The Super Toning Training Routine

Author:

Doug Lawrenson

This routine is such that you must be prepared for hard training and you should ensure that your health is of such that you may embark on this type of routine. If you are not sure then seek medical advice before starting. If just starting out then you must cut the routine down until your level of fitness and level of resistance training is of such a level that you can complete all of this routine. If you are a beginner you should only complete 2 sets of the resistance training given below and only complete the first six minutes of the cardio routine and increasing week by week. Making sure that you complete the warm up, stretch, and cool down given below.

It is very important that you warm up before training, and after the warm up you should complete some muscle stretching, and cool down after your training routine.

Warm Up.

The first part of any training routine is the warm-up, it should increase the heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen consumption, dilate the blood vessels, increase elasticity of the active muscles, and increase the heat produced by the muscle groups to be used during exercise.

A proper warm-up consists of two phases:

1. A graduated aerobic warm-up activity - This is a warm-up to get the blood flowing to the muscles. This also heats up the working muscles making them less prone to injury. Any aerobic activity done at the very low intensity can serve to warm-up the muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
2. Stretching and flexibility – This is to be performed on the muscle groups you will be exercising during the cardiovascular activity. (An example would be a quadriceps stretch before bicycling).

The warm-up phase should last anywhere from 5 – 10 mins.

Cool Down

The purpose of a cool down is to slowly decrease the cardiovascular work and overall metabolism that were elevated during the cardiovascular activity. A cool down consists of slowing down the intensity level of the cardiovascular activity you are performing slowly. Stopping exercise suddenly can be dangerous. A cool down keeps the body circulating blood and keeps blood from pooling in the veins. A proper cool down should last about 5 – 10 min for each thirty minutes of exercise if the cardiovascular activity is performed for longer periods or is of higher intensity the cool down phase should last longer.

Stretching Before Training

Stretching before your training routine has positive effects on your posture and mobility, and can also reduce the risk of injury. Here is a list of basic stretching exercises.

Upper back stretch.

From a standing position, grasp a stationary object (such as a pole or exercise machine) with both hands. Bend the knees and sit back so that your arms are fully extended and supporting your weight. Shift your weight to the right to isolate the right portion of your latissimus muscle (side of back). Hold this position for 20 – 30 seconds, and then shift your weight to the left. Complete 1 – 3 repetitions.

Triceps stretch. (back of arm)

From a standing position, raise your right arm over your head. Bend your elbow so that your right hand is behind your head. With your left hand grasp your right wrist or elbow and pull it back as far as comfortably possible, pointing your right elbow toward the ceiling. Hold this position for 20 -30 seconds then repeat the process with your left arm. Complete 1 – 3 repetitions with each arm.

Chest stretch.

From a standing position, grasp a stationary object (such as a piece of exercise equipment or a pole) with your right hand. Your arm should be straight and roughly parallel to the ground. Slowly turn away from the object, allowing your arm to go as far behind the body as comfortably possible. Hold this position for 20 – 30 seconds, and then repeat the process with your left arm. Complete 1 – 3 repetitions on each side.

Shoulder stretch.

From a standing position, Grasp your right wrist or elbow with your left hand. Without turning your body, slowly pull your right arm across your torso as far as comfortably possible. Hold this position for 20 – 30 seconds, and then repeat the process with your left arm. Complete 1 – 3 repetitions with each arm.

Bicep stretch (front or arm).

From a standing position, extend your right arm forward with your palm facing up. Place your left palm underneath your right elbow. Slowly straighten your right arm as much as comfortably possible, pressing your elbow down into your left hand. Hold this position for 20 – 30 seconds, and then repeat the process with your left arm. Complete 1 – 3 repetitions with each arm.

Glute/Hamstring stretch (backside and back of leg).

Sit on the floor with your legs straight and slowly bend forward. Allow your hands to travel down along the line of your body as far as comfortably possible. When you feel an intense stretch in your hamstrings, (back of the leg) grab onto your legs and hold this position for 20 – 30 seconds. Complete 1 – 3 repetitions with each leg.

Quadriceps stretch (front of thigh).

From a standing position, grasp a stationary object (such as a pole or exercise machine) with your right hand. Bend your left knee and bring your left foot toward your backside. Grasp your left ankle or foot with your left hand and slowly lift your foot as high as comfortably possible. Hold this position for 20 – 30 seconds and then repeat on the other leg. Complete 1 – 3 repetitions on each leg.

Calf stretch (rear of lower leg).

From a standing position, grasp a stationary object (such as a piece of exercise equipment or pole) with both hands. Bend your right knee and bring your left leg behind your body as far as possible whilst keeping your feet flat on the floor. Slowly lean forward without lifting your left heel. Hold this position for 20 – 30 seconds then repeat the process for the left leg.

Abdominal stretch (stomach muscles).

From a standing position, place your hands on your sides and slowly lean back as far as comfortably possible. For added effect and to enhance the stretch on the oblique muscles, (muscles on upper side of waist) lean to your left and then to your right while performing this stretch. Complete 1 – 3 repetitions.

Resistance Training.

In the routine given tomorrow, you will complete two to four sets of each exercise. You will finish all sets for each given exercise before moving onto the next exercise.

You must complete 8 – 10 reps (repetitions) for each exercise; this is the ideal amount of reps for muscle hypertrophy (tone). The reasons why we must complete this number of repetitions are:

• Maximum growth can only be achieved by activating the full spectrum of muscle fibres, and a moderate rep scheme will accomplish this better than a low rep range or even a very high rep range. Both of the fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibres are brought into play, and the time the muscle is under tension is long enough to work the muscles to their fullest potential.
• Moderate reps have also been shown to maximise the release of various hormones, including testosterone and growth hormone. This is facilitated by the accrual of lactic acid. It has been shown that lactate promotes hormonal excitation, which then acts on the muscle cell to induce growth.
• Moderate repetition has been shown to cause a distinct “pump” in the muscle in which your muscles fill up with blood. This not only provides a temporary fullness to your muscles, but also increases the hydration within muscle cells. Studies have demonstrated that a hydrated cell stimulates protein synthesis and inhibits protein breakdown (proteolysis). Therefore muscles will be provided with the raw materials to lay down new contractile proteins, which is the primary basis for muscle growth.

In relation to the overload principle, the weight you choose must be heavy enough that the last few reps must be a struggle, and you may not be able to complete all the reps, therefore if you are able to complete the full amount of reps quite easily then the weight is to light. If you are not able to complete at least eight reps then the weight is too heavy and must be dropped. It may take you a couple of sessions to get the weights right.

Rests between sets will be 60 – 90 seconds between sets, this has been proven to be sufficient so that you can be strong on the next sets whilst keep your anabolic levels high.

The workouts given below should not be done on consecutive days but ideally on a Mon, Wed and Friday. The days in between will be days that cardiovascular training will be done (details given below).

See tomorrow's posting for those workouts!

Strength Training Over Age 50

Are there special guidelines for aging athletes?

By Elizabeth Quinn, About.com Guide

Updated: July 08, 2008

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) now has fitness guidelines specific to weight training for people over 50. The advice: perform such exercises 2 to 3 times a week to condition all of the major muscle groups -- arms, legs, shoulders, and trunk. The goal is to lift a weight that's heavy enough to achieve 10 to 15 repetitions per session before the muscles become fatigued.

Most older individuals are well aware that they need regular aerobic exercise, such as walking, swimming, or running, to strengthen their heart and lungs and tone their bodies, but many dismiss weight training (also called resistance training) as an activity predominantly for the young or the vain. However, it is the only type of exercise that can substantially slow, and even reverse, the declines in muscle mass, bone density, and strength that were once considered inevitable consequences of aging. Unlike aerobic, or endurance, activities, which improve cardiovascular fitness and require moving large muscle groups hundreds of times against gravity, weights provide so much resistance that muscles gain strength from only a few movements. Resistance is usually provided by free weights or machines, but individuals can also get stronger by exercising in water.

People shouldn't experience pain while lifting weights, but it's normal to feel some soreness the next day. Experts believe that as muscles are challenged by the resistance of a weight, some of their tissue breaks down; as the muscles heal, they gradually increase in strength and size. Although muscles should be worked until they are fatigued, common sense will dictate when it's time to stop. If you feel joint or nerve pain, or are putting a tremendous amount of strain on any part of the body, you're probably going overboard and can harm yourself. Because strains, sprains, and tissue damage can take weeks or even months to heal, preventing injury should be a priority. Although many older people who are inactive but want to get moving may think that a pair of walking shoes is a wiser investment than a set of weights, the opposite may actually be true, say fitness experts. People who have been sedentary for long periods are at high risk for falls because their muscle tone is weak, flexibility is often limited, and balance may be precarious. To reduce the risk of falls and injury, people over 60 who haven't recently been active should begin by strengthening their legs, arms, and trunk muscles with 3-4 weeks of weight training 2-3 times a week before walking long distances or engaging in other aerobic exercise.

Because aerobic activity and strength training are each important for health, the ACSM recommends that able adults do both on a regular basis; 20 to 60 minutes of aerobic activity is advised 3 to 5 days a week and weight training should be done for 20 to 30 minutes 2 to 3 times a week. The guidelines also suggest that people perform stretching exercises -- which increase the range of motion, or amount of movement, of joints -- a minimum of 2 to 3 times a week.

In general, as people grow older, their muscle fibers shrink in number and in size (atrophy) and become less sensitive to messages from the central nervous system. This contributes to a decrease in strength, balance, and coordination. Although there is no question that people experience at least some of these declines at about age 40, the extent to which they occur depends on a number of factors, including genetics, diet, smoking and alcohol use, and -- most important -- physical activity level. Indeed, recent research has indicated that inactivity is responsible for the majority of age associated muscle loss. Fortunately, resistance exercise can reverse much of this decline by increasing the size of shrunken muscle fibers.

It is also well known that weight training can increase bone mass, which lowers the risk of developing osteoporosis and fractures. Strength training adds more weight to the skeleton by building muscle; this stimulates the bones to strengthen and grow to bear the heavier load on the muscles. Once achieved, much of the gain can be maintained through weight-bearing endurance activities such as brisk walking, stair climbing, and aerobics. Resistance exercise can also help older people live independently by giving them the strength they need to perform everyday tasks. There is even evidence that resistance exercise can help people sleep better and can improve the mood of mildly to moderately depressed individuals. And because proper strength training doesn't apply stress directly to joints, it is ideal for people with arthritis; indeed, rheumatologists often recommend it. Although it cannot reverse arthritic changes, lifting weights helps alleviate symptoms by strengthening the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that surround joints.