Owners manual

8
OXYGEN UPTAKE
e eort that you can exert over a prolonged period of time is limited by your ability to deliver
oxygen to the working muscles. Regular vigorous exercise produces a training eect that can increase
your aerobic capacity by as much as 20 to 30%. An increased VO2 Max indicates an increased ability
of the heart to pump blood, of the lungs to ventilate oxygen, and of the muscles to take up oxygen.
THE TRAINING THRESHOLD
is is the minimum level of exercise which is required to produce signicant improvements in any
physical tness parameter.
OVERLOAD
is is where you exercise above your comfort level. e intensity, duration and frequency of exercise
should be above the training threshold and should be gradually increased as the body adapts to the
increasing demands. As your tness level improves, the training threshold should rise. Working
through your program and gradually increasing the overload factor is important.
PROGRESSION
As you become more t, a higher intensity of exercise is required to create an overload and therefore
provide continued improvement.
SPECIFICS
Dierent forms of exercise produce dierent results. e type of exercise that is carried out is specic
to the muscle groups being used and to the energy source involved. ere is little transfer of the
eects of exercise, i.e. from strength training to cardiovascular tness. at is why it is important to
have an exercise program tailored to your specic needs.
REVERSIBILITY
If you stop exercising or do not do your program often enough, you will lose the benets you have
gained. Regular workouts are the key to success.
WARM-UP
Every exercise program should start with a warm-up where the body is prepared for the eort to
come. It should be gentle and preferably use the muscles group to be involved later. Stretching
should be included in both your warm-up and cool down, and should be performed after 3-5
minutes of low intensity aerobic activity or callisthenic type exercise.
WARM DOWN OR COOL DOWN
is involves a gradual decrease in the intensity of the exercise session. Following exercise, a large
supply of blood remains in the working muscles. If it is not returned promptly to the central
circulation, pooling of blood may occur in the muscles.