Principles of Exercise Training

Abstract

Virtually all individuals interested in total-body health and fitness should not only follow a sound nutritional program, but should also perform regular physical activity including aerobic or cardiovascular training and weight or resistance training. This is true for adolescents as well as seniors. There are a myriad of health and fitness benefits associated with regular physical activity. Various health and fitness benefits are typically associated with either cardiovascular or resistance training. However, there is much overlap in the benefits of these two training modalities in terms of fitness and health benefits as well as overlap between what is considered a health or a fitness benefit. Health benefits typically associated with aerobic training include reduced blood pressure, improved blood lipid profile, reduced resting heart rate, reduced body fat, and protection from osteoporosis. Health benefits typically associated with resistance training include increased or maintenance of fat-free mass, decreased percent body fat, increased basal metabolic rate, maintenance of activities of daily living in seniors (e.g., rising from a chair, stair climbing), and protection from osteoporosis. Fitness benefits associated with aerobic training include increased maximal oxygen consumption, increased lactate threshold, decreased heart rate during submaximal work, decreased percent body fat, and increased performance in endurance sports and activities. Fitness benefits associated with resistance training include increased strength, increased muscular power, increased fat-free mass, decreased percent body fat, and increased performance in strength/power sports activities. Some of these adaptations, such as improved lipid profile and reduced body fat percentage, are also typical goals of and very compatible with a healthy nutrition program. In this chapter, basic principles and guidelines for the development of both aerobic and weight training programs for a beginning trainee to a moderately trained individual are described and discussed. These training guidelines and principles are applicable to the vast majority of apparently healthy individuals interested in total-body health and fitness. Programs for athletes, sport-specific programs, cardiovascular rehabilitation programs, and injury rehabilitation programs are only briefly discussed.