Physical exercises to get fit - Part 1-

The basis of any fitness programme is to work on two separate areas: muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness. The best way to train your muscles to get stronger is with weights, including your own bodyweight. During these exercises you will be using your muscles to lift weight with a slow, controlled motion.

Your cardiovascular system is made up of your heart, blood and lungs, and its job is to get oxygen to your muscles so you can move faster for longer. The best way to train this system is to get your heart rate up by running, swimming and cycling. Physical fitness is about testing yourself, and as with most tests you can’t expect to be able to cram it all in at the last minute. Fitness can only be improved gradually over time. Over the next six pages you will be given the tools you need to achieve this – to become stronger and fitter, and prepared for the initial Army training that lies ahead.

■ You should always check with your doctor before starting

any intense exercise programme.

The upper body:

 A strong upper body is vital for general fitness and the ability to take on any challenge: The muscles in your upper body are your powerhouse, used for more than just hauling things around. You use them when running to help rotate your hips, when climbing obstacles and when balancing your own bodyweight. Some of the following exercises have the option of using dumb-bells. You should aim to use dumb- bells eventually, but initially do the exercises without them until you are happy that you are using perfect technique, or ‘form’.

Chin-up

■ Hold bar with your palms facing towards you

■ Brace your abdomen then pull up with arms

■ Keep your legs together and straight

■ Pull your chest up to the bar to clear chin

■ Lower down in a controlled manner until your arms are straight

Press-up

■ Keep your feet together and elbows in

■ Your body should form a straight line

■ Brace the muscles in your abdomen

■ keeping your body straight, bend your elbows to lower your chest to within a few inches of the ground. Inhale as you lower yourself

■ Press back up, exhaling as you go

Tricep dip

■ Start with arms straight, and thighs level and parallel to the ground

■ Lower your body, keeping your back to the block as you do so

■ Keep your elbows pointing back

■ Stop before your upper arms are parallel with the floor, then press back up again

THE CORE:

Vital muscles that stabilise and transmit strength between your upper and lower body: The muscles in your midriff, including your abdominals, are referred to as the ‘core’. The muscle tissue visible on the surface – the ‘sixpack’– is actually made up of a single sheet of muscle that runs from your pelvis right up to the bottom of your ribcage, called the rectus abdominus or ‘abs’. But the muscles that really do the work lie underneath the abs. These are vital to fitness because they stabilise and transmit strength between your upper and lower body, improving your athletic performance. The humble sit-up is still the best way to train these muscles.

Dorsal raise (right)

■ Lie on your front with hands by temples

■ Use your lower back muscles to lift your shoulders and chest off the floor

■ Lift slowly; do not bounce off the floor

Assisted sit-up (above)

■ Lie back with knees bent and ankles supported

■ Hold your arms across your chest

■ Keep your shoulders back and neck straight

■ Brace your abdomen and sit all the way up

■ Lower yourself under control

■ Do not allow your shoulders to touch the floor

the Lower body:

These powerful muscles carry you around and are the foundation of any strong body: The squat and lunge are good exercises for the muscles in your lower body, improving your ability to lift loads as well as your running, cycling and swimming.

Lunge (left)

■ Place feet shoulder-width apart

■ Draw back shoulders and brace abdomen

■ Step forwards, bending front leg and back knee

■ Drive back upright with front leg

squat (right)

■ Place feet just wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly out

■ Bend your knees and lower yourself down

■ Keep knees above toes and push hips back

■ Do not arch or round your lower back; stop when thighs are parallel with floor

■ Return to standing position

RUNNING:

Every soldier needs to be able to run properly, but there is a lot more to correct technique than just putting your best foot forward

Running fitness is a core requirement of every soldier in the Army, so it pays to get it right. The best runners make it look very easy, even though running is one of the toughest things you can ask your body to do. The trick lies in developing an efficient running style, which moves you along without wasting energy or exhausting you too quickly. If you flail your limbs around then you will waste

energy and invite an injury. Rather than going flat-out every time you run, try establishing a steady rhythm which you can maintain for the length of your workout. You can introduce some faster ‘burst’ work to push your fitness up and work your muscles but longer- distance, endurance running should form most of your training.

Follow the technique advice opposite and remember that all you need to run is a good pair of shoes.

SWIMMING AND CYCLING:

Enjoyable alternatives to running and important exercises in their own right – make them an essential part of your training programme

CYCLING:

Cycling boosts your fitness and tests your reflexes. It also trains your muscles in a different way to running or swimming, setting them a new challenge. The stationary bike is a good exercise alternative in the gym. Stick to these basic rules and you will be flying along:

■ Keep your upper body relaxed and regularly change hand position to avoid tensing your arms or shoulders

■ Do not swing your torso or head from side to side

■ Your hips should stay level when pedalling

■ Maintain a constant level of force all the way around each pedal stroke to avoid ‘dead spots’ in the movement

■ Keep up a high number of pedal strokes per minute (cadence) because this is more efficient

Tip: When you start working out on a cycling bike, and you are working really, hard, sweating, losing a lot of water don’t forget to add electrolytes to your water mix, or maybe eat a banana, which has potassium.
You are burning a ton of calories in an indoor cycling class “Anywhere from 600 to 800 calories in a 45-minute spin class. It is secret to lose weight.

Swimming:

Because you are slightly supported by the water, swimming is a great way to get fit without the repetitive impact of running. Follow these tips when you swim:

■ Keep each stroke as long as possible – you swim faster by increasing the distance of the stroke, not increasing the number of strokes per minute

■ Keep your shoulders back and try to bring your shoulder blades together at the end of each stroke

■ Brace your abdomen and try to keep your hips high in the water to avoid dragging your legs behind you

In next post I will tell for how to HOW TO DO Circuit training to loss weight

Key research

exercise cd for seniors

face exerciser

seniors fitness programs

fitness programs for seniors

fitness for senior citizens

exercise cd for seniors

face exercisers

face exerciser

seniors fitness programs

fitness programs for seniors