You will create a 4 WEEK PLAN that includes ALL of the following fitness components
1) Cardiovascular exercise: You will develop an aerobic conditioning program that is tailored to your goals and to improving or maintaining your current level of cardiorespiratory fitness (based on the fitness test results). Your program should be realistic – something you can actually do given your schedule, gym access, etc. Please include the following:
A. Mode (type of activity). Example: cardio machines at the gym. List the machines that you will do or are currently doing (treadmill, stair climber, etc.). If you will participate in aerobics classes, do exercise videos at home, please list.
B. Warm-up: Describe your warm-up activities (include how long your warm-up is)
C. Frequency (how often). Don’t just recite the FITT principle. Frequency should match your goals, schedule, and current fitness level. For example, if you want to maintain your current fitness level and train at a high intensity, then frequency can be 2-3 days per week (minimum).
D. Intensity (how hard). Include your calculated target heart rate zone.
E. Time (how long). If you are just starting out and have poor cardiorespiratory endurance, you may be able to do continuous aerobic activity at a moderate intensity for 20 minutes. Start there, but remember to include the time (duration) that you will progress to as your tolerance for aerobic exercise improves.
F. Cool-down: Describe your cool-down activities
2) Muscular Strength/Endurance:
A. Warm-up (warm-up activities and how long)
If you do your muscular strength/endurance training immediately following your aerobic endurance program, you are already warmed up.
B. Type of exercise. If you are doing a program using weight training machines, list the exercises you will perform and, in general, the order in which you will perform them. Ex: Circuit training at the gym – Leg press machine followed by leg extension or seated hamstring curl machine, etc. If your program will consist of both machines and free weights, please list all exercises and type (i.e. leg press machine, dumbbell squats, chest press machine, chest flies with dumbbells).
If you are exercising at home, list the exercises you will do. Example for a calisthenics program: Squats, followed by lunges off of a 16 inch step, followed by walking lunges, etc. If you are planning on following an exercise program that is DVD driven (P-90X, for example) or workouts on Comcast “On Demand”, please list those.
C. Include exercises for abdominals and low back. Example: Pilates
Videos, abdominal curls, abdominal machines at the gym, low back extensions, low back machines at the gym.
D. Develop the FIT for each exercise
1) F – frequency (how many days per week, and if you do a full body workout or split routine). Example: Full body M/W/F or Upper body M/W, Lower body T/TH, abs and low back all 4 days, etc.
2) I – intensity (how much resistance you are using for each exercise (for weight machines and free weights, tell me the pounds for each exercise. If you are just starting out, please note that this will change as you progress. If you aren’t doing a program yet, you won’t know the pounds that you will start off with. In that case, just tell me how many repetitions you wish to start with knowing that you will have to set the weight to accomplish successfully performing the repetitions. Example: your goal is to perform 8-12 repetitions for each exercise. Set the weight so that you can perform 8-12 repetitions, but probably not 14 repetitions. If you can easily do 15 repetitions, the weight you selected is too light.
For calisthenics, just write “body weight” as your intensity.
3) Include how many repetitions and sets you will perform. This should match your goals and any improvements needed as identified in your fitness test results. Example: 8-12 repetitions, 1-3 sets. A beginner may start with 1 set, and then progress to 3 sets.
3) Flexibility
A. Warm-up activities and how long (if you do your flexibility program following your cardiorespiratory or muscular strength/ endurance program, you are already warmed up).
B. Name each stretch if performing static stretches.
C. Give the FIT for each exercise
F – frequency (how often per week)
I – intensity (to mild discomfort – not pain)
T- time (sets and reps; each stretch should be held 15-30 seconds for static stretching, and performed 2-4 times)
D. Describe whether your stretching program will consist of static stretches, a yoga program, etc. If you will be using yoga DVD’s, please list the DVD’s used and the duration of each session.
