How to design a physical fitness program

The results of your physical fitness tests are essential to determine your goals. The results will help you decide which types of exercises you should focus on, and help you understand the relative difficulty of attaining those goals. Having specific goals will allow you to track your progress and enjoy the measurable changes brought about by your fitness program. Even if you occasionally lose ground, you will be able to accomplish everything if you stick to your plan.

Cycling is a great sport to improve your cardiovascular endurance. The next thing you need to consider in your fitness plan is what activities you're going to do. It is usually best to include different exercises that will help you improve each of the following fitness components:. Do at least three minute bouts of continuous aerobic rhythmic exercises each week. Aerobic activities include walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, and jump rope.

A minimum of two minute sessions per week that consist of exercises that engage all the major muscle groups. Lifting weights is the most effective way to increase strength. At least three minute sessions per week that include exercises such as calisthenics—such as push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups—and weight training for all the major muscle groups. Take 10 to 12 minutes each day to stretch slowly, without bouncing into the movement. This can be done after your warm-up or during your cool-down.

Combine a healthy diet with your regular exercise. Include both cardiovascular endurance exercises to burn calories and resistance training to build muscle mass. Maintaining a healthy diet is essential to keeping your fitness plan on track. Instead of turning exercise into a chore, select activities that support your commitment to the plan. Consider the following factors when making your choices:. Your fitness program plan is much more likely to be successful if you choose activities that you enjoy doing.

Consider activities that you presently participate in and enjoy. Often, you can modify your current hobbies to suit your fitness regimen. Although many activities are appropriate for beginners, some sports require an intermediate level of skill to provide you with fitness benefits. The book Physical Fitness for Practically Everybody by Kusinitz and Fine has a summary of different sports and activities that suit different needs.

This book will help you determine if you have the minimum level of fitness required to participate in the sports that you are considering. Unless exercise fits into your daily schedule, you are unlikely to maintain your program over the long term. As you consider what activity to do, think about if you have to do it particular location or facility. Some sports and activities require special equipment, membership fees, or another kind of expense.

If you are on a tight budget, limit yourself to exercises that are inexpensive or free. If you have special exercise needs due to a particular health problem, choose activities that suit your needs and accommodate your problem.

If necessary, consult a doctor. Apply the FITT principle and set a starting frequency, intensity, and duration for each type of activity you have chosen. To keep your program on track, it is necessary to have goals and rewards. Break your specific goals into several steps and establish a target date for each.

For example, if one of your goals is to improve your upper body strength and endurance, you could use a push-up test to set your intermediate goals.

If you currently perform ten push-ups, doing 12, 15, and then 20 push-ups can be your intermediate goals. Meeting a small series of goals is more satisfying than working toward a single, more challenging goal that may take months to achieve. Realistic goals, broken into achievable mini goals, can boost your chances of success. Your daily physical activity level plays a significant part in having a fit and healthy lifestyle.

Think of ways you could be more active as you go about your daily routine. A record that tracks your daily progress will help remind you of your ongoing commitment to your program and give you a sense of accomplishment. If you have specific, measurable goals, you can graph your weekly or monthly progress toward your goal.

Therefore max speed and acceleration need to be differentiated in training. Very Important Tip 2: Speed training sessions must always include long rest periods and focus solely on quality. Speed development is about teaching the neuromuscular system to operate at full speed and power and this is not possible if there is any fatigue.

If rests are too short, the training will only develop speed endurance and not maximum speed. Balance and coordination have to be developed through many different methods, as variety is key. Exercises on the wobble board and balance beam are great for this. With a little imagination one can think of many things to challenge an athlete's balance and coordination. For instance, balancing on a wobble board while juggling.

Stability, especially in the trunk, must also be developed through various methods. I recommend using gymnastic balls, learning some Tai Chi moves right , as well as using a medicine ball for the stomach and low back exercises.

Particularly effective are static bridging exercises, e. The Plank, for developing functional core stability. A stability workout should be performed at least twice a week. Peak Performance is a newsletter for athletes, featuring the latest research from the sports science world. Peak Performance January 22, T he fitness trainer is now becoming accepted as a necessary member of the modern coaching team. This new coaching model has the Head Coach leading a team of specialist coaches, therapists and sports scientists.

For example, the head coach is accompanied by a secondary technical coach, a physiotherapist, a psychologist, a fitness trainer and a physiologist, with each performing their specified role, but communicating and working as a team. Step 1 is to set the athlete's or team's goals - what do they want to achieve. Step 2 is to assess the athlete's or team's current level of fitness. This assessment must cover all the relevant fitness areas specific to their sport or event.

Step 3 is the gap analysis, which is calculating the difference for each fitness component between the current and ideal fitness levels. Finally, Step 4 is designing the training program that will improve each respective fitness area to the required level. Some weight training experience and completes regular cycling and treadmill workouts.

Set A Goal Become a professional player on tour. Squat Jumps Click To Enlarge. Verical Jump Click To Enlarge. Drop Jump Click To Enlarge. Press Up Click To Enlarge. Sit Up Click To Enlarge. Leg Press Click To Enlarge. About The Author.

Resisted sprints, 10 x T drill, 2 mins rest. Power cleans , Squats , leg curls , power lunges , medicine ball for upper body and trunk. What Are Frappier Drills? Weight Lifted Reps Done One-Rep Max.

Instructions: Enter the amount of weight you lifted and the number of reps you lifted it for the number of reps must be between 1 and 10 in order for the calculation to work. What Does Tai Chi Mean? The most widely known form of Chinese exercise. A soft martial art or physical meditation art which uses posture, slow movement and breathing to harmonize and energize.

Knowing how to identify your body type will greatly determine the type of workout suited to you. In general terms, this will allow you to set goals and define the objective of each exercise. Ectomorphs mostly need to gain muscle mass as well as some weight. Otherwise, endomorphs should focus on losing weight and burning fat. Doing so will give them a toned and balanced body, which is their biggest challenge. In such cases, they usually train more days a week, spending many hours at the gym.

On the other hand, mesomorphs have to exercise according to their objectives. Some will need to gain strength and design workouts that will lead to muscle fatigue. An ectomorph should concentrate on weightlifting exercises. The weights they lift should be the highest possible. Their sets should have a few repetitions and long breaks two to three minutes between sets.

Its structure will enable them to gain muscle mass while toning at the same time. As a result, there are different routines, techniques, and weights involved. In contrast, endomorphs will first have to eliminate excess body fat.