Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle, or group of muscles to
make repetitive contractions (usually rhythmic). To train for this, you
would lower the resistance, and increase the time, or repetitions. Again
using the weights as an example, you would decrease the weight you are
training with, and increase the repetitions of the exercise, or the time
you are repeating the exercise for. To improve muscular endurance, you
must develop the slow twitch muscle fibres. These fibres contract
slowly, with little force and don’t suffer from fatigue as quickly as fast twitch muscle fibres. They are therefore more suited to endurance activities ,such as long distance running. When training to improve strength in the gym you must first take into account your clients goals and preferences of the outcome and training effects that they wish to take place. Firstly, there are a number of pieces of strength training equipment in the gym. Examples could be machines such as the ab-crunch machine, lat pull down back hyperextension, leg extension and of course the bench press and
free weights equipment. If the client wishes to build muscle and gain weight, then exercises should be done with a high resistance and a low rep rate. If the client merely wishes to improve muscle tone and endurance strength then an appropriate method would be to perform high repetitions of an exercise, with a lower resistance to overcome.
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Cardiovascular - Cardiovascular fitness is the ability of the heart to pump oxygen around the body to the required muscles efficiently, and without tiring too quickly. To train we are required to challenge our cardiovascular system by progressively increasing the workload on a regular basis. To benefit whilst training, it is recommended to train for 20-25 minutes at 80%-85% of the maximum heart rate, two or three times a week. When cardiovascular fitness is trained it aids you to participate in the required activities for longer, or to comfortably increase the amount of work you are doing. With increased frequency of cardiovascular training you can expect a quicker pulse recovery rate after your exercise. In the multi gym, the best ways of training cardio are on the treadmill, the stepper, cross trainer, rower, and the bicycle. To train effectively and prevent boredom it is best to vary which equipment the client uses rather than limit to one piece of equipment for a whole training session. To tailor this training to the client’s needs, you must find their personal goals. If they wish to lose weight, then a fat burning programme must be devised and repeated around 3-5 times a week for a duration of approximately 20 – 40 minutes. If the client wishes to gain weight and muscle then their goal would be more easily achievable if they were to avoid too much cardio training and concentrate on strength training; although to maintain cardiovascular fitness, light training should be carried out 2-3 times a week. To improve cardiovascular fitness in general, it is recommended to train 3-4 times a week at 20-40 minutes at a level of moderate intensity, but it can be changed depending on the client’s current level of fitness.
Anaerobic Training – This involves speed or explosive energy. The anaerobic system works without the presence of oxygen, utilising other sources such as creatine phosphate and lactic acid systems. Creatine phosphate is an instant energy source; however it lasts for only 2-10 seconds. The lactic acid system provides energy for 20-40 seconds. The only disadvantage of this is that waste products can build up in the muscles causing pain and fatigue. Anaerobic exercise produces short, sharp moments with lots of energy and power. After anaerobic training our bodies need to rest and refuel anaerobically and pay off oxygen debt. To improve our anaerobic fitness we must train at least 80% of our MHR (maximum heart rate). It is essential to train our anaerobic fitness so that we can maintain the ability to react quickly and produce powerful movements. It also increases the ability to recover quickly after a high intensity training session. The correct anaerobic training can bring effects such as improved acceleration, overall general improvement of performance and it allows the body to perform high intensity exercise more frequently. To train for this, conditioning work can be completed in the multi gym, such as core strength, where lactic acid is built up in the upper arm muscles and slight discomfort or pain is caused. Anaerobic training can also be sports specific, for example practising sprinting short distances until an improvement is seen. Training can be completed with free weights in the gym, or weight equipment according to which muscles the client wants to improve. This type of exercise is best completed from 30 seconds to two minutes with no recommended frequency, in order to see an improvement.
- Flexibility – This is the range of movement in and around a joint. To train for this we stretch by applying tension to different parts of the body, causing the origin and insertion of muscles to move further apart from each other. Stretching is essential in every training session. We must stretch after a pulse raising activity, once the synovial fluid in the joints is warmed up and loosened. There are 3 different types of stretches. Active, static, and maintenance. Active stretching is where the client or individual stretches themselves and holds the stretch themselves. The stretch is therefore held by other contracted muscles. These are usually completed in the warm up. Static stretching is where the stretch is held still, at the end of the range of movement. Maintenance stretching is where the client stretches to maintain the range of movement in the body and around the joints. In order for a client to improve their flexibility, it is most suited to complete a sufficient amount of intense developmental stretching. To complete developmental stretching, the client must perform stretches such as the box splits and front splits, back stretches and grounded quadriceps stretching. Developmental stretching is best to be done at as high an effort as possible, with the client giving maximum force to their stretch without injuring themselves. When completing paired stretching with a client, it is essential that you both cooperate with each other and that you are aware that if there is a lack of concentration or communication then injury could be caused. To train flexibility in the multi gym it is practical to use the mats where possible to make sure that the client is as comfortable as possible, but without forgetting that there is to be slight discomfort when performing developmental stretching.
