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The Fitness and Health Report
Information for a Healthy Life
December 1, 2000, Issue 17
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Secrets of Successful Strength Training
- Ready to Roll - Treadmill Workout
Secrets of Successful Strength Training
By IDEA
Are you getting bored with your strength training program, or not getting
the same results you did when you started? It's easy to fall into a weight
training rut, doing the same old routine of favorite exercises day in,
day out. Unfortunately, too much "same old, same old" can be
the enemy of effective physical conditioning. The key to successful training
lies in varying the training stimuli, says William J. Kraemer, PhD, professor
of applied physiology at the Pennsylvania State University's Laboratory
for Sports Medicine.
The most effective way to add variety to your workouts is through periodization,
which means making systematic changes to your training at regular intervals.
Periodizing your strength workouts can help you avoid plateaus; prevent
injury; and make greater gains in strength, power, muscular size and endurance,
and athletic performance.
The Right Kinds of Changes
A qualified personal trainer can design a periodized strength training
program specifically for your needs, so, if at all possible, enlist the
services of a professional when developing your program. Kraemer offers
the following additional tips to help you succeed:
1. List Your Goals and Plan to Achieve Them Over Time.
A typical way to plan your program is to set goals for one year and goals
to achieve approximately every three months. Fitness assessment tests
can help you determine these goals. If you have a variety of goals, you
and your trainer will need to decide which to prioritize.
2. Don't Try Too Much Too Soon.
Before you begin a periodized program, complete four to 12 weeks of basic
training. Use this training to develop general conditioning and practice
proper form and technique.
3. Change Your Exercises.
Many fitness experts believe you should change your program at least
every four to six weeks for maximum effectiveness. The muscle groups to
be trained (based on your goals) should determine the type of exercises
you perform.
4. Change the Exercise Order.
Plan the order in which you do your exercises as seriously as you plan
the exercises themselves. Try alternating between muscle groups--e.g.,
doing elbow curls (arms) followed by knee extensions (legs)-or "stacking"
all the exercises for one muscle group (i.e., performing them consecutively).
A third possibility is to start with the exercises of greatest priority
to you and follow them with exercises of lesser importance.
5. Change the Number of Sets.
Not all exercises require the same number of sets. Prioritizing your
goals will help you determine which muscle groups or exercises need the
most attention, and which need simply to be maintained.
6. Vary the Recovery Time.
Your greatest physical gains are made during recovery, when your body
makes the adaptations needed to support further physical development.
The length of your rest periods should be based on your training goals,
not on how long it takes to talk to a friend or get a drink of water,
says Kraemer. Short rest periods (less than a minute) are normally used
when the goal is to build local muscular endurance; long rest periods
(more than three minutes) are used when the primary goal is to increase
strength and power.
7. Change the Resistance Load.
There is no consensus on what combination of reps and weights will yield
the best raining results. However, popular combinations include pyramid
training (decreasing the number of reps per set as the weight increases,
and then increasing the number of reps per set as the weight decreases);
half-ascending pyramid training (just the first half of pyramid training);
and half-descending pyramid training (just the second half of pyramid
training). Note that your genetic makeup plays a large part in determining
your ability to lift heavy weights.
8. Evaluate Your Progress Every Four to Eight Weeks.
Keep a detailed record of your workouts, noting exercises performed,
number of reps and sets, amount of resistance and length of rest periods.
Monitor your results.
9. Be Flexible With Your Training.
Remember, be prepared to change your workouts to accommodate personal
circumstances such as illness, mood, soreness, etc.
10. Give Purpose to Every Workout.
The more carefully you plan your weight training program, the more meaningful,
exciting and effective each session will be.
Reproduced with permission of IDEA (http://www.ideafit.com/),
The Health and Fitness Source, (800) 999-IDEA or (619) 535-8979.
Ready to Roll
By Runner's World Magazine
From Manitoba to Maui and Seattle to St. Pete, more and more runners
are training on treadmills. And why not? There's simply no other way to
guarantee you get the workout you want in the conditions you want at the
time you want. Convenience-it's a major factor in all our time-pressed
lives.
So major that surveys indicate close to 40 million Americans run on treadmills.
And according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, treadmills
have become the biggest-selling item in the home-fitness category-ahead
of bicycles, rowing machines, stairclimbers and cross-country ski machines.
Recently we asked ourselves and a group of Runner's World readers why
treadmill training has grown so popular. We got dozens of different responses,
but the following 12 were mentioned most often by runners who have made
the treadmill a regular and important part of their running programs.
1. Comfort and safety.
No extreme heat or cold. No rain, wind, snow or ice. No darkness. No
traffic. No mean dogs, wild animals or weirdos. If you say treadmill training
removes the spirit of adventure that outdoor running provides, well, yes,
it can. However, in the name of safety and comfort, it often pays to heed
the call of the great indoors. Even in Canada's remote Yukon Territory,
where people have to be as hardy as the native northern vegetation to
survive, Cheryl Klippert runs on a treadmill. "I'm afraid to venture
too far on the roads because of bears, but I can still enjoy the view
by setting up my treadmill outdoors," says Klippert. Suburbia presents
other safety issues. "When snow piles up on the sides of streets
after a snowfall, I don't think it's fair for drivers to have to share
the road with a runner," says Greg Dunston of Rockville, Md. "I
run inside on my treadmill." Fact: With safety being an especially
big concern for women, it's not surprising that a survey conducted by
research firm American Sports Data found that more than 70 percent of
new home-treadmill buyers in the United States are female.
2. The best place to work on improved running form.
Combine the steady roll of the treadmill belt with the controlled indoor
environment, and you've got the perfect setting to work on your running
form. By observing her treadmill reflection in a mirror, Andrea Gardenhire
of La Mesa, Calif., has corrected flaws in her foot placement, arm swing
and breathing patterns. "The small adjustments I make on the treadmill
help me later on the road," she says. Tip: If you've got access to
a VCR, pop in a videotape from the Boston Marathon or New York City Marathon,
and emulate the fluid running styles of the fast runners.
3. Guilt-free TV time.
Okay, so you can't match the Kenyans. You can still use the TV to improve
your running. Pick whatever show you just can't bear to miss-from a sports
event to Oprah to Ally McBeal-and let it transport you through a mindless
training run. Remember: Every workout is a good workout, even if it doesn't
move you any closer to the Olympics. Best of all, if you log 30 or 60
minutes of treadmill time, you don't have to feel guilty about turning
on the tube.
4. A smooth transition to running.
Exercising on a treadmill may be the easiest, most natural way to make
the transition from walking to running. Why? Because as you walk faster
and faster (and see the calorie-burning number increase on your display
console), you begin to realize that you'll burn even more calories if
you go faster. "I'd been a walker for years, and never intended to
become a runner," says Kathy Boyce. Then the Elizabeth City, N.C.,
woman bought a treadmill and was up to 4 miles of running after three
months on the treadmill. "Now I can hardly break a sweat when I walk.
It's not the same as running."
5. A range of customized workouts.
Advanced treadmills come with built-in training programs that, with the
push of a few buttons, operate on automatic pilot during a workout. Many
"mills" also come with additional computer capacity to allow
you to set up several customized workouts. "I think of my treadmill
not as a machine, but as a personal coach," says Paul Stofko of Schereville,
Ind. "By programming it, I force myself to run a certain speed, time
and distance, even when I don't feel up to it." Tip: Have your treadmill
dealer instruct you and then thoroughly read your owner's manual before
you plunge into the fascinating but technical world of custom workouts.
6. Excellent heart-rate monitoring.
Built-in heart-rate functions are standard equipment on many high-quality
home treadmills, and they can make your training more scientific and more
effective. Particularly useful: a function by which the treadmill speeds
up or slows down in response to your heart rate. "With the help of
my pulse meter, I'm able to regulate my workouts precisely," notes
Eric Tobias of Warminster, Pa.
7. Top-notch injury prevention.
Good treadmills provide a firm but forgiving ride. That is, they're easier
on the legs than concrete and asphalt. Indeed, some makers of low-impact
treadmills claim a shock reduction of 40 percent compared to running on
roads. The treadmill belts themselves are more "giving" than
road surfaces, and the treadmill's underpinnings work effectively to disperse
shock waves, known as "ground reaction forces," that occur when
your foot strikes a surface. "A low-impact treadmill can actually
absorb some of the ground reaction forces that would otherwise be directed
back into the body," says Seattle-based exercise physiologist Marnie
Snyder.
8. Simplified marathon training.
We know a world-class marathoner who has logged 30 miles in a single
treadmill run and a beginning marathoner who trained for her first marathon
with 3-hour run/walk sessions. In between these two extremes are thousands
of runners who sometimes find a treadmill safer, friendlier and more motivational
than outside running. Johanna Rees of Coronado, Calif., used a treadmill
to begin her running program and, just one year later, finished a marathon
in 3:43, after doing 95 percent of her training on a treadmill. Tip: If
you're planning for a marathon or another race with some daunting hills
on the course, you can use your treadmill's incline function to simulate
those hills.
9. The ability to quantify workouts.
Want to know how many calories you've burned? Your heart rate? How fast
you're running? The distance you've run to the hundredth of a mile? Only
a treadmill can provide this precise data, and sometimes much more. A
treadmill's "feedback" functions provide important training
information, as well as motivation and entertainment during workouts.
"I am a beginner, and the displays on the treadmill give me 'proof'
of how far I've run," notes Heather Seymour of Stamford, Conn.
10. Musical motivation.
When you're on a treadmill, you don't have to worry about safety concerns
or anyone else's musical tastes. Put on your portable tape or CD player
and turn up the volume as high as you like. "Whatever type of music
motivates you, let it blast away," suggests Bruce Kushner of Laurys
Station, Pa. "As your heartbeat creeps up during a workout, it's
easier to concentrate on music than on a passive medium like TV."
11. Incredible workout variety.
No road, track or trail has it all. Each is either too flat or too hilly,
too hard or too soft. The treadmill has exactly what you want, when you
want it. "With a little imagination, you can design treadmill workouts
that are more variable and yet more precise than those you do on the road
or track," says Owen Anderson, Ph.D., Runner's World's "Fast
Lane" columnist.
12. The Zen of treadmill running.
Because a treadmill does so much for you, you can relax during your workout
and not worry about traffic, potholes, ice, dogs or people yelling at
you. Patrick McAndless of Richmond, B.C., says he can put himself into
a meditative state by listening to his breathing and focusing on key body
parts, from his head to his toes. "Before you know it, you've completed
your workout," he notes. Wally Perez is more quantitative about his
quiet time. "I exercise before work and use the time on the treadmill
to organize my thoughts for the day, personally and professionally,"
says the Austin, Tex., runner.
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