Fitness Trainer A to Z

Over the years, there have been people making up plenty of excuses to avoid exercising. Some of these excuses are creative, some are ridicules, but most are in a group of common excuses used everyday to justify not having to make the effort to improve their health and well being.

How many people do you know who were going to start exercising and start getting in shape and they were going to start this coming week, but that was two weeks ago and they still haven’t started yet? What excuse did they have this time? Maybe this has happened so many times, you stopped counting. Maybe this has even happened to you more times than you can remember. Well, what’s stopping you?

Here are some of the most common excuses used by people to not exercise, and the ways that you can get around those excuses if they have plagued you and are stopping you from partaking in a healthier lifestyle.

By far and away, the most common excuse used today is; “I don’t have the time to exercise”. The old perception that you have to exercise for 1 to 2 hours a day is just nonsense. A good, solid exercise routine doesn’t have to last for more than 20 to 30 minutes a day to be very effective. If you can’t find up to 30 minutes a day to exercise, then how do you manage to find up to 2 hours or more a day to watch TV?

Another popular excuse used often is; “I can’t afford to pay for a gym membership or for home equipment”. The fact is, you can get in better shape and lose weight without ever setting foot in a gym. Walking and or jogging around your neighborhood or in the local park don’t cost a dime and will give you all of the benefits of a cardio workout at the gym. Doing callisthenic exercises such as crunches and pushups and so on at home also cost nothing. Home fitness equipment can also be purchased that will give you a good resistance workout for under $50.00 such as resistance tubing bands and an exercise ball.

“I don’t know how to exercise or what exercises to do” is an excuse that gets used from time to time, but there are several ways to learn how to exercise right and what exercises to do. Using the services of a qualified, certified personal trainer is the best way to get you going in the fight direction. If affordability is an issue with a trainer, there are workout videos and books that you can buy to help you out, you can even find loads of exercise books at your local library that you can check out free of charge.

Another excuse that seems to be fairly common is; “I’m too old and/or out of shape to start exercising”. This excuse is really only valid if your doctor has told you that you should not exercise for some medical reason. If you are very out of shape or you are a senior citizen, then you may just have to start out slowly. Even starting out with only 5 minutes a day of exercise and slowly increasing as you go is much better than doing no exercise at all.

Last but not least and by far my favorite excuse is; “I hate anything to do with exercise”. This one always gives me a laugh. Most people who really think they hate exercise do so because they are stuck with the image that exercise is a series of boring, grunt and groan exercises involving heavy weights, or jogging far enough to complete the Boston marathon. The old adage of “no pain, no gain” is still embedded in the minds of many people, and who wants to have to go through pain every day to get in better shape? Exercise is really all about getting active and getting your body moving. Even playing in a softball league or hiking on a trail or bicycle riding is good exercise. Just find activities that you like to do and you will find that exercise can be fun.

Ok, no more excuses. The time is now. Making the time to spend even 30 minutes a day to get active, get in some exercise, and get yourself more healthy and fit will by far be the best thing you can do for yourself and your family. Think of how much more you can enjoy doing the things you like to do when you are in better condition and better yet, think about how much more you can enjoy your children as they grow up and how much more you can enjoy your grandchildren later in life.

There are statistics which show that, after years of training in body building, many of the persons who practiced this sport turned to fitness. The reasons of this change are different, from the most common ones, like the boredom which intervenes at a certain time, to health problems.

It is well-known that body building training of anaerobic type is very demanding. In most of the cases, the aerobic programs are avoided because sportsmen are afraid of losing muscular mass.

Another disadvantage of body building trainings is the fact that sportsmen have to work a lot with their chest blocked, in apnea, because of the great weights they use for increasing their muscles.

The respiratory blocking during the force effort is also known as the Valsalva phenomenon and it was initially studied in the case of weightlifters. Applying this technique can have as consequences, in time, rising of blood pressure, low blood feedback through the veins, varicous veins, etc. It is obvious that because of the ageing process, the blood veins become more rigid, a process favored by the arteriosclerosis which appears to younger and younger people. The elasticity of the walls of these blood vessels decreases, so while making force effort with really heavy weights, the sportsmen are in danger of having a stroke, because the vessels can break. This risk is much smaller in fitness.The weights used in this sport are small or medium, because the purpose of doing this sport is not a spectacular hypertrophy of the muscles, but fortifying, putting into relief and reshaping the muscles.

Another advantage of fitness is a richer and more varied area of exercises, inspired from the complex training of body building but also of many other sports. For example, we find in fitness plyometrics exercises used in athletics, gymnastics, weightlifting, fight sports, etc. These programs have as consequence the forming of much more functional muscles, which can cope with demanding situations in real life, not only with posing during body building contests.

Because there is no obsession for muscles, aerobic training can be introduced in the programs. Its advantages are: making the blood vessel walls more elastic, decreasing cholesterol and making excellent prophylaxis of cardiovascular diseases.

Time is another factor which must be considered. While in body building the simplest divided program requires a minimum of four weekly trainings, in fitness, where all or most of the muscle groups are exercised during one training, three non-consecutive days a week are enough. The aerobic exercises can be done either in the free days, or additional to the training in the gym, in this case the total time of training being of one hour and a half at most.

Passing from body building to fitness does not have as consequence significant loss of muscular mass, even if the volume of the muscles is diminished. Anyway, the fortifying and relief of the muscles are not lost. This small loss is fully compensated by the advantages of practicing much more complex exercises and, why not admit, much safer for the health of the people.

Aaahhh, the thought of getting up in the morning and going to the gym to lift weights or run on the treadmill. How about the thought of going to the gym after a hard days work when you’d probably rather just go home and relax? Even the thought of exercising at home on your own equipment can be less than desirable. Sometimes trying to get and stay motivated to exercise on a regular basis can be quite a challenge, after all, exercise can almost be downright boring and tedious at times.

So then just how can you get the motivation to maintain an exercise program on a regular basis? What can you do to make exercise something to look forward to everyday and not feel like a chore, like something you feel like you have to make yourself do each time? Well, here are some ideas that just might help to make exercising a little easier and a lot more fun.

To start with, exercise with a friend. Here you can challenge each other, help each other, keep each other motivated and on track, maybe try to make each other laugh during a set or while jogging on the treadmill, make kind of a game out of it.

Try something different. If you go to the gym everyday and use the same piece of equipment or use the same piece of equipment at home try mixing up your routine. Reverse your routine or just change the order of your exercises or sometimes don’t even go to the gym or use your home equipment. Go to a city park that has playground equipment. Use the slide, climb on the monkey bars, do pull-ups, hang from your knees, just use your imagination. You don’t need to always have a strict routine, just get out and work your muscles.

Do an outdoor circuit in the park. Some parks have circuit courses set up with a planned course and all you have to do is walk or jog to each station and follow the instructions. If there’s no planed course then do a combination of jogging and walking and pick a distance such as 200 feet. Jog 200 feet then drop and do 10 pushups, walk the next 200 feet then drop and do 20 abdominal crunches, then jog the next 200 feet and do 10 pull-ups if a bar or sturdy tree branch is available.

Try an activity like riding a bike around your neighborhood or hike on a hiking trail. A nice walk in the park or just around your neighborhood is a good way to get exercise. A little yoga in the park or on the beach is a nice relaxing way to exercise your body and your mind.

Try playing a competitive sport. Most cities have team activities such as softball, volleyball, tennis, soccer and so on. And these activities not only provide you with good exercise but also put you in circumstances to meet a lot of new people as well.

When exercising, picture your muscles. Studies have shown that if you focus your thoughts on the muscles you are working, they will respond better. Try to see them working with each repetition as they contract and relax.

As you can see, there are many ways to make getting exercise more fun and interesting. You need not always follow the standard routine of going to the gym or using your home equipment and doing the same old exercises day after day. The important thing is just that you incorporate exercise in any various forms into your everyday life and make these habits the kind of habits that will last a lifetime.

1. Number of trainings. What’s most necessary for making a fitness program more effective is establishing a certain number of trainings every week. It is considered that the minimum number of trainings is two (anaerobic) and three (aerobic) every week. If they are combined, their number can be reduced to three trainings a week (two combined and one aerobic). Obviously, an increase in the number of weekly trainings brings better and more rapid results. Their maximum number would be four force trainings (anaerobic) and six resistance trainings (aerobic).

Doing less than the minimum of training could lead to erasing of information and getting out of shape. Training more than the maximum indicated could bring with it the risk of over-training, of physical overwork.

2. Individualize the frequency of the programs. One of the roles of the fitness trainer is to individualize the frequency of the programs, in order to find the best periodicity for every person involved in training.

3. Performing the exercises correctly. Another factor that can increase the effectiveness of a training program is performing the exercises correctly. Wrong technique will quickly determine worse results, even if the program which includes those exercises is well conceived, organized in time and personalized. Besides lack of good results, the person who didn’t acquire good training technique exposes himself to the risk of sometimes very bad accidents (muscular ruptures, hernia, stroke, etc.).

4. Performed automatically. The movements a person learns must get to be mastered and performed automatically, the same as the technique of breathing which accompany them. This way, the sportsman will save mental energy that he can use for getting the right intensity, focusing on the muscle towards which a particular exercise is directed, forced repetitions of movements, etc. Any new exercise require patience and time in order to be correctly assimilated and introduced in the set of exercises mastered by any sportsman.

5. Well-balanced diet and hydration. Besides a well-balanced diet (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids – 4:1:1 – the proportion in grams per kilogram of food principles), hydrating must be given special care. Good hydrating of the body has as a result the increase of the efficiency of a fitness program. The body must be carefully hydrated before, during and after training. The sensation of thirst must not be experienced – this would only be a late signal of dehydration. The types of liquids that can be used can and should vary a lot: soda, plant teas, fruit, fresh juice, isotonic drinks, energizers, etc. Be also careful with the drinks that fasten dehydration. This category of liquids includes drinks which contain caffeine or alcohol. They forcedly increase dieresis, fastening dehydration, which is also naturally determined by the training (especially by aerobic training).

6. Biorhythm. Another factor that must be considered is biorhythm, which is specific to each person. The training must thus be placed at the time of maximum physical efficiency, time which is directly related to the increase of the body temperature

According to few insulin levels play the largest role in losing weight. Other experts determine that our body type is the key to finding the proper exercises and diet plans that work with the body. To find out your body type you will need to talk to your doctor, or else visit the World Wide Net to find answers to your questions. Other details are available over the Internet that can help you decide on which diet is best for you, as well as which exercises works best with your body.

To achieve a healthier status and maintain weight diet must combine with exercise, since one without the other will not work. Combining healthy provisions with correct exercises can bring you good health and physical fitness, which will enhance your quality of life. It will also help you keep your body’s zone to a level.

The body and mind is complicated, however both work together to produce results. Many experts, including theorists, doctors, scientist, and philosophers are continuing to find answers to the body’s functions.

Some of the confusion comes when people diet, exercise and take care of them self, yet they still gain weight. Barry Sears wrote a compelling book titled A Week in the Zone, which produced some outstanding advice. Some of the information in the book helps us to decide on exercises and diets that suit us best, since insulin plays a large part in healthier living. The author lets us know that the hormones consequence of intakes of carbohydrates and caloric differ from the hormones that produce protein and calories. , he continues letting us know that the effects of hormones that produce fats and calories too differ in the direction of health. (p. 3)

The author brings us to see that a balance is needed, yet the balance is factored by the different hormonal levels. Thus, eating healthy, giving the body proper fluids and exercising is the only answer to living a productive and quality lifestyle.

One of the biggest setbacks that people adhere to is making excuses to avoid dieting and exercise. Countless of people find it easier said than done to stick with diet and exercise programs that facilitates them to remain healthy while maintaining weight.

One of the largest reasons is that most people do not understand their body and its type, or have difficulty adhering to a schedule. One of the largest reasons why this happens is that many people find it difficult to plan, set goals that work, and find solutions that help the person maintain a schedule. The threesome is the ultimate tools for working toward good health and fitness. If you are uncertain of the types of exercises, this too can hold you back. Walking up and down the stairs is an aerobic exercise. Mowing the lawn is another type of exercise. Anytime the body is in motion, producing actions it is exercising. Lifting 12’ ounces of beer is not an exercise. Alcohol if overused will affect the body and mind dramatically.

Other forms of exercise are merely walking to the store instead of driving your car, especially if the store is down the road. If you find it, difficult getting started with exercise makes effort to ask a friend or family member to join you. Otherwise, possibly at your workplace a team of people is joining a gym to better their health, maybe you can go with them. If you have a dog, dogs enjoy walking, therefore put your feet in motion and make your dog happy. Children also enjoy walking with parents, therefore spend time with your children and exercise while doing so.

Therefore, if you have intricacy with setting goals, planning, or sticking to a schedule, begin by using the stairs in place of an elevator at what time you visit your doctor, or other appointments. In addition, you could scythe the lawn in place of paying the fellow citizen down the street to do the work for you. Beginning exercise is by no means easy, but you have to start somewhere to reach a healthier status!

For more bodybuilding and fitness articles please visit Bodybuilding and Fitness Blog.

Let’s start with this very important rule: NEVER OVERDO THE FIRST FEW SESSIONS. Many beginners to exercising fall for this trap, especially when they do not have qualified trainers with them. They get overly excited and lose patience. They try to produce in two weeks what often takes years to accomplish.

They begin by going all out right from the start doing as much as they can. The next day, their joints and muscles lock up in pain. Then, they get discouraged, stop exercising for a while and give it up altogether. Workouts should start out smooth and easy.

Here is a warm-up routine to do 1 set of before every workout, but doing 3 sets of these alone can be a pretty good workout; particularly if you are a beginner.

LEG STRETCH
Lean over deeply on your left foot while your right leg is stretched out to your right side. Maintain balance.
Slowly, raise yourself with your left leg to a standing position.
As you stand, spread your feet wide apart.
Repeat this for ten counts.
Do steps 1 to 4 again; this time, alternate the legs’ position (left becomes right, and vice-versa).
This exercise warms up your legs, calves, and abdomen.

LEG SQUAT
Stand erect, chest out, with your buttocks protruding and your stomach in. Put your hands straight out in front of you. Relax.
Do squats by bending your legs to lower your body. Bend your legs until your upper legs (thighs) are parallel to the ground and you are in a squatting position. Keep your body erect as you squat.
Then raise yourself as you straighten your legs back to a standing position.
Do around 5 to 10 squats. Inhale deeply as you go down. Exhale as you stand up.
This exercise warms up your leg muscles, calves, and the muscles in your abdomen.

TRUNK TWIST
Stand with your feet about 3 feet apart. Relax.
Place your hands behind your head with your elbows out to the sides.
Very slowly, twist your body to your right without moving your legs or feet. Try to twist to your right as far as possible. Your face and body should be facing your right side while your legs remain steady. Then hold on to this position for 10 seconds.
Do the same to your left side.
This exercise warms up your legs, back muscles, and abdomen.

ARM ROTATION
Stretch out your arms to your sides. Keep them level with your shoulders.
Simultaneously rotate both arms to the front. Do this 20 times each rotation.
This exercises your shoulders, arms, and back muscles.

ARMS PRESS
Bring your right and left palms together. Have all fingers and palms pressing each other in front of you while pointing the fingers upwards.
Simultaneously push one palm against the other as hard as you can. Keep pushing for 5 seconds. Relax. Then push again for 5 seconds.
Do this ten times. Exhale as you push, and inhale as you relax.
Then press both palms in front of you while having their fingers pointing in different directions one set of fingers pointing to your left, the other set to your right. If your left fingers point to the right, your left hand should be under your right hand.
Push both palms against each other, the left palm pushing upwards, the right palm pushing downwards.
Exhale as you push, and inhale as you relax. Do this ten times. Then change the positions of your palms (left over right) and do the same procedures.
This exercises your forearms, arms, shoulders, and latissimus muscles (the muscles at the sides that give your body a V shape).

NECK PUSH
Gently move your head to your right side while your right hand gently pushes back against it. Do this once.
Gently move your head to your left side as your left hand gently pushes back against it. Do this once.
Gently move your head backwards as your left or right hand gently pushes back against it. Do this once.
Gently bow your head to the front as your right or left hand gently pushes against your forehead. Do this once.
This exercise strengthens your neck muscles. Never do neck rotations.

PUSH-UP
Do slow push-ups from 10 to 15 counts.
This exercises your arms, chest, shoulders, part of your abdomen, and part of your back muscles.

JOGGING
Jog in place for 3 minutes.
Then jog in place a lot faster for 2 minutes.
Then jog in place with a normal pace for another 3 minutes.
This exercise gives you a good leg and calf warm-up. This also serves as aerobics for your lungs and heart.

There! That ought to do it. After doing the above warm up exercises for some time, you should be ready start doing regular weight training and cardio workouts. Then just do 1 set of these exercises to properly warm up before you start each workout.

If anyone has decided to embark on a diet and fitness programme, please read my article on my personal experiences in this area and feel free to use this in any other articles.

Modern life results in many factors which can cause depression and anxiety in the normal person, life pressures, work, relationships, image and general well being all come into context. Today we are barraged within the media by articles and glossy altered images of beautiful people designed at making us buy products or by into a certain lifestyle manipulated by marketing corporates.

Everyone to some effect are manipulated by advertising in the media, if not we would all buy the same products and look the same. I myself embarked on a diet and fitness programme many years ago and now run my life by this programme with the odd day off for good behavior. A few years ago I decided to take fitness seriously as the benefits included relieving stress and anxiety which at the time was becoming an issue in my personal life. I firstly took up running, at first this was extremely hard going only being able to run for about five minutes at any one time.

I decided the best route to take was to write down my distances and time and log these for reference; a routine then developed in my running and before long I was up to twenty minutes in a session. I then made significant progress in the following months as part of a personal goal objective and quickly made an average of forty minutes running in a session. What I found as a result of this exercise was that I felt so much better in myself, my stress levels reduced and my anxiety dropped considerably.

I also found that running first thing in the morning made me feel good for the rest of the day, it is documented that that early morning runs are the best time to burn fat as you run on an empty stomach and the body uses fat as fuel.

When I run in the morning I find this clears my head for the rest of the day, any bad feelings are gone by the end of the session giving me a positive outlook. I also run in a local royal park which the early mornings holds many beautiful sites such as wild animals and birds sharing the same environment of me virtually undisturbed.

I always ensure that I complete a full stretch exercise before running paying particular attention to the legs and thigh muscles, if you do not stretch then this could result in soreness and could tear important muscles as they have not had the time to get a good blood flow within the muscle groups. I would recommend stretching everyday even on the days when you don’t run as this will prevent fatigue and soreness which is very important. It also very important to refuel the body with good quality carbohydrates in within the hour after the exercise as this will give the body the required nutrients and energy.

I would strongly recommend running as an exercise which benefits the body aswell as the mind.

Once you have been diagnosed with diabetes, the first thing you here from your doctor is to “get some exercise”. Pretty soon everyone is jumping on the bandwagon and pointing out to you just how important it is to “get some exercise”. I know, I suffer Type 2 diabetes, but I have learnt how to control the disease, and getting exercise is an important part of that control. At first you think how can I possibly exercise, it was probably this mindset, and lack of exercise, that brought on the disease. You are probably well overweight, a major contributor to the disease, and the feelings of apprehension set in, how can I possibly exercise.

While you may be thinking “that’s easier said than done”, you may be surprised to learn that exercise isn’t necessarily about “no pain – no gain”. Regular physical activity can become an enjoyable part of your day with long term benefits to your diabetes and your overall health. You will even lose weight. It is as important to a diabetic as is giving up smoking. Regular physical activity is certainly worth the effort with the following benefits.

For the person with diabetes

Improves the body’s response to insulin.
Can therefore lower glucose levels.
Lowers blood pressure and improves cholesterol levels.
Reduces the risk of heart disease.
Lose Weight.

Other benefits and positives

Reduces stress and tension.
Increases energy levels
Strengthens bone structure.
Improves mental outlook.
Increases fitness levels.
Improves sleeping habits

It is recommended that you aim to spend at least 30 minutes a day doing some form of moderate intensity physical activity. Moderate intensity physical activity means you will notice your heart rate increase, and you may have a light sweat. If you are not breathing more quickly than usual, it is not helping. If on the other hand you are gasping and unable to talk, you are overdoing it. If you are trying to lose weight, 30 minutes may not be enough, but it is an excellent place to start. Also, read everything you can on the subject of diabetes information and I can suggest http://www.health4diabetes.com is a great resource.

My form of activity was walking and playing tennis and golf. Initially I started on flat walks of 25 – 30 minutes, and then once fit boosted it to about 45 minutes walking more quickly, and “took to the hills”. I am lucky to have both flat and hill sectors in my neighbourhood. I have lost 8 Kg (17.5lb), feel fit and strong, and currently have the diabetes under control. I know I can’t cure the disease, but I can live with it and not have to suffer.

Fitness is a state of the human body that allows it to function up to its full potential. It is the ability to do regular jobs without any strain, while being alert and energetic enough to endure any stressful activities. It is basically a condition wherein, all the major parts of the body, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, bones and muscles are in proper working condition. There are four aspects related to physical fitness: cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, and muscular endurance and flexibility. Fitness programs are the path to having a healthy body. They are the perfect way to incorporate exercise into the daily routine. Fitness programs, when followed religiously, are a remarkable way to counter several diseases, even in old age. Fitness programs need a lot of commitment and hard work.
There are several stages in incorporating a fitness program into your daily routine. The first thing is to check your present health condition to determine what kind of a program would suit you. This requires a basic health check up of blood pressure, diabetes-check, and a full work over for any suspected diseases, and past injuries. Also, consider your family history. Are you prone to heart attacks, strokes, arthritis, and other ailments? A major aspect in physical fitness is the body’s composition, which indicates the makeup of the body in terms of the ratio of lean mass to fat mass. Lean mass is comprised of muscle, bone, vital tissue and organs. Fat is fat.
Fitness programs take all these physical conditions of the person into account. The ideal exercise regime for a person will suit his/her body type. This is also contingent upon one’s objective be it weight loss, physical strength, or others. Fitness programs are composed of several kinds of activities such as: aerobics, aquatic exercises, golf, walking, skipping, jogging, swimming, bicycling, running, skiing, or playing sports like tennis and squash.
Fitness program should be chosen to suit your fitness level. They should be enjoyable, with realistic goals, and should fit well with your lifestyle. Some people may not see immediate results. Depending on the program as well as their body type results may vary. However, patience is very important. Choosing more than one type of exercise would also make it interesting. You can opt for an instructor for special kinds of fitness programs or for group fitness programs. People with disabilities need to follow fitness programs consistently.
There are many professional fitness centers that have sophisticated equipment to suit all kinds of people and their fitness needs. These centers have professionals and medical specialists who would be able to offer advice about the best kind of fitness program to take up. They provide customized workout routines, nutrition plans, personal trainers, and expert guidance to make the results last.

Physical fitness is the ability to function effectively throughout your workday, perform your usual other activities and still have enough energy left over to handle any extra stresses or emergencies which may arise.

The components of physical fitness are:

* Cardiorespiratory (CR) endurance - the efficiency with which the body delivers oxygen and nutrients needed for muscular activity and transports waste products from the cells.

* Muscular strength - the greatest amount of force a muscle or muscle group can exert in a single effort.

* Muscular endurance - the ability of a muscle or muscle group to perform repeated movements with a sub-maximal force for extended periods of times.

* Flexibility - the ability to move the joints or any group of joints through an entire, normal range of motion.

* Body composition - the percentage of body fat a person has in comparison to his or her total body mass.

Improving the first three components of fitness listed above will have a positive impact on body composition and will result in less fat. Excessive body fat detracts from the other fitness components, reduces performance, detracts from appearance, and negatively affects your health.

Factors such as speed, agility, muscle power, eye-hand coordination, and eye-foot coordination are classified as components of “motor” fitness. These factors most affect your athletic ability. Appropriate training can improve these factors within the limits of your potential. A sensible weight loss and fitness program seeks to improve or maintain all the components of physical and motor fitness through sound, progressive, mission specific physical training.

Principles of Exercise

Adherence to certain basic exercise principles is important for developing an effective program. The same principles of exercise apply to everyone at all levels of physical training, from the Olympic-caliber athlete to the weekend jogger.

These basic principles of exercise must be followed.

Regularity

To achieve a training effect, you must exercise often. You should exercise each of the first four fitness components at least three times a week. Infrequent exercise can do more harm than good. Regularity is also important in resting, sleeping, and following a sensible diet.

Progression

The intensity (how hard) and/or duration (how long) of exercise must gradually increase to improve the level of fitness.

Balance

To be effective, a program should include activities that address all the fitness components, since overemphasizing any one of them may hurt the others.

Variety

Providing a variety of activities reduces boredom and increases motivation and progress.

Specificity

Training must be geared toward specific goals. For example, people become better runners if their training emphasizes running. Although swimming is great exercise, it does not improve a 2-mile-run time as much as a running program does.

Recovery

A hard day of training for a given component of fitness should be followed by an easier training day or rest day for that component and/or muscle group(s) to help permit recovery. Another way to allow recovery is to alternate the muscle groups exercised every other day, especially when training for strength and/or muscle endurance.

Overload

The work load of each exercise session must exceed the normal demands placed on the body in order to bring about a training effect.