Drug Medical Information

FITNESS CONCEPTS: APPLY THE PROGRESSIVE RESISTANCE EXERCISE (PRE) PRINCIPLE – YOUR PHYSICAL CONDITION

Although everyone starts at a different conditioning level, we can generalize about what happens to your body when you begin an exercise program. You start the program at a certain functioning, or conditioning, level. During and immediately after your first workout, this conditioning level temporarily declines to point B. You are now actually in worse shape, in terms of physical capacity to exercise, than you were before the workout. During the recovery phase, however, tissue will rebuild beyond your original level of conditioning. You are now able to perform more work than you could before you began your exercise program with no more effort. You are also in better physical condition 24 hours later than you were before you completed your first workout. Repetition of this simple process will lead to continued improvement of conditioning levels, providing you follow certain basic guidelines:
• Exercise must be sufficiently strenuous to cause an initial decrease in the conditioning level; the depth of the valley and the corresponding increase in proportion to the intensity and duration of your workout.
• Sufficient time must be allowed for recovery; improvement will not occur and conditioning will suffer if your second workout is performed before the recovery phase is complete (48 hours for strength training and 18 to 24 hours for aerobic and other workouts). Failure to follow this principle of recuperation can lead to overuse injuries and reduce the benefits of your workout.
• The next workout must occur within 24 to 48 hours; a greater time lapse will cause your conditioning level to decline.
If you apply this concept to any training program, improved conditioning is guaranteed. Even strength training (see chapter 9) uses this approach to acquire muscle mass and increase strength and endurance.
The resistance principle also applies to the skeletal system. Gradual stress to the bones stimulates the accumulation of calcium and other minerals. In the adult years, osteoporosis occurs. This process happens to astronauts freed from the stress of resisting gravity. It is also very common in postmenopausal women. When you walk, jog, run, or perform other aerobic exercise, the force of your feet hitting the ground sends an important signal to your body to maintain bone density. At this point, more of the calcium consumed in your diet reaches the orthopedic system.
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