Fitness – what are we really talking about?
When we talk about fitness – what are we really talking about? A state of health and wellbeing. Condition of your body to be able to fulfil tasks; whether it be sports specific or for your occupation or daily routine.
In exercising / training – Specific movements create different fitness types and levels. This is why being specific in our health and fitness goals is soo important. There are so many different kinds physical activity, we need to exercise in specific ways to reach our purpose.
Goals specific / Sports specific :
> Netball, basketball, tennis, sport require short sharp, dynamic movements can require interval and agility training, higher intensity speeds > Marathons, swimming, cycling, sports require pro-longed times can require more of a consistent effort. But this is not saying the these different sports don’t require resistance training, because the also do.
Eg: my goal this year was to run 10km – to reach this goal I specifically needed put the KMs on my legs, consistently go for jogs at different distances, different speeds to increase my Cardio Endurance. I lost sight of that goal, and instead I have been doing more Higher Intensity and high-strength based workouts. This has enabled me to play agility sports efficiently but not the long steady state endurance distance that I needed.
Perceived Rate of Exertion :
Everyone’s bodies are different, everyones mindsets are different, everyone’s tolerance to pain and difficulty is different. Therefore the PRE – Perceived Rate of Exertion is no different.
With number 1 = being easy/ not difficult or strenuous at all, and then 10 = being completely exhausted/ unable to do anything further. So what your rating of 7 would be, may be quite different to someone else’s 7. As you can see in the table above, the PRE numbers, description of difficulty, intensity level and activities.
Types of exercises:
Aerobic zone approx. a 5,6,7/10 or a 50-70% effort of Max HR. This zone increases heart health as wells as taps into your fat burning levels during exercise.
Anaerobic zone approx. 8,9,10/10 or a 80-100% maximum effort. This zone increases heart health and endurance fitness levels, efficiency with post workout calorie burning.
> High Impact Cardio – HIIT (high intensity interval training), explosive dynamic movements, shorter time frames. Usually both feet are off the ground. (Working in Anaerobic heart rate zone – PRE 7-10/10, 70-100% max effort) Includes Skipping, dance classes, plyometrics, interval running, powerlifting.
> Low Impact Cardio – Still dynamic with high heart rate, just less jarring on joints, usually 1 foot is on ground. (Working in Anaerobic heart rate zone – PRE 7-10/10, 70-100% max effort) Step classes, incline walking/ hiking.
Not to be confused with –
> Low Intensity Cardio/ Steady State / Endurance – No dynamic movements, consistent heart rate for a longer timeframe. (Working in Aerobic heart rate zone – PRE 5-7/10, 50-70% max effort) Includes brisk walking, gardening, long distance slow swimming, cycling.
> No Impact Cardio – Body is supported by other means, good for joint pain. adjust the intensity to suit Cardio goals. (This can be working both in Aerobic and Anaerbic heart rate zones) Includes swimming, water aerobics, cycling, Reformer Pilates.
> Resistance / Strength : Different forms of pushing and pulling movements to increase lean muscle mass. Functional movements including using free weights, machines, resistance bands and body weight.
Different repetitions, resistance weights, combinations and formulas including range of motion (ROM), load and pace – will determine the heart rate intensity.
In conclusion : as any type of movement is beneficial for our physical and mental health – to enable yourself to have a quality of life now and in future, its best to undertake regular both cardio and resistance training to have a healthy heart, lean muscle. Being specific, measurable, relevant and timely in our health and fitness goals is imperative to keep focussed and on track to reach our purpose.
For more information on how to training correctly to get to your specific goals – call or email Coach Kristen see contact page.
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