Essentials of Fitness
The Essentials of Fitness
There are infinite levels of fitness that an individual can achieve, but the essential components of health and wellness are flexibility, resistance, and cardio:
Flexibility allows muscles and joints to move through their natural range of motion. Proper range of motion ensures that nutrient rich blood flow is able to circulate unimpeded. Poor flexibility leads to stiffness, poor posture, back problems, movement limitations, and a higher risk for injury to muscles, tendons, and ligaments. With aging and inactivity comes less range of motion. What is unclear is how much of this reduction in joint flexibility is caused by aging or the reduced physical activity related to aging. Anyone, regardless of age, can improve flexibility and stretching is the best way to maintain good flexibility. It offers relief from muscle tension and stiffness and allows us to move normally and without effort.
Stretching the major joints at least three times a week will promote and ensure the best results. How much stretch is enough? Stretching to the point of mild discomfort then easing off and holding for 30 seconds is the standard and most effective protocol. It should not be painful. I have witnessed countless individuals pulling to hard or bouncing and end up pulling or, worse yet, tearing muscles or tendons. Bouncing while stretching is an open invitation to a painful and debilitating hyperextension of a joint. Again, the goal is to promote and establish functional range of motion. Many stretching exercises exist and I can help you find the ones that are specific to your individual needs. A regular habit of stretching will ensure proper mobility throughout life.
Resistance can be achieved through a number of modes such as bands or free weights, but the primary function is to stimulate muscular breakdown and subsequent repair. I call this the essence of life … constant breakdown and rebuilding of muscle tissue. The human body is a highly efficient tissue machine. Inactive muscle is reabsorbed in a process medically known as muscle atrophy. Muscle atrophy over time will compromise physical and emotional integrity, thus exposing the individual to maladies such as heart disease and other ailments.
For most people the continuum of tissue breakdown and replenishment eventually evolves into a maintenance phase. Becoming stronger doesn’t necessarily have to mean bigger or bulkier. It is not my goal to make you muscular … it is my ultimate goal to make you healthier, stronger, and happier overall. Your long-term fitness goals will ultimately determine your recommended daily caloric intake.
Cardio, short for cardiovascular is any activity that stimulates and strengthens the heart muscle, which is the most important muscle of the human body. Why is it important to strengthen the heart? The heart is responsible for moving nutrients such as oxygen, glycogen, and hormones by way of the the bloodstream so that bodily organs can function at optimal rates … it essentially moves sustenance throughout the human body. Improving cardiovascular capacity and efficiency will result in increased energy, enhanced fat-burning (weight loss), easier weight control (maintenance), and profound improvement in your ability to think and function on a daily basis (productivity).
Which of the three is the most important component?
All three components are equally important and are in perfect unison when individual’s are at the peak of their fitness. How? While resistance training is essential for maintaining structural strength and integrity against life’s rigors, when a muscle contracts and relaxes, it physically shortens and returns to its resting state. Over time and without proper stretching, it will lose its elasticity and render the individual with poor range of motion and subsequent muscular stiffness and/or soreness. With me as your trainer you will never have to worry about this occurring as every training session will conclude with a thorough stretch of the entire body.
Even without stimulation, a muscle can lose elasticity and the skeletal structure associated with that muscle will fall out of alignment as in the case of poor posture. To correct this debilitating condition, it is important to strengthen the rhomboid muscles and surrounding secondary muscles (teres minor, supraspinatus) to naturally pull back the shoulders to the correct position, thus rehabilitating the natural curvature of the spinal column. As you can see, as much as it is important to strengthen primary muscles, it is equally important to stimulate surrounding supporting muscle groups.
ADRIAN says:
IF im tryin to bulk up should i cut out cardio?
April 8th, 2009 at 4:44 pm