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Weights
and Conditioning: Guidelines for a Beginner
Though
almost everyone benefits from an increase in activity, you should
still check with your physician to ensure that any special health
needs you might have are met by your chosen program.
Enthusiasts
endlessly debate which sport is the best for developing fitness,
but they're missing the point. Until you get to a competitive level,
your cardiovascular fitness depends more on the amount of time and
consistency of effort spent exercising rather than on how you choose
to do it. Thus, the activity that will result in the fastest and
most lasting gains in fitness will be the one that you enjoy doing
most.
Cross-training
can help to alleviate the boredom of a routine. Besides, a good
program involves many different types of workouts with frequent
changes in schedule regardless of the sport.
The
templates provided below encompass much of what is truly important
when beginning any fitness program.
Note
that the specific days of the week listed are arbitrary. Schedule
your program to fit around your personal schedule.
Take
a day off if you feel especially fatigued from training or other
sources of stress. Repeat weeks if you do not feel ready to progress.
If you must stop training for illness or other reasons, go back
one week for every three days off and start the program again from
that point.
Begin
each cardio workout with a ten minute warm-up period, and end with
a five minute cool-down. In between, maintain an intensity that
is easy enough that you could hold a conversation with someone,
but hard enough that you wouldn't want to.
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Monday Tuesday Wed.
Thurs. Fri.
Sat.
Sun. |
| |
| Week
1 |
30
min cardio
|
30
min cardio |
Rest
|
30
min cardio |
30
min cardio |
Rest
|
Rest
|
Week
2 |
35
min cardio
|
30
min cardio |
Rest
|
35
min cardio |
30
min cardio |
Rest
|
Rest
|
Week
3 |
35
min cardio
|
30
min cardio |
Weights
|
35
min cardio |
30
min cardio |
Weights
|
Rest
|
Week
4 |
40
min cardio
|
30
min cardio |
Weights
|
35
min cardio |
30
min cardio |
Weights
|
Rest
|
Week
5 |
45
min cardio
|
30
min cardio |
Weights
|
35
min cardio |
30
min cardio |
Weights
|
Rest
|
Week
6 |
45
min cardio |
30
min cardio |
Weights
|
35
min cardio |
30
min cardio |
30
min cardio
Weights
|
Rest
|
Week
7 |
50
min cardio |
30
min cardio |
Weights
|
40
min cardio |
30
min cardio |
30
min cardio
Weights
|
Rest
|
Week
8 |
55
min cardio |
35
min cardio |
Weights
|
40
min cardio |
30
min cardio |
30
min cardio
Weights
|
Rest
|
Week
9 |
55
min cardio |
40
min cardio |
Weights
|
45
min cardio |
35
min cardio |
30
min cardio
Weights
|
Rest
|
Week
10 |
60
min cardio |
45
min cardio |
Weights
|
45
min cardio |
35
min cardio |
30
min cardio
Weights
|
Rest
|
Week
11 |
60
min cardio |
45
min cardio |
Weights
|
45
min cardio |
40
min cardio |
35
min cardio
Weights
|
Rest
|
Week
12 |
60
min cardio |
45
min cardio |
Weights
|
50
min cardio |
40
min cardio |
40
min cardio
Weights
|
Rest
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The above information was compiled
by, Cameron Martz.
References:
American
College of Sports Medicine; ACMSs Guidelines for Exercise Testing and
Prescription, 5th ed.; Williams & Wilkins, 1995
Baechle,
Thomas R. (editor); Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning,
National Strength and Conditioning Association; Human Kinetics, 1994
Bryzcki,
Matt (editor); Maximize Your Training: Insights from Leading Strength
and Fitness Professionals; Masters Press, 1999
Guyton,
Arthur C.; Textbook of Medical Physiology, 8th ed.; W. B. Saunders Company,
1991
Tortora,
Gerard J., and Grabowski, Sandra Reynolds; Principles of Anatomy and Physiology,
8th ed.; Harper Collins, 1996
Links:
National
Strength and Conditioning Association
Learn
the Muscles of the Body
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