Elements of Exercise

Warm up

Warming up before exercising has physiological and psychological benefits. If you begin vigorous exercise without warming up, it can stress muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints and the heart, which can lead to serious injury. It's also difficult to mentally prepare yourself for a hard workout if you don't gradually ramp up your level of activity. And it shouldn't take long. All you need to do are some light exercises that gradually increase your blood flow and muscle temperature.

Frequency and intensity

If you're interested in the health benefits of exercise, you should aim to exercise at least three times per week at about half your maximum capacity.

The best way to judge your exercise intensity is by comparing your exercising heart rate with your maximum heart rate, which you can estimate by subtracting your age from 220 beats per minute and multiplying the resulting number by 65%. (Or just fill in the blanks: 220-age x .65 = half your maximum capacity, in beats per minute.)

When you're exercising, check your pulse, count how many times your heart beats in 10 seconds and multiply that by six to get the number of times it beats in a minute. Compare that number to the one you worked out with the formula above.

Cool down

Just as it's important to warm up and prepare yourself for physical exertion, it's also important to cool down by gradually reducing your exercise intensity. When some people suddenly stop exercising, blood pools in their legs, leading to fainting and possibly heart problems. You should take about 10 minutes to cool down, or as long as it takes for your skin to return to its normal temperature.

Overload, specificity and progression

In order to improve your physical fitness, you must constantly place higher demands on the appropriate body parts. The principle of overload simply means that the body responds to increased demands by adapting, which can help you improve your aerobic fitness, muscular strength and flexibility.

The principle of specificity is even more appropriately named, and simply means that the body adapts specifically to specific types of training. So, if you want to increase your aerobic capacity, do aerobics and if you want to improve you muscle definition, do weight training.

When the body adapts to exercise, after training that involves overload and specificity, it becomes more capable of performing. That improvement is progression. If you've been running five miles a day and feel ready for six, for example, you're progressing.

When considering whether to progress by employing the principles of overload and specificity, you should base your decision on your fitness goals and how your body feels, not on others' performance. Everybody is different, and judging yourself against others is rarely fair or wise.

Thank You,
Joel Mosley
jmosley@BodyScienceUSA.com
http://www.BodyScienceUSA.com http://www.buildingmorethanbodies.com/

---

Google News Updated : Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:33:37 GMT Weak Japan exports pile on economic gloom - Reuters Straits Times Weak Japan exports pile on economic gloom Reuters - 56 minutes ago By Tetsushi Kajimoto and Jason Subler TOKYO/BEIJING (Reuters) - Japan's exports to Asia fell in October for the first time since 2002, showing that the fallout from the credit crisis has spread to neighbors such as China and adding momentum to ... Japan's exports mark biggest decline in 7 years The Associated Press Japan's Exports Fell the Most in Almost Seven Years (Update3) Bloomberg AFP - United Press International - Forbes - Reuters India all 186 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:37:03 GMT Astronaut who lost tool bag admits making mistake - The Associated Press Times Online Astronaut who lost tool bag admits making mistake The Associated Press - 2 hours ago CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - The astronaut who lost her tool bag on a spacewalk admitted Wednesday that she made a mistake by not checking to see if the sack was tied down, and said she's still smarting over the whole thing. Video: Astronaut Who Lost Tool Bag Admits Mistake AssociatedPress Ahead of schedule, astronauts install water recycler Houston Chronicle eFluxMedia - Tucson Citizen - Register - ABC News all 2,437 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:13:12 GMT Mussina Close To Making It Official: He’s Retiring - New York Times National Post Mussina Close To Making It Official: He’s Retiring New York Times - 4 hours ago By TYLER KEPNER Jim Palmer has known Mike Mussina for 17 years, but rarely had his friend seemed as loose and carefree as he did this summer. Yanks' Mussina to retire after first 20-win season FOXSports.com Mussina to retire, end 18-year career Washington Times CNN International - MLB.com - ESPN - New York Daily News all 248 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:20:43 GMT The Obama Health Plan Emerges - Wall Street Journal dBTechno The Obama Health Plan Emerges Wall Street Journal - 2 hours ago "Universal" government-run health care proved too ambitious even for FDR, who stripped it out of the Social Security Act of 1935. Health Insurers Offer to Accept All Applicants, on Condition New York Times Insurers make pitch for health coverage mandate San Jose Mercury News TMCnet - Bloomberg - New Republic - MarketWatch all 314 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:00:54 GMT Deflation fears roil Wall Street - Houston Chronicle The Associated Press Deflation fears roil Wall Street Houston Chronicle - 56 minutes ago By VIKAS BAJAJ New York Times After gyrating wildly for weeks, the stock market lurched lower on Wednesday, falling to its lowest point in nearly six years, as concern spread that the economy might be beset by a chronic and debilitating decline in ... Video: Consumer Prices Drop Record 1 Percent in October AssociatedPress Fed sees economic woes persisting into next year The Associated Press MarketWatch - Pittsburgh Post Gazette - AFP - Bloomberg all 1,290 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:37:08 GMT Movie Review: Twilight - Entertainment Weekly Canada.com Movie Review: Twilight Entertainment Weekly - 1 hour ago By Owen Gleiberman If the droolingly awaited big-screen version of Twilight is any indication, sanpaku eyes are the new cheekbones. Director Catherine Hardwicke saw the 'Twilight' mania coming Los Angeles Times 'Twilight' barely gets the blood flowing USA Today Reuters - Variety - The Massachusetts Daily Collegian - San Francisco Chronicle all 1,061 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:00:34 GMT Will winning 'Sexiest Man Alive' lose 'Australia' hunk Hugh ... - Los Angeles Times Boston Globe (registration) Will winning 'Sexiest Man Alive' lose 'Australia' hunk Hugh ... Los Angeles Times - 6 hours ago This has been quite a week already for Hugh Jackman and it is only Wednesday. On Monday, he got good reviews from his hometown papers when the long-awaited epic "Australia" world premiered in Sydney. Hugh Jackman is the Sexiest Man Alive (unless you look at Jon Hamm) Entertainment Weekly 2008’s “Sexiest Man Alive” Is Hugh Jackman eFluxMedia Channel News Asia - FOXNews - Zap2it.com - The Associated Press all 525 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:32:48 GMT Make Money Online Add RSS Feeds To My Web Pages

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Anywhere and Anytime Exercises

These type of Exercises generally makes your body strong and... Read More

Overcoming Resistance to Exercise

Are You Destined to Sit on the Couch?If someone mentions... Read More

What the Philosophy of Tai Chi Can Do For You

Taoist PhilosophyTo understand the purpose of the form it is... Read More

When Exercising Right Looks Wrong

For most of us we live in a black and... Read More

Incorporating Physical Activity into Your Daily Routine Not as Hard as You Think

You already know that getting at least 30 minutes of... Read More

15 Quick Tips for People Who Dont Like to Exercise

We've all had days when we don't have the energy... Read More

Exercise Nutrition: How To Keep That Energy Up!

How many times has this happened to you?>> You psych... Read More

Get Fit From Home-Part 2

--------------------- Using The Stairs ---------------------Not everybody has stairs in their... Read More

4 Exercises That Will Help You Change Your Body Faster Than Any Other Exercises You May Have Tried

1. Lunges with a barbell. Properly executed, this exercise is... Read More

Finding The Right Exercise Intensity

We've all heard the exercise guidelines that recommend we participate... Read More

Exercise: Why YOU Should Do It

Hundreds of Thousands of Americans spend millions of dollars each... Read More

Exercising - Ways of staying motivated!

The number one reason people say they do not exercise... Read More

5 Ways to Fit Fitness In

Five points to consider when you want to fit fitness... Read More

Weight Loss and Fitness - Facts not Fiction

The world of weight loss and fitness is certainly vast,... Read More

Calf Cramps - How To Get More Gain For Less Pain!

I cannot imagine that there is anyone past the age... Read More

Thick Today Is Fat Tomorrow

As we twentysomethings get further along in our twenties, we... Read More

The Truth about Spot Reduction

At any point, we can pick up the latest fitness... Read More

Six Simple Strategies to Turn Your Walks into Workouts

If You are already fitness walking several times a week... Read More

Is It Safe To Start An Exercise Program?

I think the real question is "How safe is it... Read More

Top 3 Back Pain Risk Factors

Lower back pain is an increasingly common problem in fact... Read More

Integrating Core Stabilization into Your Workouts

Stabilization is a hot topic in the fitness industry over... Read More

Exercise Tips

Exercise TipsThe most effective exercise regimen includes both strength training... Read More

Get Moving...The Benefits Will Last a Lifetime!

The benefits of physical activity are numerous and very well... Read More

Do You Want To Be A Bodybuilding Champion ? The Power Behind The PEN!

IT ALL STARTED ON A TYPICAL NOVEMBER MORNING back in... Read More

The Different Types of Treadmills

When we usually think of treadmills, we tend to think... Read More