EXERCISE PROGRAM DESIGN.

The world of health and fitness is hyper-competitive hence as fitness trainers, we are slowly losing the art of designing safe and appropriate fitness programs. Today’s world presents us with clients who may only get to meet with us once or twice per week. Maybe thrice and if they are lucky and may do very little on their own. You shouldn’t have to look hard to see that most exercisers lack direction and scientific rationale for their workouts.  We ought to focus on establishing the fundamentals of movement that lead to fitness, not the other way round.

   WHAT IS YOUR PRIORITIZED GOAL?

The main component of our fitness program should focus on our prioritized goal. Is it for rehabilitation? or are you an athlete who wants to improve on speed, reaction time, strength, or agility? You might want to improve your general fitness, flexibility, or want to shed some weight? or you want to add on some healthy pounds, for yourself? for the fans? Go for it! only you know why. Seek help from a fitness professional for more guidance and conquer your goals. Healthy eating habits should be given utmost priority and should be geared towards our intended goals. Determine your fitness aims, find out what sort of exercises will help you achieve them, and make these activities the bulk of your program.

BE SPECIFIC.

•  The specificity principle states that you have to concentrate on the thing you want to improve. It applies within activities as well as between them. For example, getting bigger muscles requires different training than if you simply want to firm and tone up or all you want is general aerobic fitness.
• Factor in your age, weight, exercise history, current fitness levels, entry-level, lifestyle habits, and occupation. Your job might involve extended hours of sitting or standing. Maybe you have never worked out before? Fitness evaluation and consent from a doctor are very important. Your health and well-being first before you begin the climb. You want to get up safely after all.
•  A base level of endurance, functional strength, and body awareness (posture, form, and technique) are invaluable whether you want to run, dance, do yoga, or be a bodybuilder.

BUILD UP GRADUALLY.

• Progressing at the right pace is crucial to the success of any exercise program.
• For any type of physical improvement to take place, there needs to be ‘stress’ placed on the body, to which it has to adapt, so that next time that same challenge is laid down it will be better able to cope.
• You can maintain a state of fitness only if you continue to exercise regularly and consistently. It is important to maintain regular exercise in order to keep the results you have achieved.

  

REST AND RECOVERY.

• When you start off you need more time off but as you advance, find out what works best for you but your body needs rest all the same. Working out day in, day out, or without a break, you are selling yourself short in terms of the gains you can make.
• Play around with frequency, intensity, time (FIT principle), and type of exercise. When intensity goes up the duration can come down and vice versa.

As we reach the summit of the mountain we are currently climbing, all we see are other peaks to scale. 6-8 weeks into your program, it is a good time to assess your progress. It helps to keep you on track and avoid a plateau as well. See yourself as a work in progress and continually challenge yourself. Successful weight loss strategies are a marriage between physical activity, sound nutrition, and positive changes in lifestyle.