One of the most important aspects of increasing your training success is education. With no time to waste moms especially need to keep it very focused. Get yourself on top of your own game with the terms and tools that will take you where you want to go:
Periodization – is the organization of an exercise routine by accomplishing daily small goals to achieve effective long term results and avoid over-training and injuries. With a trainer or on your own( once you’ve researched your specific training needs) you would create 1-2 week long training cycles ( micro training cycle) for a 2-4 month cycle (meso training cycle). This is a planning tool that can help you make sure your training is efficient, effective and goal oriented.
Macrocycle – The largest unit of planned training time lasting anywhere from 1 to 4 years (i.e. Olympic cycle)
FITT: These principles need to be applied when creating your workout micro, meso and macroplan.
Frequency– is the rate of exercising the body and the resting period of the body to allow healing and avoid injuries.
Intensity – amount of effort that should be invested to overload the body, so that it adapts in a training program or any one session.
Type – is the kind of exercise you chosen to achieve the appropriate training response.
For both, cardiovascular training and resistance training it is always better to target big muscles first( or even at all times as in multijoint movement) for better results
Time – the amount of time inputed into an exercise
Interval Training is when in an exercise routine, high intensity exercises are followed by a recovery or resting period. Example: sprint or run for 1 minute followed by a 2 minute walk.
Supersets: Can be considered interval training in that you work one or two muscle groups and follow that exercise immediately with another exercise up to 3 exercises. In a superset you are allowing one muscle group to recover while you work others. Sometimes this can be referred to as active recovery.
Cardiovascular Endurance – “Cardio” is the use of exercise to strengthen the heart muscles to help the respiratory system, the heart, veins and arteries, to better supply oxygen to the rest of the body. Cardio vascular endurance helps to avoid several health problems. This is achieved by keeping the heart within your training zone. The formula to find the training zone is to Subtract your age from 220. If the number in previous calculation is multiplied by 60%, you would get your lower heart rate exercise range. If the number is multiplied by 80% you would get your higher heart rate range. Cardiovascular exericse is important for building the endurance required for intense fat burning workouts.
Progressive Resistance – Is a system used for effectively building muscle. After the body adapts to an exercise routine, the intensity of the workout is increased to achieve results. Progressive resistance is accomplished, either by increasing the weight and keeping the same amount of repetition, or increasing the repetition numbers with same weight. Another method is by keeping the muscle under stress for a longer period of time, by slowing down the velocity between reps otherwise known as focusing on the “negative” or eccentric phase of move.
Single Joint Movement – Just like it sounds; this is when you do an exercise that only involves one joint like a biceps curl and leg extension. These types of exercises have been found to be very ineffective for fat loss programs.
Multijoint Movement – This training involves movement at 2 or more joints. A squat or push up are multijoint movements which share the workload of the movement across multiple joints allowing you to use more resistance and achieve better results.
Resistance Training – Any type of exercise done against resistance. Resistance can come in the form of dumbbells, barbells, kettle bells, resistance bands or even body weight. Resistance training the sessions are generally no longer than 45-60 minutes. Hi intensity resistance training has been shown to have tremendous fat burning effects in as little as 4 minutes and can achieve incredible anaerobic and aerobic benefits with as little as 20 – 30 minutes.
Cross Training – the combination of different exercise routines to increase endurance and build muscles in different parts of the body. For example a runner decides to lift weights to increase endurance in his upper body, which is not used in running or jogging.
Functional Training – Exercise where individuals perform exercises that mimic movements they regularly perform in their sport or daily life. In the case of sports a sport specific training regime will allow the athlete to optimize their desired movment and prevent injury. This may involve stair steps, lifting and throwing, coordination, and flexibility drills.
My motto for my clients is learn fitness don’t just do fitness.
Agreed Cindy. That would be included in the microcycle planning under periodization. In planning training we definately need to not just plan the training but all the details that support the training like sleep, eating etc like you mentioned!!!
Andrea
I am thinking schedule could be another word on the list. I find that if I stick to a regular schedule, all my efforts work better. As schedule I mean everyday, I try to eat and sleep at the same time daily, and exercise also. I am no expert but for me this works not only for my physical health but my mental health also. Having any kind of regularity in your life may seem boring but I feel much better all the way around when I do.