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My Goals For You
When I first sit down with a new client I always ask them what their fitness goals are. I typically hear things like get ready for the beach season, drop a few holiday pounds, or look good for a class reunion. Those goals are all certainly understandable. I have a few other goals for each client.
Increase Muscle Strength, Mass & Endurance The primary purpose of strength exercise is to improve muscle strength. This will help with daily activities that everyone performs.
Another principal objective for many personal training participants is to increase muscle mass. Any client’s potential to add muscle tissue is influenced by genetic factors and may vary considerably among individuals. An increase in muscle mass is often viewed as undesirable for many clients. An increase in muscle mass means the muscle density has increased. An increase in muscle size is only attained when the individual is consuming a surplus of calories.
As muscle strength increases so does muscle endurance. Now push mowing the lawn becomes a lot easier.
Increase Cardiovascular Endurance Strength training may not be the best means for improving cardiovascular endurance. However, when a circuit is performed with minimum rest between stations, substantial increases in aerobic capacity may be attained.
Enhance Joint Flexibility Empirical evidence indicates that properly performed strength exercise is useful for enhancing both muscle strength and joint flexibility. It should be understood that high levels of muscle strength and joint flexibility are compatible characteristics.
Improve Body Composition Body composition refers to the amounts of lean tissue and fat tissue that comprise our bodyweight. Adults typically lose 5 pounds of lean weight and gain 15 pounds of fat weight every decade, resulting in poorer composition as we age. Both dieting and endurance exercise can reduce the fat accumulation, but ONLY STRENGTH EXERCISE can replace the muscle tissue. That is a big factor in our INDEPENDENT LIFESTYLE.
Increase Resting Metabolism Muscle is very active tissue, less muscle means a lower energy requirement and a reduced resting metabolic rate. As a result, our resting metabolism drops about 5 percent per decade. Although endurance exercise increases our activity metabolism, it has little effect on our resting metabolism. Because strength exercise builds muscle tissue, it increases both our activity metabolism and our resting metabolism.
Increase Physical Capacity Everything we do requires a certain percentage of our maximum strength. Even sitting at a desk demands muscular effort, particularly in our low back and neck areas. Many office workers experience neck and back fatigue during the afternoon hours. More muscle strength is advantageous for essentially all physical activities, here is an example. If your maximum biceps strength is 30 pounds, carrying a 25-pound bag of dog food is a relatively difficult task. If you increase your maximum biceps strength to 45 pounds, carrying a 25-pound bag of dogfood is now relatively easy task.
Increase Athletic Power Successful sports performance is largely dependent on your ability to produce power. In simplest terms, power is the product of movement speed and muscle force.
Decrease Injury Risk PROPERLY PERFORMED strength exercise makes our muscles better shock absorbers and better joint stabilizers. By strengthening all or our major muscle groups, we maintain joint integrity, and reduce the risk of muscle imbalance and overuse injuries.
Enhance Personal Appearance Our muscles are the chassis of our body. Although too much fat can detract from our appearance, our muscles are responsible for our basic physique and physical structure. Strength training is unlikely to produce “Mr. America” muscles unless you are genetically gifted. However, strength training can certainly make the difference between soft, unappealing muscles and firm, attractive muscles.
Improve Self-Concept Strength training participants report that both the exercise process and the exercise product are positive reinforcers. Physical development is accompanied by greater self-confidence and self-esteem.
Beneficial Physiological Adaptations Other beneficial physiological adaptations that result from regular strength exercise include increased bone mineral density, better blood lipid levels, decreased arthritic discomfort, improved glucose metabolism, and reduced resting blood pressure.
INDEPENDENT LIFESTYLE When I walk through a fitness center one thing really sticks out. The amount of people, and even the majority of trainers, that are actually causing harm to their bodies. Incorrect training techniques can lead to a severe reduction in your independent lifestyle. Basically that means living without assistance. Doing your daily duties very late in life because you have taken care of yourself. Being able to hike, bike, swim, play with the grandkids, and stay active in your later years. When you cause damage from incorrect training or lack of a prudent training program you can be assured you have really increased the chances of landing in an assisted living facility well before you would want. That simply means the body has broken down from poor maintenance. A top priority of my training program is to increase your independent lifestyle. | | |
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