Defining Aerobics
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Aerobics refers to a variety of exercises that stimulate heart and lung activity for a time period sufficiently long to produce beneficial changes in the body. Running, swimming, cycling, and jogging-these are typical aerobic exercises. There are many others.
Aerobics offers you an ample choice of different forms of exercise, including many popular sports. They have one thing in common: by making you work hard, they demand plenty of oxygen. That’s the basic idea. That’s what makes them aerobic.
The main objective of an aerobic exercise program is to increase the maximum amount of oxygen that the body can process within a given time. This is called your Aerobics Capacity. It is dependent upon an ability to 1) rapidly breathe a large amount of air, 2) forcefully deliver large volumes of blood, and 3) effectively deliver oxygen to all parts of the body. In short, it depends upon efficient lungs, a powerful heart, and a good vascular system. Because it reflects the conditions of these vital organs, the aerobics capacity is the best index of overall physical fitness.
There is an amount (intensity of vigorousness) of exercise which is enough to condition the muscles and cardiovascular system leading to physical fitness, but is not overly strenuous. There is a Target Zone in which there is enough activity to achieve fitness, but not too much to exceed safe limits. The name of the game is finding your own target zone.
Each individual’s target zone is between 60 and 85 percent of their own maximal aerobic power. Below 60 percent of your capacity you achieve little fitness benefit. Above 85 percent there is little added benefit from a great deal of extra exercise.
There is a relationship among age, resting heart rate, and maximal aerobic power. Assuming an individual is "average", the Target Heart Rate chart can be used to determine target zone.
1. Cooper, Kenneth H., M.S. The New Aerobics. New York Bantam Books
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Strength
All of us start out with muscles that are long and lean with very little fat. As we become older and more sedentary, intramuscular fat invades and the muscles begin to change shape, becoming short and squat. When you diet, you lose fat around the muscle, but the muscle still remains short and weak. When you begin to exercise, the muscle becomes stronger and goes back to its long and lean shape. The definition and firmness are due to the exercised muscles. There is no such thing as spot reducing. The only way to remove the fat is by exercising large sets of muscles aerobically. The fat will be drawn from all parts of the body to meet energy requirements. Then exercise isolated muscles to strengthen and tone. Our floor exercises are designed to build strength, develop flexibility and increase endurance. We use repetitions of certain movements that use a single muscle group against the resistance of your own body weight. We try to work each muscle to its maximum. Feeling a burning sensation or having difficulty contracting the muscle are signs that you are working the muscle vigorously and effectively. The burn is simply a buildup of lactic acid due to a lack of oxygen. This is okay. However, you must stop and stretch before you start to cramp.
Muscular Endurance
Muscular endurance is defined as the ability to contract the muscle repeatedly over a period of time. Low levels of muscular endurance indicate inefficiency in movement and a low capacity to perform work. Start your exercise program gradually to increase Aerobic Capacity, Strength, and Muscular Endurance |
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