of motion, causing you to compensate the movement by using other muscles. This can cause muscle imbalances that affect posture, performance, and movement efficiency. Loss of flexibility can also lead to lost independence; for example, you can no longer bend to clip your toenails or reach the high shelf in your kitchen.
Incorporating flexibility into your workout (at any age) can improve posture and make movement more efficient. It also aids in these areas:
- Reduces back pain
- Improves digestion
- Enhances performance
- Decreases the risk of injury
- Improves muscular coordination
- Enhances circulation
Success Check
- What is flexibility?
- Why is it important?
Balance
Balance is the ability to control your body's position in space. It involves proprioception, which is how your body takes the information it receives from the environment (such as getting up from a chair) and sends this information to the brain. This information tells the muscles what to do so they can adapt to the change and you keep your balance. When this system gets overloaded, you lose your balance. Whether you are standing still (static balance) or moving (dynamic balance), your body continually makes adjustments to keep you from falling. Although you may think that having good balance is important only for gymnasts or figure skaters, regular balance training improves posture and coordination, enhances movement and performance, and helps prevent injuries and falls.
Success Check
- What is balance?
- What is proprioception?
- Why should you include balance training in your workouts?
Core Strength and Stability
Core muscles are responsible for extending, flexing, and rotating your trunk. These consist of many layers of muscle that will determine your posture. Strengthening and conditioning these muscles reduce the chances of back pain and spinal injuries, improve performance, and result in better coordination and balance. Therefore, all exercise programs should consist of a solid foundation of core work.
Success Check
- What is the core?
- Why is a strong, conditioned core important?
Components of a weight training program
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope.
Components of a Muscular Strength and Endurance Routine
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope. This allows the blood flow that is concentrated in your core to be shunted out to the extremities, thereby supplying additional blood to the working muscles to warm them up. Then perform gentle, static preexercise stretching for the muscle groups that will be worked. If you are a more advanced exerciser, active stretching (moving joints through the full range of motion) as a warm-up may be sufficient. Note that if your weight training goal is power, stretch your muscles at the end of your routine. You should perform static stretching on all muscles after resistance training. If you perform static stretching before completing power activities such as sprinting and jumping, you may impede performance.
Next, complete the weight training exercises in your program. These exercises should start with larger muscle groups followed by smaller muscle groups, because many of the smaller muscle groups are used as stabilizer (or helping) muscles. If these smaller muscles are fatigued first, the larger muscles may not be worked sufficiently. Finally, perform postexercise stretching. You have the option of stretching each muscle group after all the reps are completed for that specific muscle group or stretching all the muscles at the end of your workout.
You can perform numerous weight training exercises and combinations depending on equipment available. Following are examples of general weight training circuits where you complete exercises for the entire body in one workout as well as a split routine for a more complex weight training program in which muscle groups of the body are split and exercised on different days. The number of days depends on your schedule as well as your personal preference.
General Weight Training Circuit
8 to 10 exercises for a total-body workout in one session
- Machine leg press (glutes, quads, hamstrings)
- Multi-hip machine (abductors and adductors)
- Machine back extension (lumbar)
- Seated cable row (lats, traps, rhomboids, rear delt, biceps)
- Machine chest press (pecs, anterior delts, triceps)
- Machine shoulder press (deltoids)
- Machine arm extension (triceps)
- Machine arm curl (biceps)
- Abdominals
Split Routine (2 Days)
Day 1: Upper Body
- Chest (machine pec fly and dumbbell chest press)
- Back (lat pull-down machine and T-bar row)
- Shoulders (dumbbell lateral raise and military barbell shoulder press)
- Biceps (preacher curl and dumbbell curl)
- Triceps (cable triceps push-down and seated triceps extension)
Day 2: Lower Body
- Glutes, quads, hamstrings (leg press machine and body-weight lunge)
- Hamstrings (hamstring curl machine)
- Quadriceps (leg extension machine)
- Abductors (side leg raise with ankle weights)
- Adductors (inner-thigh machine)
- Calves (seated calf raise and standing body-weight calf raise)
Split Routine (3 Days)*
Day 1: Chest and Back
- Chest (bench press, incline dumbbell press, pec fly machine)
- Back (lat pull-down, one-arm dumbbell bent-over row, body-weight pull-up)
Day 2: Legs and Shoulders
- Legs (sled leg press, step-up, walking lunge with dumbbells)
- Shoulders (seated dumbbell shoulder press, rear delt machine, front dumbbell shoulder raise)
Day 3: Biceps and Triceps
- Biceps (hammer curl, barbell curl, cable curl)
- Triceps (seated dip, triceps kickback, arm extension machine)
*Another combination could be chest and triceps, back and biceps, legs and shoulders. There is no wrong way to combine muscle groups.
Split Routine (4 Days)
Day 1: Chest
- (bench press, flat-bench dumbbell fly, decline dumbbell chest press)
Day 2: Legs and Biceps
- Legs (barbell squat, deadlift, seated calf raise)
- Biceps (arm curl machine, concentration curl, hammer curl)
Day 3: Back
- (T-bar row, lat pull-down, barbell bent-over row)
Day 4: Shoulders and Triceps
- Shoulders (shrug, incline reverse lateral dumbbell raise, machine shoulder press)
- Triceps (standing dumbbell overhead extension, cable push-down, body-weight dip)
Strengthen the triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors.
Triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors. In addition, the triceps works with other muscles to extend the arm at the shoulder joint, as when holding something behind the back. Following are exercises that strengthen the triceps.
Figure 5.27 Triceps Extension
Note: You can perform this exercise seated or standing.
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Preparation
- Position the feet together and keep your eyes looking forward, not down.
- Grasp a dumbbell with both hands and lift it overhead with your arms straight but not locked.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Keeping the elbows close to your ears, inhale and slowly lower the weight behind your head until your upper arms are perpendicular to the floor.
- Exhale and slowly lift the weight to the starting position.
- Keep elbows pointing upward throughout the entire movement.
Misstep
Back arches and hips rotate forward.
Correction
Stagger the feet; tighten the core and glutes.
Figure 5.28 Machine Arm Extension
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- Sit in the machine with your feet flat on the floor and back and head against the padded support.
- Place your elbows slightly below the shoulders on the padded support shoulder-width apart (adjust seat accordingly).
- Grasp the handles and make sure your elbows are aligned with the pivot point of the machine (axis).
- Pull your navel toward your spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly extend your arms until straight but not locked.
- Keep your back and head against the pad and wrists straight.
- Inhale and slowly return to the starting position.
Misstep
Elbows lift off the pad.
Correction
Push elbows down throughout the movement.
Misstep
Shoulders rise during the downward phase of the movement.
Correction
Keep the shoulders back and down throughout the movement.
Understanding food labels
You have already learned the importance of exercise, and this step will help you understand the importance of your nutrition needs and how to meet those needs. A nutrient is a substance the body needs in order to work properly.
Food Labels
The can in the grocery store says "tuna in water." However, the list of ingredients says tuna, water, soy, carrots, and celery! In 1990 the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act was passed, and the USDA and FDA were in charge of deciding what information you need to know about the food you eat. Every food and beverage product must contain the following information:
- Nutrition facts are quantities of protein, fat (saturated, unsaturated, and trans), carbohydrate (sugar and fiber), vitamins, and minerals for one serving.
- Ingredients are contents listed in descending order.
- Serving size is what constitutes one serving.
- Product name.
- Manufacturer's name and address.
- Weight, measure, or count of the product.
Finding out whether a food product is healthy for you may be more difficult if you don't understand the product's label. Many times the claims on the front of the package are deceptive because they are not monitored as closely as the nutrition label on the back and may be misleading. You will see "fat-free," "no added sugar," "natural," "lite," and "helps your immune system" on labels to entice you to purchase the food item, but it's not clear what these labels really mean. We'll take a closer look at what some of these claims mean (per serving) so you will be better informed when you are pushing that cart through the market. See figure 9.3 for a sample food label.
Fat-Free, Sugar-Free, Zero Calories
This may be one of the most misleading topics because many people think that if a food is fat free or sugar free, it's healthy. If a food item has this label, the fat and sugar must be less than 0.5 gram per serving, and calorie free must be no more than 5 calories per serving. It's important to understand that just because a food item is fat free it may be very high in sugar and calories. If it claims to be sugar free, it still may be in high in fat and calories. Look at the total calories per serving to decide whether the food is healthy for your diet plan.
Low Fat, Low Sugar, Low Calorie
This type of label on a product means it contains less than 3 grams of fat and less than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. To be considered low calorie, the food must contain fewer than 40 calories per serving. This is where the manufacturer's front label can be deceiving, because the claim will be "no trans fat" on the front, but the actual nutrition label may indicate that saturated or unsaturated fat content is high, and may legally contain up to 0.5 gram of trans fat. If you eat more than one serving of this "no-trans-fat" food, the trans fat can add up.
Natural
Not surprisingly, this label has no real definition and it can be whatever the manufacturer wants it to be! According to the FDA, as long as the product has no artificial flavors, added color, or synthetic substances, it can be called natural. Foods such as yogurt, granola bars, nondairy cheese, and honey that you thought were healthy may not be. The purple color and flavor in yogurt may not be from blueberries! And the 100 percent natural jar of honey you just bought home isn't technically honey due to so many levels of processing that removes the natural pollen. Purchase honey from a local beekeeper or at a farmer's market for truly natural honey.
What about the granola bar - the staple of many fitness fanatics for a snack or after-workout food? Many of these bars, sometimes called energy bars or protein bars, contain an ingredient made from wood pulp or cotton (called cellulose) to up the fiber content. They also contain processed sweeteners. They may not be healthy for you at all! Make sure you read not only the nutrition label but the ingredients as well.
Organic
A food labeled as organic is not the same as being 100 percent natural. If a food is labeled as organic, it must pass specific USDA guidelines, which state that animal products must not have antibiotics or growth hormones, and plants must be grown without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. You will notice that the levels of organic range from 70 to 100 percent, depending on how they were grown.
Fresh
This label means not only that the food must be unprocessed or raw, but that it has never been heated or frozen. Although this may sound like a great food source, this label doesn't mean the food was just picked. You never know how long it has been in transit to the store or how long it has been sitting on the shelf. This may increase the surface bacteria on these foods, so make sure you wash all fresh foods before preparing or eating them.
You can use a nutrition label to help you choose foods that are healthy for your body. Don't simply look at the total grams of carbohydrate in foods; rather, choose those that are high in fiber and low in sugar. See what type of fat (unsaturated, saturated, or trans fat) is in the food.
Look at the list of ingredients to see if sugar or fat is one of the first four ingredients listed. If so, this food probably is not the best choice. Also look for sugar alcohols, which are actually neither sugar nor alcohol but a chemical structure that sweetens food and can cause intestinal problems. Sugar alcohols usually end in - ol, such as sorbitol and mannitol.
How to read a food label.
Success Check
- Name three ways food labels can help you choose a healthy food product.
- What type of fat should you avoid when purchasing a food product?
Proper push-up form
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise.
Most Common Exercises
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise. Common exercises of the core include the crunch and back extension.
Chest
The pectoralis muscles fan over the chest area. Although the main purpose of the chest muscles is to push, they are also responsible for moving the shoulder joint and flexing and rotating the arm above the elbow. You use your chest to push a lawn mower, lift a child, arm-wrestle, and clap your hands. One of the best exercises for the chest is the push-up demonstrated in figures 5.1 and 5.2. You can perform this exercise anywhere. You can start in a modified position on your knees or in a regular push-up position on your toes.
Figures 5.1 and 5.2 Push-Up
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Proper push-up form.
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Modified proper push-up form.
Preparation
- Lie facedown on the floor with your weight either on your knees (modified position) or on your toes.
- Place your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Your elbows should be pointed toward your toes.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly push up until your arms reach full range but not the locked position.
- Your weight should be supported on your hands and knees (modified position) or toes.
- Your spine should be in neutral alignment with your head and neck; look at the floor.
- Inhale and lower within 4 inches of the floor, keeping your elbows close to your sides, then push back up.
Note: Varying your hand position will affect the workout. Wider hands engage more chest muscle and closer hands engage more triceps.
Misstep.
Lower back sags.
Correction
Tighten your abdominal and glute muscles.
Misstep
Head drops down.
Correction
Lift your head until the back of the head is in line with the shoulders.
Five areas of physical fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What’s the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat?
Components of Fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What's the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat? In comparison, weightlifters may have nice physiques but not be able to run a mile; runners may complete a mile in record time but not be able to complete a push-up.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Cardiorespiratory fitness is how efficiently your heart and lungs are able to deliver oxygen to the working muscle, which means it has a direct impact on both strength and endurance. The heart is a muscle and must be worked to be strong and efficient just as other muscles of the body. Not only is cardio the base for all activity, but keeping your heart in good condition also helps prevent many health problems. Following are more benefits from having a healthy heart:
- Adds years to your life
- Increases the HDL (good) cholesterol in the body
- Decreases the LDL (bad) cholesterol in the body
- Lowers blood pressure
- Lowers resting pulse so your heart doesn't have to work as hard
- Helps you lose or maintain weight
- Helps prevent heart disease and stroke
- Lowers your risk for developing diabetes
- Reduces stress levels
- Boosts your immune system
- Increases energy
- Improves sleep
Success Check
- What is cardiorespiratory fitness?
- Name five benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness.
Resistance Training
Resistance training involves challenging your muscles to work against an external force in order to improve endurance, increase muscle mass, and improve strength. It is imperative to include resistance training in your workout plan because strong muscles make strong tendons, which make strong and dense bones. This in turn reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
After age 20, adults lose five to seven pounds of muscle every decade. Resistance training will help stop this loss of muscle and rebuild the muscle at any age! Muscle is active tissue, so you must use it or you will lose it. Having strong, toned muscles improves your ability to perform everyday activities, including getting in and out of the bathtub and carrying grocery bags. There are many other benefits of resistance training:
- Helps control weight (increases calorie burn)
- Improves balance and decreases risk of injury
- Reduces low back pain
- Boosts stamina
- Reduces blood pressure
- Increases metabolism
- Maintains or increases joint flexibility
- Helps reduce pain from arthritis
- Improves insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism
- Reduces depression
- Improves brain function
- Enhances appearance
Success Check
- What is resistance training?
- Why is it important to include resistance training in your workout?
Flexibility
Flexibility is the range of motion around a joint. It is the cornerstone of your workout program because your muscles move only as far as your flexibility allows. Tight joints restrict range of motion, causing you to compensate the movement by using other muscles. This can cause muscle imbalances that affect posture, performance, and movement efficiency. Loss of flexibility can also lead to lost independence; for example, you can no longer bend to clip your toenails or reach the high shelf in your kitchen.
Incorporating flexibility into your workout (at any age) can improve posture and make movement more efficient. It also aids in these areas:
- Reduces back pain
- Improves digestion
- Enhances performance
- Decreases the risk of injury
- Improves muscular coordination
- Enhances circulation
Success Check
- What is flexibility?
- Why is it important?
Balance
Balance is the ability to control your body's position in space. It involves proprioception, which is how your body takes the information it receives from the environment (such as getting up from a chair) and sends this information to the brain. This information tells the muscles what to do so they can adapt to the change and you keep your balance. When this system gets overloaded, you lose your balance. Whether you are standing still (static balance) or moving (dynamic balance), your body continually makes adjustments to keep you from falling. Although you may think that having good balance is important only for gymnasts or figure skaters, regular balance training improves posture and coordination, enhances movement and performance, and helps prevent injuries and falls.
Success Check
- What is balance?
- What is proprioception?
- Why should you include balance training in your workouts?
Core Strength and Stability
Core muscles are responsible for extending, flexing, and rotating your trunk. These consist of many layers of muscle that will determine your posture. Strengthening and conditioning these muscles reduce the chances of back pain and spinal injuries, improve performance, and result in better coordination and balance. Therefore, all exercise programs should consist of a solid foundation of core work.
Success Check
- What is the core?
- Why is a strong, conditioned core important?
Components of a weight training program
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope.
Components of a Muscular Strength and Endurance Routine
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope. This allows the blood flow that is concentrated in your core to be shunted out to the extremities, thereby supplying additional blood to the working muscles to warm them up. Then perform gentle, static preexercise stretching for the muscle groups that will be worked. If you are a more advanced exerciser, active stretching (moving joints through the full range of motion) as a warm-up may be sufficient. Note that if your weight training goal is power, stretch your muscles at the end of your routine. You should perform static stretching on all muscles after resistance training. If you perform static stretching before completing power activities such as sprinting and jumping, you may impede performance.
Next, complete the weight training exercises in your program. These exercises should start with larger muscle groups followed by smaller muscle groups, because many of the smaller muscle groups are used as stabilizer (or helping) muscles. If these smaller muscles are fatigued first, the larger muscles may not be worked sufficiently. Finally, perform postexercise stretching. You have the option of stretching each muscle group after all the reps are completed for that specific muscle group or stretching all the muscles at the end of your workout.
You can perform numerous weight training exercises and combinations depending on equipment available. Following are examples of general weight training circuits where you complete exercises for the entire body in one workout as well as a split routine for a more complex weight training program in which muscle groups of the body are split and exercised on different days. The number of days depends on your schedule as well as your personal preference.
General Weight Training Circuit
8 to 10 exercises for a total-body workout in one session
- Machine leg press (glutes, quads, hamstrings)
- Multi-hip machine (abductors and adductors)
- Machine back extension (lumbar)
- Seated cable row (lats, traps, rhomboids, rear delt, biceps)
- Machine chest press (pecs, anterior delts, triceps)
- Machine shoulder press (deltoids)
- Machine arm extension (triceps)
- Machine arm curl (biceps)
- Abdominals
Split Routine (2 Days)
Day 1: Upper Body
- Chest (machine pec fly and dumbbell chest press)
- Back (lat pull-down machine and T-bar row)
- Shoulders (dumbbell lateral raise and military barbell shoulder press)
- Biceps (preacher curl and dumbbell curl)
- Triceps (cable triceps push-down and seated triceps extension)
Day 2: Lower Body
- Glutes, quads, hamstrings (leg press machine and body-weight lunge)
- Hamstrings (hamstring curl machine)
- Quadriceps (leg extension machine)
- Abductors (side leg raise with ankle weights)
- Adductors (inner-thigh machine)
- Calves (seated calf raise and standing body-weight calf raise)
Split Routine (3 Days)*
Day 1: Chest and Back
- Chest (bench press, incline dumbbell press, pec fly machine)
- Back (lat pull-down, one-arm dumbbell bent-over row, body-weight pull-up)
Day 2: Legs and Shoulders
- Legs (sled leg press, step-up, walking lunge with dumbbells)
- Shoulders (seated dumbbell shoulder press, rear delt machine, front dumbbell shoulder raise)
Day 3: Biceps and Triceps
- Biceps (hammer curl, barbell curl, cable curl)
- Triceps (seated dip, triceps kickback, arm extension machine)
*Another combination could be chest and triceps, back and biceps, legs and shoulders. There is no wrong way to combine muscle groups.
Split Routine (4 Days)
Day 1: Chest
- (bench press, flat-bench dumbbell fly, decline dumbbell chest press)
Day 2: Legs and Biceps
- Legs (barbell squat, deadlift, seated calf raise)
- Biceps (arm curl machine, concentration curl, hammer curl)
Day 3: Back
- (T-bar row, lat pull-down, barbell bent-over row)
Day 4: Shoulders and Triceps
- Shoulders (shrug, incline reverse lateral dumbbell raise, machine shoulder press)
- Triceps (standing dumbbell overhead extension, cable push-down, body-weight dip)
Strengthen the triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors.
Triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors. In addition, the triceps works with other muscles to extend the arm at the shoulder joint, as when holding something behind the back. Following are exercises that strengthen the triceps.
Figure 5.27 Triceps Extension
Note: You can perform this exercise seated or standing.
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Preparation
- Position the feet together and keep your eyes looking forward, not down.
- Grasp a dumbbell with both hands and lift it overhead with your arms straight but not locked.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Keeping the elbows close to your ears, inhale and slowly lower the weight behind your head until your upper arms are perpendicular to the floor.
- Exhale and slowly lift the weight to the starting position.
- Keep elbows pointing upward throughout the entire movement.
Misstep
Back arches and hips rotate forward.
Correction
Stagger the feet; tighten the core and glutes.
Figure 5.28 Machine Arm Extension
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- Sit in the machine with your feet flat on the floor and back and head against the padded support.
- Place your elbows slightly below the shoulders on the padded support shoulder-width apart (adjust seat accordingly).
- Grasp the handles and make sure your elbows are aligned with the pivot point of the machine (axis).
- Pull your navel toward your spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly extend your arms until straight but not locked.
- Keep your back and head against the pad and wrists straight.
- Inhale and slowly return to the starting position.
Misstep
Elbows lift off the pad.
Correction
Push elbows down throughout the movement.
Misstep
Shoulders rise during the downward phase of the movement.
Correction
Keep the shoulders back and down throughout the movement.
Understanding food labels
You have already learned the importance of exercise, and this step will help you understand the importance of your nutrition needs and how to meet those needs. A nutrient is a substance the body needs in order to work properly.
Food Labels
The can in the grocery store says "tuna in water." However, the list of ingredients says tuna, water, soy, carrots, and celery! In 1990 the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act was passed, and the USDA and FDA were in charge of deciding what information you need to know about the food you eat. Every food and beverage product must contain the following information:
- Nutrition facts are quantities of protein, fat (saturated, unsaturated, and trans), carbohydrate (sugar and fiber), vitamins, and minerals for one serving.
- Ingredients are contents listed in descending order.
- Serving size is what constitutes one serving.
- Product name.
- Manufacturer's name and address.
- Weight, measure, or count of the product.
Finding out whether a food product is healthy for you may be more difficult if you don't understand the product's label. Many times the claims on the front of the package are deceptive because they are not monitored as closely as the nutrition label on the back and may be misleading. You will see "fat-free," "no added sugar," "natural," "lite," and "helps your immune system" on labels to entice you to purchase the food item, but it's not clear what these labels really mean. We'll take a closer look at what some of these claims mean (per serving) so you will be better informed when you are pushing that cart through the market. See figure 9.3 for a sample food label.
Fat-Free, Sugar-Free, Zero Calories
This may be one of the most misleading topics because many people think that if a food is fat free or sugar free, it's healthy. If a food item has this label, the fat and sugar must be less than 0.5 gram per serving, and calorie free must be no more than 5 calories per serving. It's important to understand that just because a food item is fat free it may be very high in sugar and calories. If it claims to be sugar free, it still may be in high in fat and calories. Look at the total calories per serving to decide whether the food is healthy for your diet plan.
Low Fat, Low Sugar, Low Calorie
This type of label on a product means it contains less than 3 grams of fat and less than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. To be considered low calorie, the food must contain fewer than 40 calories per serving. This is where the manufacturer's front label can be deceiving, because the claim will be "no trans fat" on the front, but the actual nutrition label may indicate that saturated or unsaturated fat content is high, and may legally contain up to 0.5 gram of trans fat. If you eat more than one serving of this "no-trans-fat" food, the trans fat can add up.
Natural
Not surprisingly, this label has no real definition and it can be whatever the manufacturer wants it to be! According to the FDA, as long as the product has no artificial flavors, added color, or synthetic substances, it can be called natural. Foods such as yogurt, granola bars, nondairy cheese, and honey that you thought were healthy may not be. The purple color and flavor in yogurt may not be from blueberries! And the 100 percent natural jar of honey you just bought home isn't technically honey due to so many levels of processing that removes the natural pollen. Purchase honey from a local beekeeper or at a farmer's market for truly natural honey.
What about the granola bar - the staple of many fitness fanatics for a snack or after-workout food? Many of these bars, sometimes called energy bars or protein bars, contain an ingredient made from wood pulp or cotton (called cellulose) to up the fiber content. They also contain processed sweeteners. They may not be healthy for you at all! Make sure you read not only the nutrition label but the ingredients as well.
Organic
A food labeled as organic is not the same as being 100 percent natural. If a food is labeled as organic, it must pass specific USDA guidelines, which state that animal products must not have antibiotics or growth hormones, and plants must be grown without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. You will notice that the levels of organic range from 70 to 100 percent, depending on how they were grown.
Fresh
This label means not only that the food must be unprocessed or raw, but that it has never been heated or frozen. Although this may sound like a great food source, this label doesn't mean the food was just picked. You never know how long it has been in transit to the store or how long it has been sitting on the shelf. This may increase the surface bacteria on these foods, so make sure you wash all fresh foods before preparing or eating them.
You can use a nutrition label to help you choose foods that are healthy for your body. Don't simply look at the total grams of carbohydrate in foods; rather, choose those that are high in fiber and low in sugar. See what type of fat (unsaturated, saturated, or trans fat) is in the food.
Look at the list of ingredients to see if sugar or fat is one of the first four ingredients listed. If so, this food probably is not the best choice. Also look for sugar alcohols, which are actually neither sugar nor alcohol but a chemical structure that sweetens food and can cause intestinal problems. Sugar alcohols usually end in - ol, such as sorbitol and mannitol.
How to read a food label.
Success Check
- Name three ways food labels can help you choose a healthy food product.
- What type of fat should you avoid when purchasing a food product?
Proper push-up form
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise.
Most Common Exercises
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise. Common exercises of the core include the crunch and back extension.
Chest
The pectoralis muscles fan over the chest area. Although the main purpose of the chest muscles is to push, they are also responsible for moving the shoulder joint and flexing and rotating the arm above the elbow. You use your chest to push a lawn mower, lift a child, arm-wrestle, and clap your hands. One of the best exercises for the chest is the push-up demonstrated in figures 5.1 and 5.2. You can perform this exercise anywhere. You can start in a modified position on your knees or in a regular push-up position on your toes.
Figures 5.1 and 5.2 Push-Up
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Proper push-up form.
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Modified proper push-up form.
Preparation
- Lie facedown on the floor with your weight either on your knees (modified position) or on your toes.
- Place your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Your elbows should be pointed toward your toes.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly push up until your arms reach full range but not the locked position.
- Your weight should be supported on your hands and knees (modified position) or toes.
- Your spine should be in neutral alignment with your head and neck; look at the floor.
- Inhale and lower within 4 inches of the floor, keeping your elbows close to your sides, then push back up.
Note: Varying your hand position will affect the workout. Wider hands engage more chest muscle and closer hands engage more triceps.
Misstep.
Lower back sags.
Correction
Tighten your abdominal and glute muscles.
Misstep
Head drops down.
Correction
Lift your head until the back of the head is in line with the shoulders.
Five areas of physical fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What’s the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat?
Components of Fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What's the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat? In comparison, weightlifters may have nice physiques but not be able to run a mile; runners may complete a mile in record time but not be able to complete a push-up.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Cardiorespiratory fitness is how efficiently your heart and lungs are able to deliver oxygen to the working muscle, which means it has a direct impact on both strength and endurance. The heart is a muscle and must be worked to be strong and efficient just as other muscles of the body. Not only is cardio the base for all activity, but keeping your heart in good condition also helps prevent many health problems. Following are more benefits from having a healthy heart:
- Adds years to your life
- Increases the HDL (good) cholesterol in the body
- Decreases the LDL (bad) cholesterol in the body
- Lowers blood pressure
- Lowers resting pulse so your heart doesn't have to work as hard
- Helps you lose or maintain weight
- Helps prevent heart disease and stroke
- Lowers your risk for developing diabetes
- Reduces stress levels
- Boosts your immune system
- Increases energy
- Improves sleep
Success Check
- What is cardiorespiratory fitness?
- Name five benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness.
Resistance Training
Resistance training involves challenging your muscles to work against an external force in order to improve endurance, increase muscle mass, and improve strength. It is imperative to include resistance training in your workout plan because strong muscles make strong tendons, which make strong and dense bones. This in turn reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
After age 20, adults lose five to seven pounds of muscle every decade. Resistance training will help stop this loss of muscle and rebuild the muscle at any age! Muscle is active tissue, so you must use it or you will lose it. Having strong, toned muscles improves your ability to perform everyday activities, including getting in and out of the bathtub and carrying grocery bags. There are many other benefits of resistance training:
- Helps control weight (increases calorie burn)
- Improves balance and decreases risk of injury
- Reduces low back pain
- Boosts stamina
- Reduces blood pressure
- Increases metabolism
- Maintains or increases joint flexibility
- Helps reduce pain from arthritis
- Improves insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism
- Reduces depression
- Improves brain function
- Enhances appearance
Success Check
- What is resistance training?
- Why is it important to include resistance training in your workout?
Flexibility
Flexibility is the range of motion around a joint. It is the cornerstone of your workout program because your muscles move only as far as your flexibility allows. Tight joints restrict range of motion, causing you to compensate the movement by using other muscles. This can cause muscle imbalances that affect posture, performance, and movement efficiency. Loss of flexibility can also lead to lost independence; for example, you can no longer bend to clip your toenails or reach the high shelf in your kitchen.
Incorporating flexibility into your workout (at any age) can improve posture and make movement more efficient. It also aids in these areas:
- Reduces back pain
- Improves digestion
- Enhances performance
- Decreases the risk of injury
- Improves muscular coordination
- Enhances circulation
Success Check
- What is flexibility?
- Why is it important?
Balance
Balance is the ability to control your body's position in space. It involves proprioception, which is how your body takes the information it receives from the environment (such as getting up from a chair) and sends this information to the brain. This information tells the muscles what to do so they can adapt to the change and you keep your balance. When this system gets overloaded, you lose your balance. Whether you are standing still (static balance) or moving (dynamic balance), your body continually makes adjustments to keep you from falling. Although you may think that having good balance is important only for gymnasts or figure skaters, regular balance training improves posture and coordination, enhances movement and performance, and helps prevent injuries and falls.
Success Check
- What is balance?
- What is proprioception?
- Why should you include balance training in your workouts?
Core Strength and Stability
Core muscles are responsible for extending, flexing, and rotating your trunk. These consist of many layers of muscle that will determine your posture. Strengthening and conditioning these muscles reduce the chances of back pain and spinal injuries, improve performance, and result in better coordination and balance. Therefore, all exercise programs should consist of a solid foundation of core work.
Success Check
- What is the core?
- Why is a strong, conditioned core important?
Components of a weight training program
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope.
Components of a Muscular Strength and Endurance Routine
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope. This allows the blood flow that is concentrated in your core to be shunted out to the extremities, thereby supplying additional blood to the working muscles to warm them up. Then perform gentle, static preexercise stretching for the muscle groups that will be worked. If you are a more advanced exerciser, active stretching (moving joints through the full range of motion) as a warm-up may be sufficient. Note that if your weight training goal is power, stretch your muscles at the end of your routine. You should perform static stretching on all muscles after resistance training. If you perform static stretching before completing power activities such as sprinting and jumping, you may impede performance.
Next, complete the weight training exercises in your program. These exercises should start with larger muscle groups followed by smaller muscle groups, because many of the smaller muscle groups are used as stabilizer (or helping) muscles. If these smaller muscles are fatigued first, the larger muscles may not be worked sufficiently. Finally, perform postexercise stretching. You have the option of stretching each muscle group after all the reps are completed for that specific muscle group or stretching all the muscles at the end of your workout.
You can perform numerous weight training exercises and combinations depending on equipment available. Following are examples of general weight training circuits where you complete exercises for the entire body in one workout as well as a split routine for a more complex weight training program in which muscle groups of the body are split and exercised on different days. The number of days depends on your schedule as well as your personal preference.
General Weight Training Circuit
8 to 10 exercises for a total-body workout in one session
- Machine leg press (glutes, quads, hamstrings)
- Multi-hip machine (abductors and adductors)
- Machine back extension (lumbar)
- Seated cable row (lats, traps, rhomboids, rear delt, biceps)
- Machine chest press (pecs, anterior delts, triceps)
- Machine shoulder press (deltoids)
- Machine arm extension (triceps)
- Machine arm curl (biceps)
- Abdominals
Split Routine (2 Days)
Day 1: Upper Body
- Chest (machine pec fly and dumbbell chest press)
- Back (lat pull-down machine and T-bar row)
- Shoulders (dumbbell lateral raise and military barbell shoulder press)
- Biceps (preacher curl and dumbbell curl)
- Triceps (cable triceps push-down and seated triceps extension)
Day 2: Lower Body
- Glutes, quads, hamstrings (leg press machine and body-weight lunge)
- Hamstrings (hamstring curl machine)
- Quadriceps (leg extension machine)
- Abductors (side leg raise with ankle weights)
- Adductors (inner-thigh machine)
- Calves (seated calf raise and standing body-weight calf raise)
Split Routine (3 Days)*
Day 1: Chest and Back
- Chest (bench press, incline dumbbell press, pec fly machine)
- Back (lat pull-down, one-arm dumbbell bent-over row, body-weight pull-up)
Day 2: Legs and Shoulders
- Legs (sled leg press, step-up, walking lunge with dumbbells)
- Shoulders (seated dumbbell shoulder press, rear delt machine, front dumbbell shoulder raise)
Day 3: Biceps and Triceps
- Biceps (hammer curl, barbell curl, cable curl)
- Triceps (seated dip, triceps kickback, arm extension machine)
*Another combination could be chest and triceps, back and biceps, legs and shoulders. There is no wrong way to combine muscle groups.
Split Routine (4 Days)
Day 1: Chest
- (bench press, flat-bench dumbbell fly, decline dumbbell chest press)
Day 2: Legs and Biceps
- Legs (barbell squat, deadlift, seated calf raise)
- Biceps (arm curl machine, concentration curl, hammer curl)
Day 3: Back
- (T-bar row, lat pull-down, barbell bent-over row)
Day 4: Shoulders and Triceps
- Shoulders (shrug, incline reverse lateral dumbbell raise, machine shoulder press)
- Triceps (standing dumbbell overhead extension, cable push-down, body-weight dip)
Strengthen the triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors.
Triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors. In addition, the triceps works with other muscles to extend the arm at the shoulder joint, as when holding something behind the back. Following are exercises that strengthen the triceps.
Figure 5.27 Triceps Extension
Note: You can perform this exercise seated or standing.
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Preparation
- Position the feet together and keep your eyes looking forward, not down.
- Grasp a dumbbell with both hands and lift it overhead with your arms straight but not locked.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Keeping the elbows close to your ears, inhale and slowly lower the weight behind your head until your upper arms are perpendicular to the floor.
- Exhale and slowly lift the weight to the starting position.
- Keep elbows pointing upward throughout the entire movement.
Misstep
Back arches and hips rotate forward.
Correction
Stagger the feet; tighten the core and glutes.
Figure 5.28 Machine Arm Extension
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- Sit in the machine with your feet flat on the floor and back and head against the padded support.
- Place your elbows slightly below the shoulders on the padded support shoulder-width apart (adjust seat accordingly).
- Grasp the handles and make sure your elbows are aligned with the pivot point of the machine (axis).
- Pull your navel toward your spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly extend your arms until straight but not locked.
- Keep your back and head against the pad and wrists straight.
- Inhale and slowly return to the starting position.
Misstep
Elbows lift off the pad.
Correction
Push elbows down throughout the movement.
Misstep
Shoulders rise during the downward phase of the movement.
Correction
Keep the shoulders back and down throughout the movement.
Understanding food labels
You have already learned the importance of exercise, and this step will help you understand the importance of your nutrition needs and how to meet those needs. A nutrient is a substance the body needs in order to work properly.
Food Labels
The can in the grocery store says "tuna in water." However, the list of ingredients says tuna, water, soy, carrots, and celery! In 1990 the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act was passed, and the USDA and FDA were in charge of deciding what information you need to know about the food you eat. Every food and beverage product must contain the following information:
- Nutrition facts are quantities of protein, fat (saturated, unsaturated, and trans), carbohydrate (sugar and fiber), vitamins, and minerals for one serving.
- Ingredients are contents listed in descending order.
- Serving size is what constitutes one serving.
- Product name.
- Manufacturer's name and address.
- Weight, measure, or count of the product.
Finding out whether a food product is healthy for you may be more difficult if you don't understand the product's label. Many times the claims on the front of the package are deceptive because they are not monitored as closely as the nutrition label on the back and may be misleading. You will see "fat-free," "no added sugar," "natural," "lite," and "helps your immune system" on labels to entice you to purchase the food item, but it's not clear what these labels really mean. We'll take a closer look at what some of these claims mean (per serving) so you will be better informed when you are pushing that cart through the market. See figure 9.3 for a sample food label.
Fat-Free, Sugar-Free, Zero Calories
This may be one of the most misleading topics because many people think that if a food is fat free or sugar free, it's healthy. If a food item has this label, the fat and sugar must be less than 0.5 gram per serving, and calorie free must be no more than 5 calories per serving. It's important to understand that just because a food item is fat free it may be very high in sugar and calories. If it claims to be sugar free, it still may be in high in fat and calories. Look at the total calories per serving to decide whether the food is healthy for your diet plan.
Low Fat, Low Sugar, Low Calorie
This type of label on a product means it contains less than 3 grams of fat and less than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. To be considered low calorie, the food must contain fewer than 40 calories per serving. This is where the manufacturer's front label can be deceiving, because the claim will be "no trans fat" on the front, but the actual nutrition label may indicate that saturated or unsaturated fat content is high, and may legally contain up to 0.5 gram of trans fat. If you eat more than one serving of this "no-trans-fat" food, the trans fat can add up.
Natural
Not surprisingly, this label has no real definition and it can be whatever the manufacturer wants it to be! According to the FDA, as long as the product has no artificial flavors, added color, or synthetic substances, it can be called natural. Foods such as yogurt, granola bars, nondairy cheese, and honey that you thought were healthy may not be. The purple color and flavor in yogurt may not be from blueberries! And the 100 percent natural jar of honey you just bought home isn't technically honey due to so many levels of processing that removes the natural pollen. Purchase honey from a local beekeeper or at a farmer's market for truly natural honey.
What about the granola bar - the staple of many fitness fanatics for a snack or after-workout food? Many of these bars, sometimes called energy bars or protein bars, contain an ingredient made from wood pulp or cotton (called cellulose) to up the fiber content. They also contain processed sweeteners. They may not be healthy for you at all! Make sure you read not only the nutrition label but the ingredients as well.
Organic
A food labeled as organic is not the same as being 100 percent natural. If a food is labeled as organic, it must pass specific USDA guidelines, which state that animal products must not have antibiotics or growth hormones, and plants must be grown without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. You will notice that the levels of organic range from 70 to 100 percent, depending on how they were grown.
Fresh
This label means not only that the food must be unprocessed or raw, but that it has never been heated or frozen. Although this may sound like a great food source, this label doesn't mean the food was just picked. You never know how long it has been in transit to the store or how long it has been sitting on the shelf. This may increase the surface bacteria on these foods, so make sure you wash all fresh foods before preparing or eating them.
You can use a nutrition label to help you choose foods that are healthy for your body. Don't simply look at the total grams of carbohydrate in foods; rather, choose those that are high in fiber and low in sugar. See what type of fat (unsaturated, saturated, or trans fat) is in the food.
Look at the list of ingredients to see if sugar or fat is one of the first four ingredients listed. If so, this food probably is not the best choice. Also look for sugar alcohols, which are actually neither sugar nor alcohol but a chemical structure that sweetens food and can cause intestinal problems. Sugar alcohols usually end in - ol, such as sorbitol and mannitol.
How to read a food label.
Success Check
- Name three ways food labels can help you choose a healthy food product.
- What type of fat should you avoid when purchasing a food product?
Proper push-up form
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise.
Most Common Exercises
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise. Common exercises of the core include the crunch and back extension.
Chest
The pectoralis muscles fan over the chest area. Although the main purpose of the chest muscles is to push, they are also responsible for moving the shoulder joint and flexing and rotating the arm above the elbow. You use your chest to push a lawn mower, lift a child, arm-wrestle, and clap your hands. One of the best exercises for the chest is the push-up demonstrated in figures 5.1 and 5.2. You can perform this exercise anywhere. You can start in a modified position on your knees or in a regular push-up position on your toes.
Figures 5.1 and 5.2 Push-Up
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Proper push-up form.
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Modified proper push-up form.
Preparation
- Lie facedown on the floor with your weight either on your knees (modified position) or on your toes.
- Place your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Your elbows should be pointed toward your toes.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly push up until your arms reach full range but not the locked position.
- Your weight should be supported on your hands and knees (modified position) or toes.
- Your spine should be in neutral alignment with your head and neck; look at the floor.
- Inhale and lower within 4 inches of the floor, keeping your elbows close to your sides, then push back up.
Note: Varying your hand position will affect the workout. Wider hands engage more chest muscle and closer hands engage more triceps.
Misstep.
Lower back sags.
Correction
Tighten your abdominal and glute muscles.
Misstep
Head drops down.
Correction
Lift your head until the back of the head is in line with the shoulders.
Five areas of physical fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What’s the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat?
Components of Fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What's the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat? In comparison, weightlifters may have nice physiques but not be able to run a mile; runners may complete a mile in record time but not be able to complete a push-up.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Cardiorespiratory fitness is how efficiently your heart and lungs are able to deliver oxygen to the working muscle, which means it has a direct impact on both strength and endurance. The heart is a muscle and must be worked to be strong and efficient just as other muscles of the body. Not only is cardio the base for all activity, but keeping your heart in good condition also helps prevent many health problems. Following are more benefits from having a healthy heart:
- Adds years to your life
- Increases the HDL (good) cholesterol in the body
- Decreases the LDL (bad) cholesterol in the body
- Lowers blood pressure
- Lowers resting pulse so your heart doesn't have to work as hard
- Helps you lose or maintain weight
- Helps prevent heart disease and stroke
- Lowers your risk for developing diabetes
- Reduces stress levels
- Boosts your immune system
- Increases energy
- Improves sleep
Success Check
- What is cardiorespiratory fitness?
- Name five benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness.
Resistance Training
Resistance training involves challenging your muscles to work against an external force in order to improve endurance, increase muscle mass, and improve strength. It is imperative to include resistance training in your workout plan because strong muscles make strong tendons, which make strong and dense bones. This in turn reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
After age 20, adults lose five to seven pounds of muscle every decade. Resistance training will help stop this loss of muscle and rebuild the muscle at any age! Muscle is active tissue, so you must use it or you will lose it. Having strong, toned muscles improves your ability to perform everyday activities, including getting in and out of the bathtub and carrying grocery bags. There are many other benefits of resistance training:
- Helps control weight (increases calorie burn)
- Improves balance and decreases risk of injury
- Reduces low back pain
- Boosts stamina
- Reduces blood pressure
- Increases metabolism
- Maintains or increases joint flexibility
- Helps reduce pain from arthritis
- Improves insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism
- Reduces depression
- Improves brain function
- Enhances appearance
Success Check
- What is resistance training?
- Why is it important to include resistance training in your workout?
Flexibility
Flexibility is the range of motion around a joint. It is the cornerstone of your workout program because your muscles move only as far as your flexibility allows. Tight joints restrict range of motion, causing you to compensate the movement by using other muscles. This can cause muscle imbalances that affect posture, performance, and movement efficiency. Loss of flexibility can also lead to lost independence; for example, you can no longer bend to clip your toenails or reach the high shelf in your kitchen.
Incorporating flexibility into your workout (at any age) can improve posture and make movement more efficient. It also aids in these areas:
- Reduces back pain
- Improves digestion
- Enhances performance
- Decreases the risk of injury
- Improves muscular coordination
- Enhances circulation
Success Check
- What is flexibility?
- Why is it important?
Balance
Balance is the ability to control your body's position in space. It involves proprioception, which is how your body takes the information it receives from the environment (such as getting up from a chair) and sends this information to the brain. This information tells the muscles what to do so they can adapt to the change and you keep your balance. When this system gets overloaded, you lose your balance. Whether you are standing still (static balance) or moving (dynamic balance), your body continually makes adjustments to keep you from falling. Although you may think that having good balance is important only for gymnasts or figure skaters, regular balance training improves posture and coordination, enhances movement and performance, and helps prevent injuries and falls.
Success Check
- What is balance?
- What is proprioception?
- Why should you include balance training in your workouts?
Core Strength and Stability
Core muscles are responsible for extending, flexing, and rotating your trunk. These consist of many layers of muscle that will determine your posture. Strengthening and conditioning these muscles reduce the chances of back pain and spinal injuries, improve performance, and result in better coordination and balance. Therefore, all exercise programs should consist of a solid foundation of core work.
Success Check
- What is the core?
- Why is a strong, conditioned core important?
Components of a weight training program
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope.
Components of a Muscular Strength and Endurance Routine
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope. This allows the blood flow that is concentrated in your core to be shunted out to the extremities, thereby supplying additional blood to the working muscles to warm them up. Then perform gentle, static preexercise stretching for the muscle groups that will be worked. If you are a more advanced exerciser, active stretching (moving joints through the full range of motion) as a warm-up may be sufficient. Note that if your weight training goal is power, stretch your muscles at the end of your routine. You should perform static stretching on all muscles after resistance training. If you perform static stretching before completing power activities such as sprinting and jumping, you may impede performance.
Next, complete the weight training exercises in your program. These exercises should start with larger muscle groups followed by smaller muscle groups, because many of the smaller muscle groups are used as stabilizer (or helping) muscles. If these smaller muscles are fatigued first, the larger muscles may not be worked sufficiently. Finally, perform postexercise stretching. You have the option of stretching each muscle group after all the reps are completed for that specific muscle group or stretching all the muscles at the end of your workout.
You can perform numerous weight training exercises and combinations depending on equipment available. Following are examples of general weight training circuits where you complete exercises for the entire body in one workout as well as a split routine for a more complex weight training program in which muscle groups of the body are split and exercised on different days. The number of days depends on your schedule as well as your personal preference.
General Weight Training Circuit
8 to 10 exercises for a total-body workout in one session
- Machine leg press (glutes, quads, hamstrings)
- Multi-hip machine (abductors and adductors)
- Machine back extension (lumbar)
- Seated cable row (lats, traps, rhomboids, rear delt, biceps)
- Machine chest press (pecs, anterior delts, triceps)
- Machine shoulder press (deltoids)
- Machine arm extension (triceps)
- Machine arm curl (biceps)
- Abdominals
Split Routine (2 Days)
Day 1: Upper Body
- Chest (machine pec fly and dumbbell chest press)
- Back (lat pull-down machine and T-bar row)
- Shoulders (dumbbell lateral raise and military barbell shoulder press)
- Biceps (preacher curl and dumbbell curl)
- Triceps (cable triceps push-down and seated triceps extension)
Day 2: Lower Body
- Glutes, quads, hamstrings (leg press machine and body-weight lunge)
- Hamstrings (hamstring curl machine)
- Quadriceps (leg extension machine)
- Abductors (side leg raise with ankle weights)
- Adductors (inner-thigh machine)
- Calves (seated calf raise and standing body-weight calf raise)
Split Routine (3 Days)*
Day 1: Chest and Back
- Chest (bench press, incline dumbbell press, pec fly machine)
- Back (lat pull-down, one-arm dumbbell bent-over row, body-weight pull-up)
Day 2: Legs and Shoulders
- Legs (sled leg press, step-up, walking lunge with dumbbells)
- Shoulders (seated dumbbell shoulder press, rear delt machine, front dumbbell shoulder raise)
Day 3: Biceps and Triceps
- Biceps (hammer curl, barbell curl, cable curl)
- Triceps (seated dip, triceps kickback, arm extension machine)
*Another combination could be chest and triceps, back and biceps, legs and shoulders. There is no wrong way to combine muscle groups.
Split Routine (4 Days)
Day 1: Chest
- (bench press, flat-bench dumbbell fly, decline dumbbell chest press)
Day 2: Legs and Biceps
- Legs (barbell squat, deadlift, seated calf raise)
- Biceps (arm curl machine, concentration curl, hammer curl)
Day 3: Back
- (T-bar row, lat pull-down, barbell bent-over row)
Day 4: Shoulders and Triceps
- Shoulders (shrug, incline reverse lateral dumbbell raise, machine shoulder press)
- Triceps (standing dumbbell overhead extension, cable push-down, body-weight dip)
Strengthen the triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors.
Triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors. In addition, the triceps works with other muscles to extend the arm at the shoulder joint, as when holding something behind the back. Following are exercises that strengthen the triceps.
Figure 5.27 Triceps Extension
Note: You can perform this exercise seated or standing.
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Preparation
- Position the feet together and keep your eyes looking forward, not down.
- Grasp a dumbbell with both hands and lift it overhead with your arms straight but not locked.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Keeping the elbows close to your ears, inhale and slowly lower the weight behind your head until your upper arms are perpendicular to the floor.
- Exhale and slowly lift the weight to the starting position.
- Keep elbows pointing upward throughout the entire movement.
Misstep
Back arches and hips rotate forward.
Correction
Stagger the feet; tighten the core and glutes.
Figure 5.28 Machine Arm Extension
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- Sit in the machine with your feet flat on the floor and back and head against the padded support.
- Place your elbows slightly below the shoulders on the padded support shoulder-width apart (adjust seat accordingly).
- Grasp the handles and make sure your elbows are aligned with the pivot point of the machine (axis).
- Pull your navel toward your spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly extend your arms until straight but not locked.
- Keep your back and head against the pad and wrists straight.
- Inhale and slowly return to the starting position.
Misstep
Elbows lift off the pad.
Correction
Push elbows down throughout the movement.
Misstep
Shoulders rise during the downward phase of the movement.
Correction
Keep the shoulders back and down throughout the movement.
Understanding food labels
You have already learned the importance of exercise, and this step will help you understand the importance of your nutrition needs and how to meet those needs. A nutrient is a substance the body needs in order to work properly.
Food Labels
The can in the grocery store says "tuna in water." However, the list of ingredients says tuna, water, soy, carrots, and celery! In 1990 the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act was passed, and the USDA and FDA were in charge of deciding what information you need to know about the food you eat. Every food and beverage product must contain the following information:
- Nutrition facts are quantities of protein, fat (saturated, unsaturated, and trans), carbohydrate (sugar and fiber), vitamins, and minerals for one serving.
- Ingredients are contents listed in descending order.
- Serving size is what constitutes one serving.
- Product name.
- Manufacturer's name and address.
- Weight, measure, or count of the product.
Finding out whether a food product is healthy for you may be more difficult if you don't understand the product's label. Many times the claims on the front of the package are deceptive because they are not monitored as closely as the nutrition label on the back and may be misleading. You will see "fat-free," "no added sugar," "natural," "lite," and "helps your immune system" on labels to entice you to purchase the food item, but it's not clear what these labels really mean. We'll take a closer look at what some of these claims mean (per serving) so you will be better informed when you are pushing that cart through the market. See figure 9.3 for a sample food label.
Fat-Free, Sugar-Free, Zero Calories
This may be one of the most misleading topics because many people think that if a food is fat free or sugar free, it's healthy. If a food item has this label, the fat and sugar must be less than 0.5 gram per serving, and calorie free must be no more than 5 calories per serving. It's important to understand that just because a food item is fat free it may be very high in sugar and calories. If it claims to be sugar free, it still may be in high in fat and calories. Look at the total calories per serving to decide whether the food is healthy for your diet plan.
Low Fat, Low Sugar, Low Calorie
This type of label on a product means it contains less than 3 grams of fat and less than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. To be considered low calorie, the food must contain fewer than 40 calories per serving. This is where the manufacturer's front label can be deceiving, because the claim will be "no trans fat" on the front, but the actual nutrition label may indicate that saturated or unsaturated fat content is high, and may legally contain up to 0.5 gram of trans fat. If you eat more than one serving of this "no-trans-fat" food, the trans fat can add up.
Natural
Not surprisingly, this label has no real definition and it can be whatever the manufacturer wants it to be! According to the FDA, as long as the product has no artificial flavors, added color, or synthetic substances, it can be called natural. Foods such as yogurt, granola bars, nondairy cheese, and honey that you thought were healthy may not be. The purple color and flavor in yogurt may not be from blueberries! And the 100 percent natural jar of honey you just bought home isn't technically honey due to so many levels of processing that removes the natural pollen. Purchase honey from a local beekeeper or at a farmer's market for truly natural honey.
What about the granola bar - the staple of many fitness fanatics for a snack or after-workout food? Many of these bars, sometimes called energy bars or protein bars, contain an ingredient made from wood pulp or cotton (called cellulose) to up the fiber content. They also contain processed sweeteners. They may not be healthy for you at all! Make sure you read not only the nutrition label but the ingredients as well.
Organic
A food labeled as organic is not the same as being 100 percent natural. If a food is labeled as organic, it must pass specific USDA guidelines, which state that animal products must not have antibiotics or growth hormones, and plants must be grown without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. You will notice that the levels of organic range from 70 to 100 percent, depending on how they were grown.
Fresh
This label means not only that the food must be unprocessed or raw, but that it has never been heated or frozen. Although this may sound like a great food source, this label doesn't mean the food was just picked. You never know how long it has been in transit to the store or how long it has been sitting on the shelf. This may increase the surface bacteria on these foods, so make sure you wash all fresh foods before preparing or eating them.
You can use a nutrition label to help you choose foods that are healthy for your body. Don't simply look at the total grams of carbohydrate in foods; rather, choose those that are high in fiber and low in sugar. See what type of fat (unsaturated, saturated, or trans fat) is in the food.
Look at the list of ingredients to see if sugar or fat is one of the first four ingredients listed. If so, this food probably is not the best choice. Also look for sugar alcohols, which are actually neither sugar nor alcohol but a chemical structure that sweetens food and can cause intestinal problems. Sugar alcohols usually end in - ol, such as sorbitol and mannitol.
How to read a food label.
Success Check
- Name three ways food labels can help you choose a healthy food product.
- What type of fat should you avoid when purchasing a food product?
Proper push-up form
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise.
Most Common Exercises
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise. Common exercises of the core include the crunch and back extension.
Chest
The pectoralis muscles fan over the chest area. Although the main purpose of the chest muscles is to push, they are also responsible for moving the shoulder joint and flexing and rotating the arm above the elbow. You use your chest to push a lawn mower, lift a child, arm-wrestle, and clap your hands. One of the best exercises for the chest is the push-up demonstrated in figures 5.1 and 5.2. You can perform this exercise anywhere. You can start in a modified position on your knees or in a regular push-up position on your toes.
Figures 5.1 and 5.2 Push-Up
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Proper push-up form.
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Modified proper push-up form.
Preparation
- Lie facedown on the floor with your weight either on your knees (modified position) or on your toes.
- Place your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Your elbows should be pointed toward your toes.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly push up until your arms reach full range but not the locked position.
- Your weight should be supported on your hands and knees (modified position) or toes.
- Your spine should be in neutral alignment with your head and neck; look at the floor.
- Inhale and lower within 4 inches of the floor, keeping your elbows close to your sides, then push back up.
Note: Varying your hand position will affect the workout. Wider hands engage more chest muscle and closer hands engage more triceps.
Misstep.
Lower back sags.
Correction
Tighten your abdominal and glute muscles.
Misstep
Head drops down.
Correction
Lift your head until the back of the head is in line with the shoulders.
Five areas of physical fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What’s the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat?
Components of Fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What's the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat? In comparison, weightlifters may have nice physiques but not be able to run a mile; runners may complete a mile in record time but not be able to complete a push-up.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Cardiorespiratory fitness is how efficiently your heart and lungs are able to deliver oxygen to the working muscle, which means it has a direct impact on both strength and endurance. The heart is a muscle and must be worked to be strong and efficient just as other muscles of the body. Not only is cardio the base for all activity, but keeping your heart in good condition also helps prevent many health problems. Following are more benefits from having a healthy heart:
- Adds years to your life
- Increases the HDL (good) cholesterol in the body
- Decreases the LDL (bad) cholesterol in the body
- Lowers blood pressure
- Lowers resting pulse so your heart doesn't have to work as hard
- Helps you lose or maintain weight
- Helps prevent heart disease and stroke
- Lowers your risk for developing diabetes
- Reduces stress levels
- Boosts your immune system
- Increases energy
- Improves sleep
Success Check
- What is cardiorespiratory fitness?
- Name five benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness.
Resistance Training
Resistance training involves challenging your muscles to work against an external force in order to improve endurance, increase muscle mass, and improve strength. It is imperative to include resistance training in your workout plan because strong muscles make strong tendons, which make strong and dense bones. This in turn reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
After age 20, adults lose five to seven pounds of muscle every decade. Resistance training will help stop this loss of muscle and rebuild the muscle at any age! Muscle is active tissue, so you must use it or you will lose it. Having strong, toned muscles improves your ability to perform everyday activities, including getting in and out of the bathtub and carrying grocery bags. There are many other benefits of resistance training:
- Helps control weight (increases calorie burn)
- Improves balance and decreases risk of injury
- Reduces low back pain
- Boosts stamina
- Reduces blood pressure
- Increases metabolism
- Maintains or increases joint flexibility
- Helps reduce pain from arthritis
- Improves insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism
- Reduces depression
- Improves brain function
- Enhances appearance
Success Check
- What is resistance training?
- Why is it important to include resistance training in your workout?
Flexibility
Flexibility is the range of motion around a joint. It is the cornerstone of your workout program because your muscles move only as far as your flexibility allows. Tight joints restrict range of motion, causing you to compensate the movement by using other muscles. This can cause muscle imbalances that affect posture, performance, and movement efficiency. Loss of flexibility can also lead to lost independence; for example, you can no longer bend to clip your toenails or reach the high shelf in your kitchen.
Incorporating flexibility into your workout (at any age) can improve posture and make movement more efficient. It also aids in these areas:
- Reduces back pain
- Improves digestion
- Enhances performance
- Decreases the risk of injury
- Improves muscular coordination
- Enhances circulation
Success Check
- What is flexibility?
- Why is it important?
Balance
Balance is the ability to control your body's position in space. It involves proprioception, which is how your body takes the information it receives from the environment (such as getting up from a chair) and sends this information to the brain. This information tells the muscles what to do so they can adapt to the change and you keep your balance. When this system gets overloaded, you lose your balance. Whether you are standing still (static balance) or moving (dynamic balance), your body continually makes adjustments to keep you from falling. Although you may think that having good balance is important only for gymnasts or figure skaters, regular balance training improves posture and coordination, enhances movement and performance, and helps prevent injuries and falls.
Success Check
- What is balance?
- What is proprioception?
- Why should you include balance training in your workouts?
Core Strength and Stability
Core muscles are responsible for extending, flexing, and rotating your trunk. These consist of many layers of muscle that will determine your posture. Strengthening and conditioning these muscles reduce the chances of back pain and spinal injuries, improve performance, and result in better coordination and balance. Therefore, all exercise programs should consist of a solid foundation of core work.
Success Check
- What is the core?
- Why is a strong, conditioned core important?
Components of a weight training program
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope.
Components of a Muscular Strength and Endurance Routine
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope. This allows the blood flow that is concentrated in your core to be shunted out to the extremities, thereby supplying additional blood to the working muscles to warm them up. Then perform gentle, static preexercise stretching for the muscle groups that will be worked. If you are a more advanced exerciser, active stretching (moving joints through the full range of motion) as a warm-up may be sufficient. Note that if your weight training goal is power, stretch your muscles at the end of your routine. You should perform static stretching on all muscles after resistance training. If you perform static stretching before completing power activities such as sprinting and jumping, you may impede performance.
Next, complete the weight training exercises in your program. These exercises should start with larger muscle groups followed by smaller muscle groups, because many of the smaller muscle groups are used as stabilizer (or helping) muscles. If these smaller muscles are fatigued first, the larger muscles may not be worked sufficiently. Finally, perform postexercise stretching. You have the option of stretching each muscle group after all the reps are completed for that specific muscle group or stretching all the muscles at the end of your workout.
You can perform numerous weight training exercises and combinations depending on equipment available. Following are examples of general weight training circuits where you complete exercises for the entire body in one workout as well as a split routine for a more complex weight training program in which muscle groups of the body are split and exercised on different days. The number of days depends on your schedule as well as your personal preference.
General Weight Training Circuit
8 to 10 exercises for a total-body workout in one session
- Machine leg press (glutes, quads, hamstrings)
- Multi-hip machine (abductors and adductors)
- Machine back extension (lumbar)
- Seated cable row (lats, traps, rhomboids, rear delt, biceps)
- Machine chest press (pecs, anterior delts, triceps)
- Machine shoulder press (deltoids)
- Machine arm extension (triceps)
- Machine arm curl (biceps)
- Abdominals
Split Routine (2 Days)
Day 1: Upper Body
- Chest (machine pec fly and dumbbell chest press)
- Back (lat pull-down machine and T-bar row)
- Shoulders (dumbbell lateral raise and military barbell shoulder press)
- Biceps (preacher curl and dumbbell curl)
- Triceps (cable triceps push-down and seated triceps extension)
Day 2: Lower Body
- Glutes, quads, hamstrings (leg press machine and body-weight lunge)
- Hamstrings (hamstring curl machine)
- Quadriceps (leg extension machine)
- Abductors (side leg raise with ankle weights)
- Adductors (inner-thigh machine)
- Calves (seated calf raise and standing body-weight calf raise)
Split Routine (3 Days)*
Day 1: Chest and Back
- Chest (bench press, incline dumbbell press, pec fly machine)
- Back (lat pull-down, one-arm dumbbell bent-over row, body-weight pull-up)
Day 2: Legs and Shoulders
- Legs (sled leg press, step-up, walking lunge with dumbbells)
- Shoulders (seated dumbbell shoulder press, rear delt machine, front dumbbell shoulder raise)
Day 3: Biceps and Triceps
- Biceps (hammer curl, barbell curl, cable curl)
- Triceps (seated dip, triceps kickback, arm extension machine)
*Another combination could be chest and triceps, back and biceps, legs and shoulders. There is no wrong way to combine muscle groups.
Split Routine (4 Days)
Day 1: Chest
- (bench press, flat-bench dumbbell fly, decline dumbbell chest press)
Day 2: Legs and Biceps
- Legs (barbell squat, deadlift, seated calf raise)
- Biceps (arm curl machine, concentration curl, hammer curl)
Day 3: Back
- (T-bar row, lat pull-down, barbell bent-over row)
Day 4: Shoulders and Triceps
- Shoulders (shrug, incline reverse lateral dumbbell raise, machine shoulder press)
- Triceps (standing dumbbell overhead extension, cable push-down, body-weight dip)
Strengthen the triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors.
Triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors. In addition, the triceps works with other muscles to extend the arm at the shoulder joint, as when holding something behind the back. Following are exercises that strengthen the triceps.
Figure 5.27 Triceps Extension
Note: You can perform this exercise seated or standing.
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Preparation
- Position the feet together and keep your eyes looking forward, not down.
- Grasp a dumbbell with both hands and lift it overhead with your arms straight but not locked.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Keeping the elbows close to your ears, inhale and slowly lower the weight behind your head until your upper arms are perpendicular to the floor.
- Exhale and slowly lift the weight to the starting position.
- Keep elbows pointing upward throughout the entire movement.
Misstep
Back arches and hips rotate forward.
Correction
Stagger the feet; tighten the core and glutes.
Figure 5.28 Machine Arm Extension
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- Sit in the machine with your feet flat on the floor and back and head against the padded support.
- Place your elbows slightly below the shoulders on the padded support shoulder-width apart (adjust seat accordingly).
- Grasp the handles and make sure your elbows are aligned with the pivot point of the machine (axis).
- Pull your navel toward your spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly extend your arms until straight but not locked.
- Keep your back and head against the pad and wrists straight.
- Inhale and slowly return to the starting position.
Misstep
Elbows lift off the pad.
Correction
Push elbows down throughout the movement.
Misstep
Shoulders rise during the downward phase of the movement.
Correction
Keep the shoulders back and down throughout the movement.
Understanding food labels
You have already learned the importance of exercise, and this step will help you understand the importance of your nutrition needs and how to meet those needs. A nutrient is a substance the body needs in order to work properly.
Food Labels
The can in the grocery store says "tuna in water." However, the list of ingredients says tuna, water, soy, carrots, and celery! In 1990 the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act was passed, and the USDA and FDA were in charge of deciding what information you need to know about the food you eat. Every food and beverage product must contain the following information:
- Nutrition facts are quantities of protein, fat (saturated, unsaturated, and trans), carbohydrate (sugar and fiber), vitamins, and minerals for one serving.
- Ingredients are contents listed in descending order.
- Serving size is what constitutes one serving.
- Product name.
- Manufacturer's name and address.
- Weight, measure, or count of the product.
Finding out whether a food product is healthy for you may be more difficult if you don't understand the product's label. Many times the claims on the front of the package are deceptive because they are not monitored as closely as the nutrition label on the back and may be misleading. You will see "fat-free," "no added sugar," "natural," "lite," and "helps your immune system" on labels to entice you to purchase the food item, but it's not clear what these labels really mean. We'll take a closer look at what some of these claims mean (per serving) so you will be better informed when you are pushing that cart through the market. See figure 9.3 for a sample food label.
Fat-Free, Sugar-Free, Zero Calories
This may be one of the most misleading topics because many people think that if a food is fat free or sugar free, it's healthy. If a food item has this label, the fat and sugar must be less than 0.5 gram per serving, and calorie free must be no more than 5 calories per serving. It's important to understand that just because a food item is fat free it may be very high in sugar and calories. If it claims to be sugar free, it still may be in high in fat and calories. Look at the total calories per serving to decide whether the food is healthy for your diet plan.
Low Fat, Low Sugar, Low Calorie
This type of label on a product means it contains less than 3 grams of fat and less than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. To be considered low calorie, the food must contain fewer than 40 calories per serving. This is where the manufacturer's front label can be deceiving, because the claim will be "no trans fat" on the front, but the actual nutrition label may indicate that saturated or unsaturated fat content is high, and may legally contain up to 0.5 gram of trans fat. If you eat more than one serving of this "no-trans-fat" food, the trans fat can add up.
Natural
Not surprisingly, this label has no real definition and it can be whatever the manufacturer wants it to be! According to the FDA, as long as the product has no artificial flavors, added color, or synthetic substances, it can be called natural. Foods such as yogurt, granola bars, nondairy cheese, and honey that you thought were healthy may not be. The purple color and flavor in yogurt may not be from blueberries! And the 100 percent natural jar of honey you just bought home isn't technically honey due to so many levels of processing that removes the natural pollen. Purchase honey from a local beekeeper or at a farmer's market for truly natural honey.
What about the granola bar - the staple of many fitness fanatics for a snack or after-workout food? Many of these bars, sometimes called energy bars or protein bars, contain an ingredient made from wood pulp or cotton (called cellulose) to up the fiber content. They also contain processed sweeteners. They may not be healthy for you at all! Make sure you read not only the nutrition label but the ingredients as well.
Organic
A food labeled as organic is not the same as being 100 percent natural. If a food is labeled as organic, it must pass specific USDA guidelines, which state that animal products must not have antibiotics or growth hormones, and plants must be grown without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. You will notice that the levels of organic range from 70 to 100 percent, depending on how they were grown.
Fresh
This label means not only that the food must be unprocessed or raw, but that it has never been heated or frozen. Although this may sound like a great food source, this label doesn't mean the food was just picked. You never know how long it has been in transit to the store or how long it has been sitting on the shelf. This may increase the surface bacteria on these foods, so make sure you wash all fresh foods before preparing or eating them.
You can use a nutrition label to help you choose foods that are healthy for your body. Don't simply look at the total grams of carbohydrate in foods; rather, choose those that are high in fiber and low in sugar. See what type of fat (unsaturated, saturated, or trans fat) is in the food.
Look at the list of ingredients to see if sugar or fat is one of the first four ingredients listed. If so, this food probably is not the best choice. Also look for sugar alcohols, which are actually neither sugar nor alcohol but a chemical structure that sweetens food and can cause intestinal problems. Sugar alcohols usually end in - ol, such as sorbitol and mannitol.
How to read a food label.
Success Check
- Name three ways food labels can help you choose a healthy food product.
- What type of fat should you avoid when purchasing a food product?
Proper push-up form
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise.
Most Common Exercises
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise. Common exercises of the core include the crunch and back extension.
Chest
The pectoralis muscles fan over the chest area. Although the main purpose of the chest muscles is to push, they are also responsible for moving the shoulder joint and flexing and rotating the arm above the elbow. You use your chest to push a lawn mower, lift a child, arm-wrestle, and clap your hands. One of the best exercises for the chest is the push-up demonstrated in figures 5.1 and 5.2. You can perform this exercise anywhere. You can start in a modified position on your knees or in a regular push-up position on your toes.
Figures 5.1 and 5.2 Push-Up
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Proper push-up form.
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Modified proper push-up form.
Preparation
- Lie facedown on the floor with your weight either on your knees (modified position) or on your toes.
- Place your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Your elbows should be pointed toward your toes.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly push up until your arms reach full range but not the locked position.
- Your weight should be supported on your hands and knees (modified position) or toes.
- Your spine should be in neutral alignment with your head and neck; look at the floor.
- Inhale and lower within 4 inches of the floor, keeping your elbows close to your sides, then push back up.
Note: Varying your hand position will affect the workout. Wider hands engage more chest muscle and closer hands engage more triceps.
Misstep.
Lower back sags.
Correction
Tighten your abdominal and glute muscles.
Misstep
Head drops down.
Correction
Lift your head until the back of the head is in line with the shoulders.
Five areas of physical fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What’s the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat?
Components of Fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What's the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat? In comparison, weightlifters may have nice physiques but not be able to run a mile; runners may complete a mile in record time but not be able to complete a push-up.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Cardiorespiratory fitness is how efficiently your heart and lungs are able to deliver oxygen to the working muscle, which means it has a direct impact on both strength and endurance. The heart is a muscle and must be worked to be strong and efficient just as other muscles of the body. Not only is cardio the base for all activity, but keeping your heart in good condition also helps prevent many health problems. Following are more benefits from having a healthy heart:
- Adds years to your life
- Increases the HDL (good) cholesterol in the body
- Decreases the LDL (bad) cholesterol in the body
- Lowers blood pressure
- Lowers resting pulse so your heart doesn't have to work as hard
- Helps you lose or maintain weight
- Helps prevent heart disease and stroke
- Lowers your risk for developing diabetes
- Reduces stress levels
- Boosts your immune system
- Increases energy
- Improves sleep
Success Check
- What is cardiorespiratory fitness?
- Name five benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness.
Resistance Training
Resistance training involves challenging your muscles to work against an external force in order to improve endurance, increase muscle mass, and improve strength. It is imperative to include resistance training in your workout plan because strong muscles make strong tendons, which make strong and dense bones. This in turn reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
After age 20, adults lose five to seven pounds of muscle every decade. Resistance training will help stop this loss of muscle and rebuild the muscle at any age! Muscle is active tissue, so you must use it or you will lose it. Having strong, toned muscles improves your ability to perform everyday activities, including getting in and out of the bathtub and carrying grocery bags. There are many other benefits of resistance training:
- Helps control weight (increases calorie burn)
- Improves balance and decreases risk of injury
- Reduces low back pain
- Boosts stamina
- Reduces blood pressure
- Increases metabolism
- Maintains or increases joint flexibility
- Helps reduce pain from arthritis
- Improves insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism
- Reduces depression
- Improves brain function
- Enhances appearance
Success Check
- What is resistance training?
- Why is it important to include resistance training in your workout?
Flexibility
Flexibility is the range of motion around a joint. It is the cornerstone of your workout program because your muscles move only as far as your flexibility allows. Tight joints restrict range of motion, causing you to compensate the movement by using other muscles. This can cause muscle imbalances that affect posture, performance, and movement efficiency. Loss of flexibility can also lead to lost independence; for example, you can no longer bend to clip your toenails or reach the high shelf in your kitchen.
Incorporating flexibility into your workout (at any age) can improve posture and make movement more efficient. It also aids in these areas:
- Reduces back pain
- Improves digestion
- Enhances performance
- Decreases the risk of injury
- Improves muscular coordination
- Enhances circulation
Success Check
- What is flexibility?
- Why is it important?
Balance
Balance is the ability to control your body's position in space. It involves proprioception, which is how your body takes the information it receives from the environment (such as getting up from a chair) and sends this information to the brain. This information tells the muscles what to do so they can adapt to the change and you keep your balance. When this system gets overloaded, you lose your balance. Whether you are standing still (static balance) or moving (dynamic balance), your body continually makes adjustments to keep you from falling. Although you may think that having good balance is important only for gymnasts or figure skaters, regular balance training improves posture and coordination, enhances movement and performance, and helps prevent injuries and falls.
Success Check
- What is balance?
- What is proprioception?
- Why should you include balance training in your workouts?
Core Strength and Stability
Core muscles are responsible for extending, flexing, and rotating your trunk. These consist of many layers of muscle that will determine your posture. Strengthening and conditioning these muscles reduce the chances of back pain and spinal injuries, improve performance, and result in better coordination and balance. Therefore, all exercise programs should consist of a solid foundation of core work.
Success Check
- What is the core?
- Why is a strong, conditioned core important?
Components of a weight training program
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope.
Components of a Muscular Strength and Endurance Routine
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope. This allows the blood flow that is concentrated in your core to be shunted out to the extremities, thereby supplying additional blood to the working muscles to warm them up. Then perform gentle, static preexercise stretching for the muscle groups that will be worked. If you are a more advanced exerciser, active stretching (moving joints through the full range of motion) as a warm-up may be sufficient. Note that if your weight training goal is power, stretch your muscles at the end of your routine. You should perform static stretching on all muscles after resistance training. If you perform static stretching before completing power activities such as sprinting and jumping, you may impede performance.
Next, complete the weight training exercises in your program. These exercises should start with larger muscle groups followed by smaller muscle groups, because many of the smaller muscle groups are used as stabilizer (or helping) muscles. If these smaller muscles are fatigued first, the larger muscles may not be worked sufficiently. Finally, perform postexercise stretching. You have the option of stretching each muscle group after all the reps are completed for that specific muscle group or stretching all the muscles at the end of your workout.
You can perform numerous weight training exercises and combinations depending on equipment available. Following are examples of general weight training circuits where you complete exercises for the entire body in one workout as well as a split routine for a more complex weight training program in which muscle groups of the body are split and exercised on different days. The number of days depends on your schedule as well as your personal preference.
General Weight Training Circuit
8 to 10 exercises for a total-body workout in one session
- Machine leg press (glutes, quads, hamstrings)
- Multi-hip machine (abductors and adductors)
- Machine back extension (lumbar)
- Seated cable row (lats, traps, rhomboids, rear delt, biceps)
- Machine chest press (pecs, anterior delts, triceps)
- Machine shoulder press (deltoids)
- Machine arm extension (triceps)
- Machine arm curl (biceps)
- Abdominals
Split Routine (2 Days)
Day 1: Upper Body
- Chest (machine pec fly and dumbbell chest press)
- Back (lat pull-down machine and T-bar row)
- Shoulders (dumbbell lateral raise and military barbell shoulder press)
- Biceps (preacher curl and dumbbell curl)
- Triceps (cable triceps push-down and seated triceps extension)
Day 2: Lower Body
- Glutes, quads, hamstrings (leg press machine and body-weight lunge)
- Hamstrings (hamstring curl machine)
- Quadriceps (leg extension machine)
- Abductors (side leg raise with ankle weights)
- Adductors (inner-thigh machine)
- Calves (seated calf raise and standing body-weight calf raise)
Split Routine (3 Days)*
Day 1: Chest and Back
- Chest (bench press, incline dumbbell press, pec fly machine)
- Back (lat pull-down, one-arm dumbbell bent-over row, body-weight pull-up)
Day 2: Legs and Shoulders
- Legs (sled leg press, step-up, walking lunge with dumbbells)
- Shoulders (seated dumbbell shoulder press, rear delt machine, front dumbbell shoulder raise)
Day 3: Biceps and Triceps
- Biceps (hammer curl, barbell curl, cable curl)
- Triceps (seated dip, triceps kickback, arm extension machine)
*Another combination could be chest and triceps, back and biceps, legs and shoulders. There is no wrong way to combine muscle groups.
Split Routine (4 Days)
Day 1: Chest
- (bench press, flat-bench dumbbell fly, decline dumbbell chest press)
Day 2: Legs and Biceps
- Legs (barbell squat, deadlift, seated calf raise)
- Biceps (arm curl machine, concentration curl, hammer curl)
Day 3: Back
- (T-bar row, lat pull-down, barbell bent-over row)
Day 4: Shoulders and Triceps
- Shoulders (shrug, incline reverse lateral dumbbell raise, machine shoulder press)
- Triceps (standing dumbbell overhead extension, cable push-down, body-weight dip)
Strengthen the triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors.
Triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors. In addition, the triceps works with other muscles to extend the arm at the shoulder joint, as when holding something behind the back. Following are exercises that strengthen the triceps.
Figure 5.27 Triceps Extension
Note: You can perform this exercise seated or standing.
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Preparation
- Position the feet together and keep your eyes looking forward, not down.
- Grasp a dumbbell with both hands and lift it overhead with your arms straight but not locked.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Keeping the elbows close to your ears, inhale and slowly lower the weight behind your head until your upper arms are perpendicular to the floor.
- Exhale and slowly lift the weight to the starting position.
- Keep elbows pointing upward throughout the entire movement.
Misstep
Back arches and hips rotate forward.
Correction
Stagger the feet; tighten the core and glutes.
Figure 5.28 Machine Arm Extension
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- Sit in the machine with your feet flat on the floor and back and head against the padded support.
- Place your elbows slightly below the shoulders on the padded support shoulder-width apart (adjust seat accordingly).
- Grasp the handles and make sure your elbows are aligned with the pivot point of the machine (axis).
- Pull your navel toward your spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly extend your arms until straight but not locked.
- Keep your back and head against the pad and wrists straight.
- Inhale and slowly return to the starting position.
Misstep
Elbows lift off the pad.
Correction
Push elbows down throughout the movement.
Misstep
Shoulders rise during the downward phase of the movement.
Correction
Keep the shoulders back and down throughout the movement.
Understanding food labels
You have already learned the importance of exercise, and this step will help you understand the importance of your nutrition needs and how to meet those needs. A nutrient is a substance the body needs in order to work properly.
Food Labels
The can in the grocery store says "tuna in water." However, the list of ingredients says tuna, water, soy, carrots, and celery! In 1990 the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act was passed, and the USDA and FDA were in charge of deciding what information you need to know about the food you eat. Every food and beverage product must contain the following information:
- Nutrition facts are quantities of protein, fat (saturated, unsaturated, and trans), carbohydrate (sugar and fiber), vitamins, and minerals for one serving.
- Ingredients are contents listed in descending order.
- Serving size is what constitutes one serving.
- Product name.
- Manufacturer's name and address.
- Weight, measure, or count of the product.
Finding out whether a food product is healthy for you may be more difficult if you don't understand the product's label. Many times the claims on the front of the package are deceptive because they are not monitored as closely as the nutrition label on the back and may be misleading. You will see "fat-free," "no added sugar," "natural," "lite," and "helps your immune system" on labels to entice you to purchase the food item, but it's not clear what these labels really mean. We'll take a closer look at what some of these claims mean (per serving) so you will be better informed when you are pushing that cart through the market. See figure 9.3 for a sample food label.
Fat-Free, Sugar-Free, Zero Calories
This may be one of the most misleading topics because many people think that if a food is fat free or sugar free, it's healthy. If a food item has this label, the fat and sugar must be less than 0.5 gram per serving, and calorie free must be no more than 5 calories per serving. It's important to understand that just because a food item is fat free it may be very high in sugar and calories. If it claims to be sugar free, it still may be in high in fat and calories. Look at the total calories per serving to decide whether the food is healthy for your diet plan.
Low Fat, Low Sugar, Low Calorie
This type of label on a product means it contains less than 3 grams of fat and less than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. To be considered low calorie, the food must contain fewer than 40 calories per serving. This is where the manufacturer's front label can be deceiving, because the claim will be "no trans fat" on the front, but the actual nutrition label may indicate that saturated or unsaturated fat content is high, and may legally contain up to 0.5 gram of trans fat. If you eat more than one serving of this "no-trans-fat" food, the trans fat can add up.
Natural
Not surprisingly, this label has no real definition and it can be whatever the manufacturer wants it to be! According to the FDA, as long as the product has no artificial flavors, added color, or synthetic substances, it can be called natural. Foods such as yogurt, granola bars, nondairy cheese, and honey that you thought were healthy may not be. The purple color and flavor in yogurt may not be from blueberries! And the 100 percent natural jar of honey you just bought home isn't technically honey due to so many levels of processing that removes the natural pollen. Purchase honey from a local beekeeper or at a farmer's market for truly natural honey.
What about the granola bar - the staple of many fitness fanatics for a snack or after-workout food? Many of these bars, sometimes called energy bars or protein bars, contain an ingredient made from wood pulp or cotton (called cellulose) to up the fiber content. They also contain processed sweeteners. They may not be healthy for you at all! Make sure you read not only the nutrition label but the ingredients as well.
Organic
A food labeled as organic is not the same as being 100 percent natural. If a food is labeled as organic, it must pass specific USDA guidelines, which state that animal products must not have antibiotics or growth hormones, and plants must be grown without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. You will notice that the levels of organic range from 70 to 100 percent, depending on how they were grown.
Fresh
This label means not only that the food must be unprocessed or raw, but that it has never been heated or frozen. Although this may sound like a great food source, this label doesn't mean the food was just picked. You never know how long it has been in transit to the store or how long it has been sitting on the shelf. This may increase the surface bacteria on these foods, so make sure you wash all fresh foods before preparing or eating them.
You can use a nutrition label to help you choose foods that are healthy for your body. Don't simply look at the total grams of carbohydrate in foods; rather, choose those that are high in fiber and low in sugar. See what type of fat (unsaturated, saturated, or trans fat) is in the food.
Look at the list of ingredients to see if sugar or fat is one of the first four ingredients listed. If so, this food probably is not the best choice. Also look for sugar alcohols, which are actually neither sugar nor alcohol but a chemical structure that sweetens food and can cause intestinal problems. Sugar alcohols usually end in - ol, such as sorbitol and mannitol.
How to read a food label.
Success Check
- Name three ways food labels can help you choose a healthy food product.
- What type of fat should you avoid when purchasing a food product?
Proper push-up form
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise.
Most Common Exercises
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise. Common exercises of the core include the crunch and back extension.
Chest
The pectoralis muscles fan over the chest area. Although the main purpose of the chest muscles is to push, they are also responsible for moving the shoulder joint and flexing and rotating the arm above the elbow. You use your chest to push a lawn mower, lift a child, arm-wrestle, and clap your hands. One of the best exercises for the chest is the push-up demonstrated in figures 5.1 and 5.2. You can perform this exercise anywhere. You can start in a modified position on your knees or in a regular push-up position on your toes.
Figures 5.1 and 5.2 Push-Up
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Proper push-up form.
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Modified proper push-up form.
Preparation
- Lie facedown on the floor with your weight either on your knees (modified position) or on your toes.
- Place your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Your elbows should be pointed toward your toes.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly push up until your arms reach full range but not the locked position.
- Your weight should be supported on your hands and knees (modified position) or toes.
- Your spine should be in neutral alignment with your head and neck; look at the floor.
- Inhale and lower within 4 inches of the floor, keeping your elbows close to your sides, then push back up.
Note: Varying your hand position will affect the workout. Wider hands engage more chest muscle and closer hands engage more triceps.
Misstep.
Lower back sags.
Correction
Tighten your abdominal and glute muscles.
Misstep
Head drops down.
Correction
Lift your head until the back of the head is in line with the shoulders.
Five areas of physical fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What’s the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat?
Components of Fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What's the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat? In comparison, weightlifters may have nice physiques but not be able to run a mile; runners may complete a mile in record time but not be able to complete a push-up.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Cardiorespiratory fitness is how efficiently your heart and lungs are able to deliver oxygen to the working muscle, which means it has a direct impact on both strength and endurance. The heart is a muscle and must be worked to be strong and efficient just as other muscles of the body. Not only is cardio the base for all activity, but keeping your heart in good condition also helps prevent many health problems. Following are more benefits from having a healthy heart:
- Adds years to your life
- Increases the HDL (good) cholesterol in the body
- Decreases the LDL (bad) cholesterol in the body
- Lowers blood pressure
- Lowers resting pulse so your heart doesn't have to work as hard
- Helps you lose or maintain weight
- Helps prevent heart disease and stroke
- Lowers your risk for developing diabetes
- Reduces stress levels
- Boosts your immune system
- Increases energy
- Improves sleep
Success Check
- What is cardiorespiratory fitness?
- Name five benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness.
Resistance Training
Resistance training involves challenging your muscles to work against an external force in order to improve endurance, increase muscle mass, and improve strength. It is imperative to include resistance training in your workout plan because strong muscles make strong tendons, which make strong and dense bones. This in turn reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
After age 20, adults lose five to seven pounds of muscle every decade. Resistance training will help stop this loss of muscle and rebuild the muscle at any age! Muscle is active tissue, so you must use it or you will lose it. Having strong, toned muscles improves your ability to perform everyday activities, including getting in and out of the bathtub and carrying grocery bags. There are many other benefits of resistance training:
- Helps control weight (increases calorie burn)
- Improves balance and decreases risk of injury
- Reduces low back pain
- Boosts stamina
- Reduces blood pressure
- Increases metabolism
- Maintains or increases joint flexibility
- Helps reduce pain from arthritis
- Improves insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism
- Reduces depression
- Improves brain function
- Enhances appearance
Success Check
- What is resistance training?
- Why is it important to include resistance training in your workout?
Flexibility
Flexibility is the range of motion around a joint. It is the cornerstone of your workout program because your muscles move only as far as your flexibility allows. Tight joints restrict range of motion, causing you to compensate the movement by using other muscles. This can cause muscle imbalances that affect posture, performance, and movement efficiency. Loss of flexibility can also lead to lost independence; for example, you can no longer bend to clip your toenails or reach the high shelf in your kitchen.
Incorporating flexibility into your workout (at any age) can improve posture and make movement more efficient. It also aids in these areas:
- Reduces back pain
- Improves digestion
- Enhances performance
- Decreases the risk of injury
- Improves muscular coordination
- Enhances circulation
Success Check
- What is flexibility?
- Why is it important?
Balance
Balance is the ability to control your body's position in space. It involves proprioception, which is how your body takes the information it receives from the environment (such as getting up from a chair) and sends this information to the brain. This information tells the muscles what to do so they can adapt to the change and you keep your balance. When this system gets overloaded, you lose your balance. Whether you are standing still (static balance) or moving (dynamic balance), your body continually makes adjustments to keep you from falling. Although you may think that having good balance is important only for gymnasts or figure skaters, regular balance training improves posture and coordination, enhances movement and performance, and helps prevent injuries and falls.
Success Check
- What is balance?
- What is proprioception?
- Why should you include balance training in your workouts?
Core Strength and Stability
Core muscles are responsible for extending, flexing, and rotating your trunk. These consist of many layers of muscle that will determine your posture. Strengthening and conditioning these muscles reduce the chances of back pain and spinal injuries, improve performance, and result in better coordination and balance. Therefore, all exercise programs should consist of a solid foundation of core work.
Success Check
- What is the core?
- Why is a strong, conditioned core important?
Components of a weight training program
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope.
Components of a Muscular Strength and Endurance Routine
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope. This allows the blood flow that is concentrated in your core to be shunted out to the extremities, thereby supplying additional blood to the working muscles to warm them up. Then perform gentle, static preexercise stretching for the muscle groups that will be worked. If you are a more advanced exerciser, active stretching (moving joints through the full range of motion) as a warm-up may be sufficient. Note that if your weight training goal is power, stretch your muscles at the end of your routine. You should perform static stretching on all muscles after resistance training. If you perform static stretching before completing power activities such as sprinting and jumping, you may impede performance.
Next, complete the weight training exercises in your program. These exercises should start with larger muscle groups followed by smaller muscle groups, because many of the smaller muscle groups are used as stabilizer (or helping) muscles. If these smaller muscles are fatigued first, the larger muscles may not be worked sufficiently. Finally, perform postexercise stretching. You have the option of stretching each muscle group after all the reps are completed for that specific muscle group or stretching all the muscles at the end of your workout.
You can perform numerous weight training exercises and combinations depending on equipment available. Following are examples of general weight training circuits where you complete exercises for the entire body in one workout as well as a split routine for a more complex weight training program in which muscle groups of the body are split and exercised on different days. The number of days depends on your schedule as well as your personal preference.
General Weight Training Circuit
8 to 10 exercises for a total-body workout in one session
- Machine leg press (glutes, quads, hamstrings)
- Multi-hip machine (abductors and adductors)
- Machine back extension (lumbar)
- Seated cable row (lats, traps, rhomboids, rear delt, biceps)
- Machine chest press (pecs, anterior delts, triceps)
- Machine shoulder press (deltoids)
- Machine arm extension (triceps)
- Machine arm curl (biceps)
- Abdominals
Split Routine (2 Days)
Day 1: Upper Body
- Chest (machine pec fly and dumbbell chest press)
- Back (lat pull-down machine and T-bar row)
- Shoulders (dumbbell lateral raise and military barbell shoulder press)
- Biceps (preacher curl and dumbbell curl)
- Triceps (cable triceps push-down and seated triceps extension)
Day 2: Lower Body
- Glutes, quads, hamstrings (leg press machine and body-weight lunge)
- Hamstrings (hamstring curl machine)
- Quadriceps (leg extension machine)
- Abductors (side leg raise with ankle weights)
- Adductors (inner-thigh machine)
- Calves (seated calf raise and standing body-weight calf raise)
Split Routine (3 Days)*
Day 1: Chest and Back
- Chest (bench press, incline dumbbell press, pec fly machine)
- Back (lat pull-down, one-arm dumbbell bent-over row, body-weight pull-up)
Day 2: Legs and Shoulders
- Legs (sled leg press, step-up, walking lunge with dumbbells)
- Shoulders (seated dumbbell shoulder press, rear delt machine, front dumbbell shoulder raise)
Day 3: Biceps and Triceps
- Biceps (hammer curl, barbell curl, cable curl)
- Triceps (seated dip, triceps kickback, arm extension machine)
*Another combination could be chest and triceps, back and biceps, legs and shoulders. There is no wrong way to combine muscle groups.
Split Routine (4 Days)
Day 1: Chest
- (bench press, flat-bench dumbbell fly, decline dumbbell chest press)
Day 2: Legs and Biceps
- Legs (barbell squat, deadlift, seated calf raise)
- Biceps (arm curl machine, concentration curl, hammer curl)
Day 3: Back
- (T-bar row, lat pull-down, barbell bent-over row)
Day 4: Shoulders and Triceps
- Shoulders (shrug, incline reverse lateral dumbbell raise, machine shoulder press)
- Triceps (standing dumbbell overhead extension, cable push-down, body-weight dip)
Strengthen the triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors.
Triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors. In addition, the triceps works with other muscles to extend the arm at the shoulder joint, as when holding something behind the back. Following are exercises that strengthen the triceps.
Figure 5.27 Triceps Extension
Note: You can perform this exercise seated or standing.
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Preparation
- Position the feet together and keep your eyes looking forward, not down.
- Grasp a dumbbell with both hands and lift it overhead with your arms straight but not locked.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Keeping the elbows close to your ears, inhale and slowly lower the weight behind your head until your upper arms are perpendicular to the floor.
- Exhale and slowly lift the weight to the starting position.
- Keep elbows pointing upward throughout the entire movement.
Misstep
Back arches and hips rotate forward.
Correction
Stagger the feet; tighten the core and glutes.
Figure 5.28 Machine Arm Extension
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- Sit in the machine with your feet flat on the floor and back and head against the padded support.
- Place your elbows slightly below the shoulders on the padded support shoulder-width apart (adjust seat accordingly).
- Grasp the handles and make sure your elbows are aligned with the pivot point of the machine (axis).
- Pull your navel toward your spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly extend your arms until straight but not locked.
- Keep your back and head against the pad and wrists straight.
- Inhale and slowly return to the starting position.
Misstep
Elbows lift off the pad.
Correction
Push elbows down throughout the movement.
Misstep
Shoulders rise during the downward phase of the movement.
Correction
Keep the shoulders back and down throughout the movement.
Understanding food labels
You have already learned the importance of exercise, and this step will help you understand the importance of your nutrition needs and how to meet those needs. A nutrient is a substance the body needs in order to work properly.
Food Labels
The can in the grocery store says "tuna in water." However, the list of ingredients says tuna, water, soy, carrots, and celery! In 1990 the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act was passed, and the USDA and FDA were in charge of deciding what information you need to know about the food you eat. Every food and beverage product must contain the following information:
- Nutrition facts are quantities of protein, fat (saturated, unsaturated, and trans), carbohydrate (sugar and fiber), vitamins, and minerals for one serving.
- Ingredients are contents listed in descending order.
- Serving size is what constitutes one serving.
- Product name.
- Manufacturer's name and address.
- Weight, measure, or count of the product.
Finding out whether a food product is healthy for you may be more difficult if you don't understand the product's label. Many times the claims on the front of the package are deceptive because they are not monitored as closely as the nutrition label on the back and may be misleading. You will see "fat-free," "no added sugar," "natural," "lite," and "helps your immune system" on labels to entice you to purchase the food item, but it's not clear what these labels really mean. We'll take a closer look at what some of these claims mean (per serving) so you will be better informed when you are pushing that cart through the market. See figure 9.3 for a sample food label.
Fat-Free, Sugar-Free, Zero Calories
This may be one of the most misleading topics because many people think that if a food is fat free or sugar free, it's healthy. If a food item has this label, the fat and sugar must be less than 0.5 gram per serving, and calorie free must be no more than 5 calories per serving. It's important to understand that just because a food item is fat free it may be very high in sugar and calories. If it claims to be sugar free, it still may be in high in fat and calories. Look at the total calories per serving to decide whether the food is healthy for your diet plan.
Low Fat, Low Sugar, Low Calorie
This type of label on a product means it contains less than 3 grams of fat and less than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. To be considered low calorie, the food must contain fewer than 40 calories per serving. This is where the manufacturer's front label can be deceiving, because the claim will be "no trans fat" on the front, but the actual nutrition label may indicate that saturated or unsaturated fat content is high, and may legally contain up to 0.5 gram of trans fat. If you eat more than one serving of this "no-trans-fat" food, the trans fat can add up.
Natural
Not surprisingly, this label has no real definition and it can be whatever the manufacturer wants it to be! According to the FDA, as long as the product has no artificial flavors, added color, or synthetic substances, it can be called natural. Foods such as yogurt, granola bars, nondairy cheese, and honey that you thought were healthy may not be. The purple color and flavor in yogurt may not be from blueberries! And the 100 percent natural jar of honey you just bought home isn't technically honey due to so many levels of processing that removes the natural pollen. Purchase honey from a local beekeeper or at a farmer's market for truly natural honey.
What about the granola bar - the staple of many fitness fanatics for a snack or after-workout food? Many of these bars, sometimes called energy bars or protein bars, contain an ingredient made from wood pulp or cotton (called cellulose) to up the fiber content. They also contain processed sweeteners. They may not be healthy for you at all! Make sure you read not only the nutrition label but the ingredients as well.
Organic
A food labeled as organic is not the same as being 100 percent natural. If a food is labeled as organic, it must pass specific USDA guidelines, which state that animal products must not have antibiotics or growth hormones, and plants must be grown without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. You will notice that the levels of organic range from 70 to 100 percent, depending on how they were grown.
Fresh
This label means not only that the food must be unprocessed or raw, but that it has never been heated or frozen. Although this may sound like a great food source, this label doesn't mean the food was just picked. You never know how long it has been in transit to the store or how long it has been sitting on the shelf. This may increase the surface bacteria on these foods, so make sure you wash all fresh foods before preparing or eating them.
You can use a nutrition label to help you choose foods that are healthy for your body. Don't simply look at the total grams of carbohydrate in foods; rather, choose those that are high in fiber and low in sugar. See what type of fat (unsaturated, saturated, or trans fat) is in the food.
Look at the list of ingredients to see if sugar or fat is one of the first four ingredients listed. If so, this food probably is not the best choice. Also look for sugar alcohols, which are actually neither sugar nor alcohol but a chemical structure that sweetens food and can cause intestinal problems. Sugar alcohols usually end in - ol, such as sorbitol and mannitol.
How to read a food label.
Success Check
- Name three ways food labels can help you choose a healthy food product.
- What type of fat should you avoid when purchasing a food product?
Proper push-up form
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise.
Most Common Exercises
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise. Common exercises of the core include the crunch and back extension.
Chest
The pectoralis muscles fan over the chest area. Although the main purpose of the chest muscles is to push, they are also responsible for moving the shoulder joint and flexing and rotating the arm above the elbow. You use your chest to push a lawn mower, lift a child, arm-wrestle, and clap your hands. One of the best exercises for the chest is the push-up demonstrated in figures 5.1 and 5.2. You can perform this exercise anywhere. You can start in a modified position on your knees or in a regular push-up position on your toes.
Figures 5.1 and 5.2 Push-Up
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Proper push-up form.
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Modified proper push-up form.
Preparation
- Lie facedown on the floor with your weight either on your knees (modified position) or on your toes.
- Place your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Your elbows should be pointed toward your toes.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly push up until your arms reach full range but not the locked position.
- Your weight should be supported on your hands and knees (modified position) or toes.
- Your spine should be in neutral alignment with your head and neck; look at the floor.
- Inhale and lower within 4 inches of the floor, keeping your elbows close to your sides, then push back up.
Note: Varying your hand position will affect the workout. Wider hands engage more chest muscle and closer hands engage more triceps.
Misstep.
Lower back sags.
Correction
Tighten your abdominal and glute muscles.
Misstep
Head drops down.
Correction
Lift your head until the back of the head is in line with the shoulders.
Five areas of physical fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What’s the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat?
Components of Fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What's the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat? In comparison, weightlifters may have nice physiques but not be able to run a mile; runners may complete a mile in record time but not be able to complete a push-up.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Cardiorespiratory fitness is how efficiently your heart and lungs are able to deliver oxygen to the working muscle, which means it has a direct impact on both strength and endurance. The heart is a muscle and must be worked to be strong and efficient just as other muscles of the body. Not only is cardio the base for all activity, but keeping your heart in good condition also helps prevent many health problems. Following are more benefits from having a healthy heart:
- Adds years to your life
- Increases the HDL (good) cholesterol in the body
- Decreases the LDL (bad) cholesterol in the body
- Lowers blood pressure
- Lowers resting pulse so your heart doesn't have to work as hard
- Helps you lose or maintain weight
- Helps prevent heart disease and stroke
- Lowers your risk for developing diabetes
- Reduces stress levels
- Boosts your immune system
- Increases energy
- Improves sleep
Success Check
- What is cardiorespiratory fitness?
- Name five benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness.
Resistance Training
Resistance training involves challenging your muscles to work against an external force in order to improve endurance, increase muscle mass, and improve strength. It is imperative to include resistance training in your workout plan because strong muscles make strong tendons, which make strong and dense bones. This in turn reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
After age 20, adults lose five to seven pounds of muscle every decade. Resistance training will help stop this loss of muscle and rebuild the muscle at any age! Muscle is active tissue, so you must use it or you will lose it. Having strong, toned muscles improves your ability to perform everyday activities, including getting in and out of the bathtub and carrying grocery bags. There are many other benefits of resistance training:
- Helps control weight (increases calorie burn)
- Improves balance and decreases risk of injury
- Reduces low back pain
- Boosts stamina
- Reduces blood pressure
- Increases metabolism
- Maintains or increases joint flexibility
- Helps reduce pain from arthritis
- Improves insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism
- Reduces depression
- Improves brain function
- Enhances appearance
Success Check
- What is resistance training?
- Why is it important to include resistance training in your workout?
Flexibility
Flexibility is the range of motion around a joint. It is the cornerstone of your workout program because your muscles move only as far as your flexibility allows. Tight joints restrict range of motion, causing you to compensate the movement by using other muscles. This can cause muscle imbalances that affect posture, performance, and movement efficiency. Loss of flexibility can also lead to lost independence; for example, you can no longer bend to clip your toenails or reach the high shelf in your kitchen.
Incorporating flexibility into your workout (at any age) can improve posture and make movement more efficient. It also aids in these areas:
- Reduces back pain
- Improves digestion
- Enhances performance
- Decreases the risk of injury
- Improves muscular coordination
- Enhances circulation
Success Check
- What is flexibility?
- Why is it important?
Balance
Balance is the ability to control your body's position in space. It involves proprioception, which is how your body takes the information it receives from the environment (such as getting up from a chair) and sends this information to the brain. This information tells the muscles what to do so they can adapt to the change and you keep your balance. When this system gets overloaded, you lose your balance. Whether you are standing still (static balance) or moving (dynamic balance), your body continually makes adjustments to keep you from falling. Although you may think that having good balance is important only for gymnasts or figure skaters, regular balance training improves posture and coordination, enhances movement and performance, and helps prevent injuries and falls.
Success Check
- What is balance?
- What is proprioception?
- Why should you include balance training in your workouts?
Core Strength and Stability
Core muscles are responsible for extending, flexing, and rotating your trunk. These consist of many layers of muscle that will determine your posture. Strengthening and conditioning these muscles reduce the chances of back pain and spinal injuries, improve performance, and result in better coordination and balance. Therefore, all exercise programs should consist of a solid foundation of core work.
Success Check
- What is the core?
- Why is a strong, conditioned core important?
Components of a weight training program
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope.
Components of a Muscular Strength and Endurance Routine
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope. This allows the blood flow that is concentrated in your core to be shunted out to the extremities, thereby supplying additional blood to the working muscles to warm them up. Then perform gentle, static preexercise stretching for the muscle groups that will be worked. If you are a more advanced exerciser, active stretching (moving joints through the full range of motion) as a warm-up may be sufficient. Note that if your weight training goal is power, stretch your muscles at the end of your routine. You should perform static stretching on all muscles after resistance training. If you perform static stretching before completing power activities such as sprinting and jumping, you may impede performance.
Next, complete the weight training exercises in your program. These exercises should start with larger muscle groups followed by smaller muscle groups, because many of the smaller muscle groups are used as stabilizer (or helping) muscles. If these smaller muscles are fatigued first, the larger muscles may not be worked sufficiently. Finally, perform postexercise stretching. You have the option of stretching each muscle group after all the reps are completed for that specific muscle group or stretching all the muscles at the end of your workout.
You can perform numerous weight training exercises and combinations depending on equipment available. Following are examples of general weight training circuits where you complete exercises for the entire body in one workout as well as a split routine for a more complex weight training program in which muscle groups of the body are split and exercised on different days. The number of days depends on your schedule as well as your personal preference.
General Weight Training Circuit
8 to 10 exercises for a total-body workout in one session
- Machine leg press (glutes, quads, hamstrings)
- Multi-hip machine (abductors and adductors)
- Machine back extension (lumbar)
- Seated cable row (lats, traps, rhomboids, rear delt, biceps)
- Machine chest press (pecs, anterior delts, triceps)
- Machine shoulder press (deltoids)
- Machine arm extension (triceps)
- Machine arm curl (biceps)
- Abdominals
Split Routine (2 Days)
Day 1: Upper Body
- Chest (machine pec fly and dumbbell chest press)
- Back (lat pull-down machine and T-bar row)
- Shoulders (dumbbell lateral raise and military barbell shoulder press)
- Biceps (preacher curl and dumbbell curl)
- Triceps (cable triceps push-down and seated triceps extension)
Day 2: Lower Body
- Glutes, quads, hamstrings (leg press machine and body-weight lunge)
- Hamstrings (hamstring curl machine)
- Quadriceps (leg extension machine)
- Abductors (side leg raise with ankle weights)
- Adductors (inner-thigh machine)
- Calves (seated calf raise and standing body-weight calf raise)
Split Routine (3 Days)*
Day 1: Chest and Back
- Chest (bench press, incline dumbbell press, pec fly machine)
- Back (lat pull-down, one-arm dumbbell bent-over row, body-weight pull-up)
Day 2: Legs and Shoulders
- Legs (sled leg press, step-up, walking lunge with dumbbells)
- Shoulders (seated dumbbell shoulder press, rear delt machine, front dumbbell shoulder raise)
Day 3: Biceps and Triceps
- Biceps (hammer curl, barbell curl, cable curl)
- Triceps (seated dip, triceps kickback, arm extension machine)
*Another combination could be chest and triceps, back and biceps, legs and shoulders. There is no wrong way to combine muscle groups.
Split Routine (4 Days)
Day 1: Chest
- (bench press, flat-bench dumbbell fly, decline dumbbell chest press)
Day 2: Legs and Biceps
- Legs (barbell squat, deadlift, seated calf raise)
- Biceps (arm curl machine, concentration curl, hammer curl)
Day 3: Back
- (T-bar row, lat pull-down, barbell bent-over row)
Day 4: Shoulders and Triceps
- Shoulders (shrug, incline reverse lateral dumbbell raise, machine shoulder press)
- Triceps (standing dumbbell overhead extension, cable push-down, body-weight dip)
Strengthen the triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors.
Triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors. In addition, the triceps works with other muscles to extend the arm at the shoulder joint, as when holding something behind the back. Following are exercises that strengthen the triceps.
Figure 5.27 Triceps Extension
Note: You can perform this exercise seated or standing.
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Preparation
- Position the feet together and keep your eyes looking forward, not down.
- Grasp a dumbbell with both hands and lift it overhead with your arms straight but not locked.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Keeping the elbows close to your ears, inhale and slowly lower the weight behind your head until your upper arms are perpendicular to the floor.
- Exhale and slowly lift the weight to the starting position.
- Keep elbows pointing upward throughout the entire movement.
Misstep
Back arches and hips rotate forward.
Correction
Stagger the feet; tighten the core and glutes.
Figure 5.28 Machine Arm Extension
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- Sit in the machine with your feet flat on the floor and back and head against the padded support.
- Place your elbows slightly below the shoulders on the padded support shoulder-width apart (adjust seat accordingly).
- Grasp the handles and make sure your elbows are aligned with the pivot point of the machine (axis).
- Pull your navel toward your spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly extend your arms until straight but not locked.
- Keep your back and head against the pad and wrists straight.
- Inhale and slowly return to the starting position.
Misstep
Elbows lift off the pad.
Correction
Push elbows down throughout the movement.
Misstep
Shoulders rise during the downward phase of the movement.
Correction
Keep the shoulders back and down throughout the movement.
Understanding food labels
You have already learned the importance of exercise, and this step will help you understand the importance of your nutrition needs and how to meet those needs. A nutrient is a substance the body needs in order to work properly.
Food Labels
The can in the grocery store says "tuna in water." However, the list of ingredients says tuna, water, soy, carrots, and celery! In 1990 the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act was passed, and the USDA and FDA were in charge of deciding what information you need to know about the food you eat. Every food and beverage product must contain the following information:
- Nutrition facts are quantities of protein, fat (saturated, unsaturated, and trans), carbohydrate (sugar and fiber), vitamins, and minerals for one serving.
- Ingredients are contents listed in descending order.
- Serving size is what constitutes one serving.
- Product name.
- Manufacturer's name and address.
- Weight, measure, or count of the product.
Finding out whether a food product is healthy for you may be more difficult if you don't understand the product's label. Many times the claims on the front of the package are deceptive because they are not monitored as closely as the nutrition label on the back and may be misleading. You will see "fat-free," "no added sugar," "natural," "lite," and "helps your immune system" on labels to entice you to purchase the food item, but it's not clear what these labels really mean. We'll take a closer look at what some of these claims mean (per serving) so you will be better informed when you are pushing that cart through the market. See figure 9.3 for a sample food label.
Fat-Free, Sugar-Free, Zero Calories
This may be one of the most misleading topics because many people think that if a food is fat free or sugar free, it's healthy. If a food item has this label, the fat and sugar must be less than 0.5 gram per serving, and calorie free must be no more than 5 calories per serving. It's important to understand that just because a food item is fat free it may be very high in sugar and calories. If it claims to be sugar free, it still may be in high in fat and calories. Look at the total calories per serving to decide whether the food is healthy for your diet plan.
Low Fat, Low Sugar, Low Calorie
This type of label on a product means it contains less than 3 grams of fat and less than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. To be considered low calorie, the food must contain fewer than 40 calories per serving. This is where the manufacturer's front label can be deceiving, because the claim will be "no trans fat" on the front, but the actual nutrition label may indicate that saturated or unsaturated fat content is high, and may legally contain up to 0.5 gram of trans fat. If you eat more than one serving of this "no-trans-fat" food, the trans fat can add up.
Natural
Not surprisingly, this label has no real definition and it can be whatever the manufacturer wants it to be! According to the FDA, as long as the product has no artificial flavors, added color, or synthetic substances, it can be called natural. Foods such as yogurt, granola bars, nondairy cheese, and honey that you thought were healthy may not be. The purple color and flavor in yogurt may not be from blueberries! And the 100 percent natural jar of honey you just bought home isn't technically honey due to so many levels of processing that removes the natural pollen. Purchase honey from a local beekeeper or at a farmer's market for truly natural honey.
What about the granola bar - the staple of many fitness fanatics for a snack or after-workout food? Many of these bars, sometimes called energy bars or protein bars, contain an ingredient made from wood pulp or cotton (called cellulose) to up the fiber content. They also contain processed sweeteners. They may not be healthy for you at all! Make sure you read not only the nutrition label but the ingredients as well.
Organic
A food labeled as organic is not the same as being 100 percent natural. If a food is labeled as organic, it must pass specific USDA guidelines, which state that animal products must not have antibiotics or growth hormones, and plants must be grown without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. You will notice that the levels of organic range from 70 to 100 percent, depending on how they were grown.
Fresh
This label means not only that the food must be unprocessed or raw, but that it has never been heated or frozen. Although this may sound like a great food source, this label doesn't mean the food was just picked. You never know how long it has been in transit to the store or how long it has been sitting on the shelf. This may increase the surface bacteria on these foods, so make sure you wash all fresh foods before preparing or eating them.
You can use a nutrition label to help you choose foods that are healthy for your body. Don't simply look at the total grams of carbohydrate in foods; rather, choose those that are high in fiber and low in sugar. See what type of fat (unsaturated, saturated, or trans fat) is in the food.
Look at the list of ingredients to see if sugar or fat is one of the first four ingredients listed. If so, this food probably is not the best choice. Also look for sugar alcohols, which are actually neither sugar nor alcohol but a chemical structure that sweetens food and can cause intestinal problems. Sugar alcohols usually end in - ol, such as sorbitol and mannitol.
How to read a food label.
Success Check
- Name three ways food labels can help you choose a healthy food product.
- What type of fat should you avoid when purchasing a food product?
Proper push-up form
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise.
Most Common Exercises
Some of the most popular exercises can be performed with or without equipment. Upper-body exercises include the push-up or bench press, dumbbell row or pull-up, overhead press, biceps curl, and dip. Lower-body exercises include the squat, lunge, and calf raise. Common exercises of the core include the crunch and back extension.
Chest
The pectoralis muscles fan over the chest area. Although the main purpose of the chest muscles is to push, they are also responsible for moving the shoulder joint and flexing and rotating the arm above the elbow. You use your chest to push a lawn mower, lift a child, arm-wrestle, and clap your hands. One of the best exercises for the chest is the push-up demonstrated in figures 5.1 and 5.2. You can perform this exercise anywhere. You can start in a modified position on your knees or in a regular push-up position on your toes.
Figures 5.1 and 5.2 Push-Up
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Proper push-up form.
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Modified proper push-up form.
Preparation
- Lie facedown on the floor with your weight either on your knees (modified position) or on your toes.
- Place your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Your elbows should be pointed toward your toes.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly push up until your arms reach full range but not the locked position.
- Your weight should be supported on your hands and knees (modified position) or toes.
- Your spine should be in neutral alignment with your head and neck; look at the floor.
- Inhale and lower within 4 inches of the floor, keeping your elbows close to your sides, then push back up.
Note: Varying your hand position will affect the workout. Wider hands engage more chest muscle and closer hands engage more triceps.
Misstep.
Lower back sags.
Correction
Tighten your abdominal and glute muscles.
Misstep
Head drops down.
Correction
Lift your head until the back of the head is in line with the shoulders.
Five areas of physical fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What’s the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat?
Components of Fitness
Each of the five areas of physical fitness plays an important role in being fit, and one is not more important than another. Think about the components of a car: What's the use in having a nice-looking exterior if the motor is shot or the tires are flat? In comparison, weightlifters may have nice physiques but not be able to run a mile; runners may complete a mile in record time but not be able to complete a push-up.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Cardiorespiratory fitness is how efficiently your heart and lungs are able to deliver oxygen to the working muscle, which means it has a direct impact on both strength and endurance. The heart is a muscle and must be worked to be strong and efficient just as other muscles of the body. Not only is cardio the base for all activity, but keeping your heart in good condition also helps prevent many health problems. Following are more benefits from having a healthy heart:
- Adds years to your life
- Increases the HDL (good) cholesterol in the body
- Decreases the LDL (bad) cholesterol in the body
- Lowers blood pressure
- Lowers resting pulse so your heart doesn't have to work as hard
- Helps you lose or maintain weight
- Helps prevent heart disease and stroke
- Lowers your risk for developing diabetes
- Reduces stress levels
- Boosts your immune system
- Increases energy
- Improves sleep
Success Check
- What is cardiorespiratory fitness?
- Name five benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness.
Resistance Training
Resistance training involves challenging your muscles to work against an external force in order to improve endurance, increase muscle mass, and improve strength. It is imperative to include resistance training in your workout plan because strong muscles make strong tendons, which make strong and dense bones. This in turn reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
After age 20, adults lose five to seven pounds of muscle every decade. Resistance training will help stop this loss of muscle and rebuild the muscle at any age! Muscle is active tissue, so you must use it or you will lose it. Having strong, toned muscles improves your ability to perform everyday activities, including getting in and out of the bathtub and carrying grocery bags. There are many other benefits of resistance training:
- Helps control weight (increases calorie burn)
- Improves balance and decreases risk of injury
- Reduces low back pain
- Boosts stamina
- Reduces blood pressure
- Increases metabolism
- Maintains or increases joint flexibility
- Helps reduce pain from arthritis
- Improves insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism
- Reduces depression
- Improves brain function
- Enhances appearance
Success Check
- What is resistance training?
- Why is it important to include resistance training in your workout?
Flexibility
Flexibility is the range of motion around a joint. It is the cornerstone of your workout program because your muscles move only as far as your flexibility allows. Tight joints restrict range of motion, causing you to compensate the movement by using other muscles. This can cause muscle imbalances that affect posture, performance, and movement efficiency. Loss of flexibility can also lead to lost independence; for example, you can no longer bend to clip your toenails or reach the high shelf in your kitchen.
Incorporating flexibility into your workout (at any age) can improve posture and make movement more efficient. It also aids in these areas:
- Reduces back pain
- Improves digestion
- Enhances performance
- Decreases the risk of injury
- Improves muscular coordination
- Enhances circulation
Success Check
- What is flexibility?
- Why is it important?
Balance
Balance is the ability to control your body's position in space. It involves proprioception, which is how your body takes the information it receives from the environment (such as getting up from a chair) and sends this information to the brain. This information tells the muscles what to do so they can adapt to the change and you keep your balance. When this system gets overloaded, you lose your balance. Whether you are standing still (static balance) or moving (dynamic balance), your body continually makes adjustments to keep you from falling. Although you may think that having good balance is important only for gymnasts or figure skaters, regular balance training improves posture and coordination, enhances movement and performance, and helps prevent injuries and falls.
Success Check
- What is balance?
- What is proprioception?
- Why should you include balance training in your workouts?
Core Strength and Stability
Core muscles are responsible for extending, flexing, and rotating your trunk. These consist of many layers of muscle that will determine your posture. Strengthening and conditioning these muscles reduce the chances of back pain and spinal injuries, improve performance, and result in better coordination and balance. Therefore, all exercise programs should consist of a solid foundation of core work.
Success Check
- What is the core?
- Why is a strong, conditioned core important?
Components of a weight training program
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope.
Components of a Muscular Strength and Endurance Routine
Although you may have a specific weight training goal, there are several components for all weight training programs. First and most important, beginning and intermediate exercisers should start with a 5- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up, such as walking on a treadmill or jumping rope. This allows the blood flow that is concentrated in your core to be shunted out to the extremities, thereby supplying additional blood to the working muscles to warm them up. Then perform gentle, static preexercise stretching for the muscle groups that will be worked. If you are a more advanced exerciser, active stretching (moving joints through the full range of motion) as a warm-up may be sufficient. Note that if your weight training goal is power, stretch your muscles at the end of your routine. You should perform static stretching on all muscles after resistance training. If you perform static stretching before completing power activities such as sprinting and jumping, you may impede performance.
Next, complete the weight training exercises in your program. These exercises should start with larger muscle groups followed by smaller muscle groups, because many of the smaller muscle groups are used as stabilizer (or helping) muscles. If these smaller muscles are fatigued first, the larger muscles may not be worked sufficiently. Finally, perform postexercise stretching. You have the option of stretching each muscle group after all the reps are completed for that specific muscle group or stretching all the muscles at the end of your workout.
You can perform numerous weight training exercises and combinations depending on equipment available. Following are examples of general weight training circuits where you complete exercises for the entire body in one workout as well as a split routine for a more complex weight training program in which muscle groups of the body are split and exercised on different days. The number of days depends on your schedule as well as your personal preference.
General Weight Training Circuit
8 to 10 exercises for a total-body workout in one session
- Machine leg press (glutes, quads, hamstrings)
- Multi-hip machine (abductors and adductors)
- Machine back extension (lumbar)
- Seated cable row (lats, traps, rhomboids, rear delt, biceps)
- Machine chest press (pecs, anterior delts, triceps)
- Machine shoulder press (deltoids)
- Machine arm extension (triceps)
- Machine arm curl (biceps)
- Abdominals
Split Routine (2 Days)
Day 1: Upper Body
- Chest (machine pec fly and dumbbell chest press)
- Back (lat pull-down machine and T-bar row)
- Shoulders (dumbbell lateral raise and military barbell shoulder press)
- Biceps (preacher curl and dumbbell curl)
- Triceps (cable triceps push-down and seated triceps extension)
Day 2: Lower Body
- Glutes, quads, hamstrings (leg press machine and body-weight lunge)
- Hamstrings (hamstring curl machine)
- Quadriceps (leg extension machine)
- Abductors (side leg raise with ankle weights)
- Adductors (inner-thigh machine)
- Calves (seated calf raise and standing body-weight calf raise)
Split Routine (3 Days)*
Day 1: Chest and Back
- Chest (bench press, incline dumbbell press, pec fly machine)
- Back (lat pull-down, one-arm dumbbell bent-over row, body-weight pull-up)
Day 2: Legs and Shoulders
- Legs (sled leg press, step-up, walking lunge with dumbbells)
- Shoulders (seated dumbbell shoulder press, rear delt machine, front dumbbell shoulder raise)
Day 3: Biceps and Triceps
- Biceps (hammer curl, barbell curl, cable curl)
- Triceps (seated dip, triceps kickback, arm extension machine)
*Another combination could be chest and triceps, back and biceps, legs and shoulders. There is no wrong way to combine muscle groups.
Split Routine (4 Days)
Day 1: Chest
- (bench press, flat-bench dumbbell fly, decline dumbbell chest press)
Day 2: Legs and Biceps
- Legs (barbell squat, deadlift, seated calf raise)
- Biceps (arm curl machine, concentration curl, hammer curl)
Day 3: Back
- (T-bar row, lat pull-down, barbell bent-over row)
Day 4: Shoulders and Triceps
- Shoulders (shrug, incline reverse lateral dumbbell raise, machine shoulder press)
- Triceps (standing dumbbell overhead extension, cable push-down, body-weight dip)
Strengthen the triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors.
Triceps
The triceps muscle is located at the back of the arm and is used not only to straighten the arm but also to keep the elbow from moving when performing fine movements of the forearm, such as writing. The triceps muscle is also involved in pushing actions, as in opening doors. In addition, the triceps works with other muscles to extend the arm at the shoulder joint, as when holding something behind the back. Following are exercises that strengthen the triceps.
Figure 5.27 Triceps Extension
Note: You can perform this exercise seated or standing.
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Preparation
- Position the feet together and keep your eyes looking forward, not down.
- Grasp a dumbbell with both hands and lift it overhead with your arms straight but not locked.
- Pull the navel toward the spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Keeping the elbows close to your ears, inhale and slowly lower the weight behind your head until your upper arms are perpendicular to the floor.
- Exhale and slowly lift the weight to the starting position.
- Keep elbows pointing upward throughout the entire movement.
Misstep
Back arches and hips rotate forward.
Correction
Stagger the feet; tighten the core and glutes.
Figure 5.28 Machine Arm Extension
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- Sit in the machine with your feet flat on the floor and back and head against the padded support.
- Place your elbows slightly below the shoulders on the padded support shoulder-width apart (adjust seat accordingly).
- Grasp the handles and make sure your elbows are aligned with the pivot point of the machine (axis).
- Pull your navel toward your spine and relax the shoulders back and down.
Movement
- Exhale and slowly extend your arms until straight but not locked.
- Keep your back and head against the pad and wrists straight.
- Inhale and slowly return to the starting position.
Misstep
Elbows lift off the pad.
Correction
Push elbows down throughout the movement.
Misstep
Shoulders rise during the downward phase of the movement.
Correction
Keep the shoulders back and down throughout the movement.
Understanding food labels
You have already learned the importance of exercise, and this step will help you understand the importance of your nutrition needs and how to meet those needs. A nutrient is a substance the body needs in order to work properly.
Food Labels
The can in the grocery store says "tuna in water." However, the list of ingredients says tuna, water, soy, carrots, and celery! In 1990 the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act was passed, and the USDA and FDA were in charge of deciding what information you need to know about the food you eat. Every food and beverage product must contain the following information:
- Nutrition facts are quantities of protein, fat (saturated, unsaturated, and trans), carbohydrate (sugar and fiber), vitamins, and minerals for one serving.
- Ingredients are contents listed in descending order.
- Serving size is what constitutes one serving.
- Product name.
- Manufacturer's name and address.
- Weight, measure, or count of the product.
Finding out whether a food product is healthy for you may be more difficult if you don't understand the product's label. Many times the claims on the front of the package are deceptive because they are not monitored as closely as the nutrition label on the back and may be misleading. You will see "fat-free," "no added sugar," "natural," "lite," and "helps your immune system" on labels to entice you to purchase the food item, but it's not clear what these labels really mean. We'll take a closer look at what some of these claims mean (per serving) so you will be better informed when you are pushing that cart through the market. See figure 9.3 for a sample food label.
Fat-Free, Sugar-Free, Zero Calories
This may be one of the most misleading topics because many people think that if a food is fat free or sugar free, it's healthy. If a food item has this label, the fat and sugar must be less than 0.5 gram per serving, and calorie free must be no more than 5 calories per serving. It's important to understand that just because a food item is fat free it may be very high in sugar and calories. If it claims to be sugar free, it still may be in high in fat and calories. Look at the total calories per serving to decide whether the food is healthy for your diet plan.
Low Fat, Low Sugar, Low Calorie
This type of label on a product means it contains less than 3 grams of fat and less than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. To be considered low calorie, the food must contain fewer than 40 calories per serving. This is where the manufacturer's front label can be deceiving, because the claim will be "no trans fat" on the front, but the actual nutrition label may indicate that saturated or unsaturated fat content is high, and may legally contain up to 0.5 gram of trans fat. If you eat more than one serving of this "no-trans-fat" food, the trans fat can add up.
Natural
Not surprisingly, this label has no real definition and it can be whatever the manufacturer wants it to be! According to the FDA, as long as the product has no artificial flavors, added color, or synthetic substances, it can be called natural. Foods such as yogurt, granola bars, nondairy cheese, and honey that you thought were healthy may not be. The purple color and flavor in yogurt may not be from blueberries! And the 100 percent natural jar of honey you just bought home isn't technically honey due to so many levels of processing that removes the natural pollen. Purchase honey from a local beekeeper or at a farmer's market for truly natural honey.
What about the granola bar - the staple of many fitness fanatics for a snack or after-workout food? Many of these bars, sometimes called energy bars or protein bars, contain an ingredient made from wood pulp or cotton (called cellulose) to up the fiber content. They also contain processed sweeteners. They may not be healthy for you at all! Make sure you read not only the nutrition label but the ingredients as well.
Organic
A food labeled as organic is not the same as being 100 percent natural. If a food is labeled as organic, it must pass specific USDA guidelines, which state that animal products must not have antibiotics or growth hormones, and plants must be grown without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. You will notice that the levels of organic range from 70 to 100 percent, depending on how they were grown.
Fresh
This label means not only that the food must be unprocessed or raw, but that it has never been heated or frozen. Although this may sound like a great food source, this label doesn't mean the food was just picked. You never know how long it has been in transit to the store or how long it has been sitting on the shelf. This may increase the surface bacteria on these foods, so make sure you wash all fresh foods before preparing or eating them.
You can use a nutrition label to help you choose foods that are healthy for your body. Don't simply look at the total grams of carbohydrate in foods; rather, choose those that are high in fiber and low in sugar. See what type of fat (unsaturated, saturated, or trans fat) is in the food.
Look at the list of ingredients to see if sugar or fat is one of the first four ingredients listed. If so, this food probably is not the best choice. Also look for sugar alcohols, which are actually neither sugar nor alcohol but a chemical structure that sweetens food and can cause intestinal problems. Sugar alcohols usually end in - ol, such as sorbitol and mannitol.
How to read a food label.
Success Check
- Name three ways food labels can help you choose a healthy food product.
- What type of fat should you avoid when purchasing a food product?
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