AEROBIC CONDITIONING

Many people avoid participating in various sports, and activities because they see themselves as non-athletic. the main objective of aerobic conditioning is taking care of yourself by improving your fitness level. the goal is to work at your own pace (target zone) rather than competing with others.

To receive aerobic conditioning, the physical activity must be continuous and vigorous enough to raise the heart rate between 65-80% of its maximum capacity for at least 15 minutes, at least 3 times per week.

Some examples of aerobic exercise are: walking, jogging, bicycling, aerobic dancing, rope jumping, swimming, skating and cross country skiing. These exercises all make a reasonable demand on the cardiovascular system. The muscles need more oxygen: therefor, the heart has to work harder to deliver blood throughout the body. When a person stays within their target zone, the body can keep up with the demand. Also, during aerobic exercise, fat is burned more efficiently than it is in non-aerobic activity.

To avoid injury, every aerobic workout period should include 3 phases:

1. Warm-up and stretching phase
2. Aerobic activity phase
3.Cool-down and stretching

Stretching is an essential part of every workout. It helps to prevent injuries, reduces soreness and increases flexibility. The key to a good stretch is try to relax- do not force your muscles to do more than they are ready for. Stretch until you feel slight tension - but not uncomfortable. Hold the position for 10 seconds or more. Wait until your muscles are ready to stretch farther - do not force them and do not bounce! When people attempt to stretch too far and/or bounce, the muscles have a natural reaction to protect themselves and will tighten up. If a person continually bounces too hard during stretching, they can acually tear the connective tissue in the muscle.
Warm-up means beginning to exercise slowly and gradually increasing so the body has a chance to limber up and prepare for more vigorous exercise. Your heart rate will begin to more toward your target zone during the warm-up.

Aerobic Activity Phase is the vigorous part of your workout. In order to gain the maximum benefits from exercise, a person needs to keep in their target range for a minimum of 15 minutes. Always monitor yourself by checking your pulse. If your heart rate is continually too high (outside your target range), please tell the instructor. If your heart rate is too low, you need to work harder during the activity.

If you experience problems during or after exercise, tell the instructor. Warning sings that you might be overdoing your activity includes:

1. chest pain
2. a sudden fast heart beat when idle
3. unexplained dizziness.

Many people make the mistake of working to get in shape and that is where their program ends. Just like reaching your goal weight, getting in shape is only 1/2 the solution. One needs to maintain what they have worked for through continued exercise.

Try various types of aerobic exercise to see witch ones you enjoy and would like to continue. There are also many books on aerobic exercise to help you with your program. two suggestions are :

Aerobics - Ken Cooper
Fit or Fat - Covert Bailey

DEFINITIONS:

CARDIORESPIRATORY ENDURANCE: The ability to sustain a series of repetitions of an activity without unduly taxing the systems that furnish fuel and oxygen to the muscles.

TARGET ZONE: The minimum heart rate and duration of exercise
necessary to develop CR endurance. The average minimum heart rate
is 140 beats per minute for minimum of 15 minutes, but preferably
20 minutes or more.

ANAEROBIC: Generation of energy without using oxygen (energy stored in muscles).

AEROBIC: Generation of energy utilizing oxygen (supplied to muscle through the respiratory system).

When you use your muscles with maximum effort, the energy first comes from anaerobic processes (without oxygen). This energy supply depletes fairly rapidly and when you must rely on oxygen to rebuild the energy compounds (aerobics). See the chart below for the approximate time it takes for this transfer to occur.

Remember, this is maximum effort with no rests. These values are approximate and vary with the individual.

If the work is less than maximal, the oxygen supply to the cells is sufficient and the individual does not have to relay on anaerobic power.