Putting It All Together
There you have it, the basics of each component of fitness-cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training. You're probably asking, "How do I put all this together?" It's not as hard as you may think. It's important to remember that everybody is different and an exercise program can vary from person to person. Again, the following is a suggestion based on your answering yes to the previously mentioned assumptions. Here is what I suggest. It's best to perform the exercises in the order below.
Warm-up
- Spend three to five minutes warming up.
- The warm-up should consist of some light cardiovascular activity to slightly elevate your heart rate and body temperature.
- Also, this is the time I would suggest you do some flexibility exercises.
Strength training
- Perform eight to 10 different exercises making sure to involve each of the major muscle groups.
- For each exercise do two sets of eight to 12 repetitions.
- Allow one-minute rest intervals between sets and exercises.
- Strength train three non-consecutive days a week, for example on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Cardiovascular training
- Train three to five days per week. This can be accomplished on days you weight train or on opposite days-whatever works best for you.
- It is okay to perform cardiovascular exercise on consecutive days.
- Know your target heart rate and work out in the range that is best suited to your goals and fitness level.
- It is best to train at least 30 minutes continuously, several days a week.
Cool-down
- Similarly to the warm-up, spend three to five minutes cooling down.
- Your cool-down can be an extension of the cardiovascular training exercise. Take a few extra minutes at a slower pace, allowing your heart rate to decrease to near pre-workout levels.
- This would again be a good time to do some more flexibility exercises. It may reduce some of the soreness for the next day.
