Gymnastics and Aerobics Course Guide

TEAM UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF HUMANITIES
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
INTRODUCTION TO
GYMNASTICS AND AEROBICS
LECTURE MATERIAL
DIPLOMA OF EDUCATION (PRIMARY
CODE: DPE 5211
@TU 2019/2020
INTRODUCTION TO GYMNASTICS AND AEROBICS
CODE: DPE 5211
YEAR: YEAR 2 TRIMESTER 1
HOURS TAUGHT: 3 CUS
PREREQUISITES: none
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The course will enable the learners to acquire Knowledge about the development and principles
of gymnastics and be able to demonstrate and teach a variety of gymnastics stunts. It exposes
them to the management and skills
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:
1) Demonstrate basic skills in selected sports using a mature movement pattern.
2) Analyse and evaluate student performance in selected sports skills.
3) Demonstrate knowledge and application of the Sport Education Model.
4) Sequence gymnastics and aerobics content for teaching using appropriate combinations
of extending, refining and application tasks.
5) Develop lesson and unit plans with appropriate assessment procedures for gym and
aerobics
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
1) Explain the theory and principles of gymnastics movements
2) Derive enjoyment from participation in the performance of gymnastics skills
3) Apply the gymnastics skills learned in other physical activities
4) Observe safety precautions while performing gymnastics
COURSE CONTENT
Unit 1: Introduction 5HR
 Definition of aerobics
 Meaning off aerobic gymnastics skills
 Aerobic gymnastics (AER)
 Individual male or individual female
Unit 2: Relevance of studying gymnastics and aerobic 5HRS

 Benefits of aerobic exercise
 Uses gymnastics
4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 2

 Step aerobics
Unit 3: Moves and techniques 5hrs

 Common moves include:
 Freestyle aerobics
 Types of gymnastics
 Alarm phase
 Adaptation phase
 Exhaust phase
Unit 4: Symptoms of over-training – to name a few 5hrs
 Muscle hypertrophy – increase in muscle cell/fiber size (girth)
 Power continuum
Unit 5: Training myths 5hrs
 The “fit” principle
 Flexibility
Unit 6: Cardiovascular/aerobic exercise 5hrs
 Rpe revised rating scale
 Muscular strength/muscular endurance intensity
 Flexibility
Unit 7: Cardiorespiratory/aerobic exercise 5hrs
 Muscular strength/muscular endurance exercise/flexibility
 What can high-intensity interval training do for you?
 Benefits
 Limitations
Unit 8: Vigorous exercise: 5hrs
 7 principles of exercise and sport training
 Two to four sets are recommended for each muscle group
 Terminology
 Advanced techniques
 Weight stripping a.k.a. Number setting
Unit 9: Other techniques 5HRS
 Progressive movement training
 Risks and concerns
 Bodybuilding
 Nutrition
 Sex differences in mass gains
 Muscle toning
 Weight loss
MODE OF DELIVERY
• Lectures
• Reading assignments
• Exhibitions
• "Injury Blockers" hand-out
• Pen or pencil

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT
• Case studies and projects
• Whiteboard and Markers
• DVDs and Tapes
• Hard courts relative to each particular sport selected;
• Gym or access to indoor multi-purpose area;
• Basic equipment for each sport and game activity selected;
• Computer with internet access;
• Resource books and videos of sports, games and other Physical Education content;
• Current international rules and regulations for the respective sports.
COURSE ASSESSMENT
• Continuous assessment tests 10%
• Group and individual project (course work) 20%
• End of semester examination 70%
Total 100%
REFERENCES
Shaw, I.; Shaw, B.S. (2014). Resistance Training and the Prevention of Sports Injuries. In:
Hopkins, G. (Ed.). Sports Injuries: Prevention, Management and Risk Factors. Nova
Science Publishers, Hauppauge, NY. ISBN 978-1-63463-305-5.
Delavier, Frederic (2001). Strength Training Anatomy. Human Kinetics Publishers. ISBN 0-
7360-4185-0.
DeLee, J. MD and Drez, D. MD, Eds. (2003). DeLee&Drez's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine;
Principles and Practice (vols 1 & 2). ISBN 0-7216-8845-4.
Hatfield, Frederick (1993). Hardcore Bodybuilding: A Scientific Approach. McGraw-Hill. ISBN
0-8092-3728-8.
Legeard, Emmanuel (2008). Musculation. Amphora. ISBN 2851807420.
Issurin, Vladimir and Yessis, Michael, PhD. (2008). "Block Periodization: Breakthrough In
Sports Training". Ultimate Athlete Concepts. ISBN 0-9817180-0-0.
Lombardi, V. Patteson (1989). Beginning Weight Training. Wm. C. Brown Publishers. ISBN 0-
697-10696-9.
Powers, Scott and Howley, Edward (2003), Exercise Physiology. McGraw Hill. ISBN 0-07-
255728-1.
Rippetoe, Mark and Kilgore, Lon (2007) "Starting Strength (2nd Edition)". The Aasgaard
Company. ISBN 0-9768054-2-1
Schoenfeld, Brad (2002). Sculpting Her Body Perfect. Human Kinetics Publishers. ISBN 0-
7360-4469-8.

UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION 5HR
 Definition of aerobics
Aerobics is a form of exercise which increases the amount of oxygen in your blood, and
strengthens your heart and lungs.
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic

exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of
fitness (flexibility, muscular strength, and cardio-vascular fitness).
It is usually performed to music and may be practiced in a group setting led by

an instructor (fitness professional), although it can be done solo and without musical
accompaniment. With the goal of preventing illness and promoting physical fitness, practitioners
perform various routines comprising a number of different dance-like exercises.
Formal aerobics classes are divided into different levels of intensity and complexity and will
have five components: warm-up (5–10 minutes), cardiovascular conditioning (25–30 minutes),
muscular strength and conditioning (10–15 minutes), cool-down (5–8 minutes) and stretching
and flexibility (5–8 minutes).
Aerobics classes may allow participants to select their level of participation according to their
fitness level. Many gyms offer a variety of aerobic classes. Each class is designed for a certain
level of experience and taught by a certified instructor with a specialty area related to their
particular class.
Step aerobics is a form of aerobic exercise that uses a low elevated platform, the step, of height
tailored to individual needs by inserting risers. Step aerobics classes are offered at many gyms.
Step aerobics was developed by Gin Miller around 1989. After a knee injury, Miller consulted
with an orthopedic doctor, who recommended she strengthen the muscles supporting the knee by
stepping up and down on a milk crate; from this she developed the step regimen.
Aerobics using dumbbells

Step aerobics can also be involved in dancing games, such as Dance Dance Revolution or In the
Groove.
Moves and techniques

Often moves are referred to as Reebok step moves in reference to one of the first makers of the
plastic step commonly used in gyms.
The "basic" step involves raising one foot onto the step, then the other so that they are both on
the step, then stepping the first foot back, followed by the second. A "right basic" would involve
stepping right foot up, then the left, then returning to the floor alternating right then left.

Some instructors switch immediately between different moves, for example between a right
basic and a left basic without any intervening moves, effectively "tapping" the foot without
shifting weight; tap-free or smooth stepping alternates the feet without "taps"
Common moves include:

1. Basic Step
2. Corner knee (or corner kick)
3. Repeater knee (aka Triple knee)
4. T-Step
5. Over-the-Top
6. Lunges
7. V-Step
8. Straddle Down
9. L-Step
10. Split Step
11. I-Step
Choreography
Many instructors will prepare a set of moves that will be executed together to form the
choreography of the class. Usually, the choreography will be timed to 32 beats in a set, ideally
switching legs so that the set can be repeated in a mirrored fashion. A set may consist of many
different moves and the different moves may have different durations. For example, a basic step
as described above takes 4 beats (for the 4 steps the person takes). Similarly, the "knee up" move
also takes 4 beats. Another common move, the repeater knee, is an 8-beat move.
Classes vary in the level of choreography. Basic level classes will tend to have a series of
relatively basic moves strung together into a sequence. More advanced classes incorporate dance
elements such as turns, mambos, and stomps. These elements are put together into 2–3 routines
in each class. One learns the routines during the class and then all are performed at the end of the
class. Regardless of the complexity of the choreography, most instructors offer various options
for different levels of intensity/dance ability while teaching the routines.
Freestyle aerobics is an aerobics style in which a group instructor choreographs several short
dance combinations and teaches them to the class. This is usually achieved by teaching the class
1-2 movements at a time and repeating the movements until the class is able to join the whole
choreography together. Aerobic music is used throughout the class. This is sometimes followed
by a strength section which uses body weight exercises to strengthen muscles and a stretch
routine to cool down and improve flexibility. Classes are usually 30–60 minutes in length and
may include the use of equipment such as a barbell, aerobic step, or small weights.

In freestyle aerobics, the instructor choreographs the routine and adjusts it to the needs and wants
of her/his class. There is often no difference between base movements in freestyle and pre-
choreographed programs.
It is practiced to improve aerobic fitness, flexibility and strength.
MEANING OF AEROBIC GYMNASTICS SKILLS
Aerobic gymnastics, also known as sport aerobics and competitive aerobics, may combine
complicated choreography,rhythmic and acrobatic gymnastics with elements of aerobics.
Performance is divided into categories by age, sex and groups (individual, mixed pairs and trios)
and are judged on the following elements: dynamic and static strength, jumps and leaps, kicks,
balance and flexibility.
Ten exercises are mandatory: four consecutive high leg kicks, patterns. A maximum of ten
elements from following families are allowed: push-ups, supports and balances, kicks and splits,
jumps and leaps.
Elements of tumbling such as handsprings, handstands, back flips, and aerial somersaults are
prohibited. Scoring is by judging of artistic quality, creativity, execution, and difficulty of
routines. Sport aerobics has state, national, and international competitions, but is not an olympic
sport.
Like other forms of exercise, step aerobics helps burn calories and fat. The number of calories
burned depends on the speed of movements, step height, length of exercise, and the persons
height and weight.
Aerobic Gymnastics combines gymnastics skills with dance in a fast-paced, fun and energetic
gym sport. Performing to music, the gymnasts performs high intensive, continuous movements,
utilising strength, flexibility and agility.
The performance area is 7 metres (23 ft) square for juniors or 10 metres (33 ft) square for adults
and for aero dance and step.
In International competition there are 7 different events: Individual Women, Individual Men,
Mixed Pairs, Trios, Group (five athletes), Step and Dance (both eight athletes). The last four are
regardless of the Genders of the athletes.
The performances are made up of four groups of elements. The routine must be performed
entirely to music.
In the competition, there are specific requirements regarding the outfit, the number of elements
performed, the number of lifts performed, the number of elements performed on the floor and
much more.
Performances are scored in the following areas: artistry, execution, difficulty and the chair of the
judges panel determines the final score deductions based on deductions that change with each
code of points. If the combined scores are the same, the tiebreaker is the team with higher
execution scores.

The long-term ultimate goal of the sport of aerobic gymnastics is to be included in the Olympic
Games.
Acrobatic gymnastics (formerly Sport Acrobatics), often referred to as "Acro" if involved with
the sport, acrobatic sports or simply sports acro, is a group gymnastic discipline for both men and
women. Acrobats in groups of two, three and four perform routines with the heads, hands and
feet of their partners. They may, subject to regulations (e.g. no lyrics), pick their own music.
There are four international age categories: 11-16, 12-18, 13-19, and Senior (15+), which are
used in the World Championships and many other events around the world, including
the European Championships and the World Games.
All levels require a balance and dynamic routine; 12-18, 13-19, and Seniors are also required to
perform a final (combined) routine.
Currently, acrobatic gymnastics score is marked out of 30.00 for juniors, and can be higher at
Senior FIG level based on difficulty:
Difficulty - An open score, which is the sum of the difficulty values of elements (valued from the
tables of difficulties) successfully performed in an exercise, divided by 100. This score is
unlimited in senior competitions.
Execution - Judges give a score out of 10.00 for technical performance (how well the skills are
executed), which is then doubled to emphasize its importance.
Artistic - Judges give a score out of 10.00 for artistry (the overall performance of the routine,
namely choreography)
There are five competitive event categories:
1. Women's Pairs
2. Mixed Pairs
3. Men's Pairs
4. Women's Groups (3 Woman)
5. Men's Groups (4 Men)
The World Championships have been held since 1974.
Aerobic gymnastics
INDIVIDUAL MALE OR INDIVIDUAL FEMALE

Male gymnasts also perform on a 12meter x 12meter spring floor. A series of tumbling passes
are performed to demonstrate flexibility, strength, and balance. Strength skills include circles,
scales, and press handstands. Men's floor routines usually have multiple passes that have to total
between 60–70 seconds and are performed without music, unlike the women's event. Rules
require that male gymnasts touch each corner of the floor at least once during their routine.
What are the six types of gymnastics?
Artistic Gymnastics is usually divided into Men's and Women's Gymnastics.

Men compete on six events:
1. Floor Exercise,
2. Pommel Horse,
3. Still Rings,
4. Vault,
5. Parallel Bars, and

6. Horizontal Bar, while
Women compete on four:

1. Vault,
2. Uneven Bars,
3. Balance Beam, and
4. Floor Exercise.
AEROBIC GYMNASTICS (AER)
Aerobic exercise is any activity that gets your blood pumping and large muscle groups working.
It’s also known as cardiovascular activity. Examples of aerobic exercise include:
1. brisk walking
2. swimming
3. heavy cleaning or gardening
4. running
5. cycling
6. playing soccer
Experts recommend getting at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, or 75 minutes of
vigorous activity each week. Brisk walking or swimming are examples of moderate activity.
Running or cycling are examples of vigorous activity.
But why is aerobic exercise recommended? Read on to learn about the benefits and to get tips for
ways to incorporate aerobic exercise into your routine.
Competitive aerobic gymnastics
National Aerobic Championships

The National Aerobic Championships is a competition of aerobic gymnastics started in 1984 in
the United States. Founded by Sport Fitness International, it was the first major championships in
the sport predating the Aerobic Gymnastics World Championships by 11 years. From 1988
onwards the individual events were separated by gender. The sport became popular around the
world after it gained popularity in the US when major championships were aired on ESPN
during the height of the fitness movement in the US.
In recent years, the sport has experienced growth in Eastern Europe, China, Argentina, Mexico,
Canada and Australia among other countries but has not grown significantly in the US as the
creators of the sport in the USA struggled to transition the focus from fitness to gymnastics. As
other countries have blended successfully with their gymnastic federations, the US, where the
sport was created, has not been as successful in making that transition. The USAG does not
officially acknowledge the sport as a gymnastic discipline even though the international
governing body, the FIG, does so.
FIG aerobics
The competitive aerobic gymnastics are governed by the Fédération Internationale de
Gymnastique (FIG). The FIG designs the Code of Points and regulates all aspects of
international elite competition. Within individual countries, gymnastics is regulated by national

federations. In 1995, the FIG recognised sport aerobics as a new competitive gymnastics
discipline, organised judges and coaches courses and launched the 1st Aerobic Gymnastics
World Championships in Paris (34 countries). In 1997, the IWGA (International World Games
Association) included Aerobic Gymnastics in its programme of the 5th World
Games (Lahti, Finland). Since 1999 The European Union of Gymnastics has been conducting
Aerobic European Gymnastics Championships in all uneven years. Leading nations who have
provided World Medallists
are: Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, France, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Korea, New
Zealand, Romania, Russia and Spain.
FISAF aerobics
The Federation of International Sports, Aerobics and Fitness (FISAF) is an international non-
profit "umbrella organization" active in over 40 countries. It is self-described as "the
largest fitness industry organisation in the world" and "the largest instructor certification agency
in the world".
Types of gymnastics
When you think of gymnastics, you may picture women doing stunts on balance beams, or men
performing extraordinary feats on still rings – but did you know that these routines only
represent one of the seven types of gymnastics?
The sport is a complex combination that involves physical strength, flexibility, power, agility,
coordination, grace, balance and control. Out of all the different disciplines, competitive artistic
gymnastics is the most well known, but the other forms of gymnastics, including rhythmic
gymnastics and aerobic gymnastics, have also gained widespread popularity.
1. Artistic gymnastics
The most popular and widely-practised form, artistic gymnastics is divided into women’s and
men’s gymnastics. Women compete on four events: vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor
exercise, while men compete on six events: floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault,
parallel bars, and high bar. The sport consists mainly of the use of various gymnastic apparatus,
as well as the use of the floor for different exercises.
2. Rhythmic gymnastics
Rhythmic gymnastics is the performance of various gymnastics moves and dance exercises to
music, with or without various gymnastic apparatus. Only women compete in the sport, which
combines elements of ballet and gymnastics in the performance of five separate routines with the
use of one of the five apparatuses: ball, ribbon, hoop, clubs and rope. There are also group
routines consisting of two to six gymnasts, performing with a maximum of two apparatuses of
their choice.
3. Aerobic gymnastics
Aerobic gymnastics, also known as sport aerobics, involves the performance of routines by
individuals, pairs, trios, or groups of up to six people. These routines typically emphasise
strength, flexibility and aerobic fitness, rather than acrobatic or balance skills. Routines typically
lasting 60 to 90 seconds are performed on floors, without the use of other apparatus.

Aerobic gymnastics (formally Sport Aerobics) involves the performance of routines by
individuals, pairs, trios or groups up to 6 people, emphasizing strength, flexibility, and aerobic
fitness rather than acrobatic or balance skills. Routines are performed for all individuals on a
7x7m floor and also for 12–14 and 15-17 trios and mixed pairs. From 2009, all senior trios and
mixed pairs were required to be on the larger floor (10x10m), all groups also perform on this
floor. Routines generally last 60–90 seconds depending on age of participant and routine
category. The World Championships have been held since 1995.
The events consist of:

1. Individual Women
2. Individual Men
3. Mixed Pairs
4. Trios
5. Groups
6. Dance
7. Step
UNIT 2: RELEVANCE OF STUDYING GYMNASTICS AND AEROBIC 5HRS
BENEFITS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE
Aerobic exercise is considered by most experts to be the single most important component of
fitness. Studies have shown that people who do regular continuous exercise will live longer, have
a greater work capacity, and will decrease their risk of coronary artery disease, cancer and
diabetes.
Aerobic fitness can be defined as the ability of the body’s cardiovascular and muscular systems
to provide the necessary energy to sustain activity that uses the large muscle groups over an
extended period of time. To reach aerobic fitness, a person must engage in continuous activity
like jogging, walking, cycling, stair climbing, rowing, or swimming at an intensity level you can
maintain for at least 30 minutes, three to seven days per week.
For individuals just starting their exercise program, remember to start slow and gradually
increase intensity and duration. Beginning exercisers can start with 15-20 minutes of a low
intensity activity, like easy walking, three times per week.
As your fitness level increases, first increase the duration and then the intensity of your
workouts.
Here are some of the many benefits of aerobic exercise:

1. Increases the efficiency of respiration
2. Improves blood volume, distribution, and delivery to muscles
3. Improves cardiovascular efficiency
4. Increases the stroke volume, or the amount of blood pumped from the ventricle during
each contraction of the heart
5. Increases cardiac output, or the volume of blood pumped by the heart each minute
6. Decreases resting heart rate
7. Improves the condition and efficiency of breathing muscles
8. Improves the efficiency of movement

9. Improves the body’s ability to use fat as an energy source
10. Improves body composition by decreasing body fat
11. Strengthens muscles
12. Strengthens ligaments, tendons and bones
13. Helps decrease the risk of developing coronary artery disease, cancer and diabetes
14. Helps decrease anxiety and stress
15. Helps you feel better overall
Other health benefits
1. Improves cardiovascular health

Aerobic exercise is recommended by the American Heart Association and by most doctors to
people with, or at risk for, heart disease. That’s because exercise strengthens your heart and helps
it more efficiently pump blood throughout the body.
Cardiovascular exercise can also help lower blood pressure, and keep your arteries clear by
raising “good” high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and lowering “bad” low-density
lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in the blood.
If you’re specifically looking to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, aim for 40 minutes of
moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise between 3 and 4 times each week.
2. Lowers blood pressure
Cardiovascular exercise may help you manage symptoms of high blood pressure. That’s because
exercise can help lower blood pressure. Here are other ways to lower blood pressure without
medicine.
3. Helps regulate blood sugar

Regular physical activity helps regulate insulin levels and lower blood sugar, all while keeping
body weight in check. In a study on people with type 2 diabetes, researchers found that any form
of movement, either aerobic or anaerobic, may have these effects.
4. Reduces asthma symptoms

Aerobic exercise can help people with asthma lessen both the frequency and severity of asthma
attacks. You should still talk to your doctor before beginning a new exercise routine if you have
asthma, however. They may recommend specific activities or precautions to help keep you safe
while working out.
5. Reduces chronic pain

If you have chronic back pain, cardiovascular exercise — specifically low-impact activities, like
swimming or aqua aerobics — may help youTrusted Source get back muscle function and
endurance. Exercise can also help you lose weight, which may further reduce chronic back pain.
6. Aids sleep
If you’re having trouble sleeping at night, try cardiovascular exercise during your waking hours.
A study on individuals with chronic sleep issues revealed that a regular exercise program
combined with sleep hygiene education is an effective treatment for insomnia.
Participants engaged in aerobic activity for 16 weeks and then completed questionnaires about
their sleep and general mood. The activity group reported better sleep quality and duration, as
well as improvements in their daytime wakefulness and vitality.

Exercising too close to bedtime may make it more difficult to sleep, however. Try to finish your
workout at least two hours before bedtime.
7. Regulates weight
You may have heard that diet and exercise are the building blocks to weight loss. But aerobic
exercise alone may hold the power to help you lose weight and keep it off.
In one study, researchers asked overweight participants to keep their diets the same, but to
engage in exercise sessions that would burn either 400 to 600 calories, 5 times a week, for 10
months.
The results showed significant weight loss, between 4.3 and 5.7 percent of their starting weights,
for both men and women. Most participants walked or jogged on treadmills for the majority of
their exercise sessions. If you don’t have access to a treadmill, try taking a few brisk walks or
jogs a day, such as during your lunch break or before dinner.
Depending on your weight and speed, you may need to walk or jog up to 4 miles to burn 400 to
600 calories. Cutting calories in addition to aerobic exercise can reduce the amount of exercise
needed to lose the same amount of weight.
8. Strengthens immune system

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University examined active and sedentary women and the
impact of exercise on their immune systems.
 one group exercised on a treadmill for 30 minutes
 another group did a burst of intense activity over 30 seconds
 the last group did not exercise
All women had their blood taken before, after, and at different intervals in the days and weeks
after these exercise sessions.
The results showed that regular and moderate aerobic exercise increases certain antibodies in the
blood called immunoglobulins. That ultimately strengthens the immune system. The sedentary
group of women saw no improvement in immune system function and their cortisol levels were
much higher than those in the active groups.
9. Improves brain power

Did you know that the brain starts losing tissue after you reach age 30? Scientists have
uncovered that aerobic exercise may slow this loss and improve cognitive performance.
To test this theory, 55 older adults submitted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans for
evaluation. The participants were then examined to assess their health, including aerobic fitness.
The adults who were most fit showed fewer reductions in the frontal, parietal, and temporal areas
of the brain. Overall, their brain tissue was more robust.
What does this mean for you? Aerobic exercise does the body and brain good.
10. Boosts mood

Moving your body may also improve your mood. In one study on individuals with depression,
participants walked on a treadmill doing intervals for 30 minutes a session. After 10 days, they
were asked to report any changes in their mood.
All participants reported a significant reduction in their symptoms of depression. These results
suggest that engaging in exercise, even for a short period of time, may have a big impact on
mood.

You don’t need to wait almost two weeks to see improvement. The study results revealed that
even a single exercise session may be enough to give you a boost.
11. Reduces risk of falls

One in three people over the age of 65 fall each year. Falls can lead to broken bones, and
potentially create lifelong injuries or disabilities. Exercise may help reduce your risk for falls.
And if you’re worried you’re too old to start exercising, don’t be. You have much to gain.
Results from a study on women ages 72 to 87 revealed that aerobic dance, for example, can
reduce the risk of falling by promoting better balance and agility. The women worked out for an
hour, 3 times a week, for a total of 12 weeks. The dance sessions included plenty of squatting
motions, leg balance, and other basic gross motor tasks.
At the end of the study, the women in the control group performed significantly better on tasks
like standing on one leg with their eyes closed. They also had better grip strength and reach, all
important physical strengths that can protect the body from falls.
Be sure to talk to your doctor before starting a new workout routine, and start slow. Group
classes can be a great way to safely exercise. The instructor can tell you if you’re doing moves
correctly and they can also give you modifications, if needed, to reduce your risk for injury.
12. Safe for most people, including kids

Cardiovascular exercise is recommended for most groups of people, even those who are older or
who have chronic health conditions. The key is working with your doctor to find what works
best for you and is safe in your particular situation.
Even children should get regular aerobic exercise. In fact, recommendations for kids are slightly
higher than for adults. Aim to get your child moving at least 60 minutesTrusted Source or more
each day. Moderate activities are good, but kids should get into the vigorous zone at least three
days each week.
13. Affordable and accessible

You don’t need any fancy equipment or a gym membership to work out. Getting daily exercise
can be as easy as taking a walk around your neighborhood or going for a jog with a friend on a
local trail.
Other ways to get your aerobic exercise for free or cheap:
 Check local schools or community centers for pool hours. Many offer free admission to
residents or have sliding scale rates. Some centers even offer free or inexpensive fitness
classes to the general public.
 Browse online to find free workouts on sites like YouTube. Fitness Blender, Yoga with
Adriene, and Blogilates are popular channels.
 Check with your employer about discounts or free memberships at area gyms. If your
workplace doesn’t offer anything, you may be eligible for incentives through your health
insurance provider.
Is aerobic exercise safe?

Speak with your doctor before starting a new exercise routine. While aerobic exercise is
appropriate for most people, there are certain situations where you may want to be under
guidance of a physician.
For example:

 Exercise lowers blood sugar. If you have diabetes, check your blood sugar levels before
and after exercise. Eating a healthy snack before you start sweating will also help prevent
your levels from dipping too low.
 Spend extra time warming up before beginning your activity if you have muscle and joint
pain, such as with arthritis. Consider taking a warm shower before lacing up or heading
to the gym. Shoes with good cushioning and motion control can also help.
 If you have asthma, look for exercises with shorter bursts of activity, like tennis or
baseball. That way you can take breaks to rest your lungs. And don’t forget to use an
inhaler when necessary.
 If you’re new to exercise, ease in to activity. Start over several weeks by doing 10 to
20minutes every other day. This will help with fatigue and muscle soreness.
Your doctor can offer more guidelines and suggestions for your specific condition or fitness
level.
USES GYMNASTICS
Strength development: Gymnastics produces, pound-for-pound, the best athletes in the

world. Gymnastics uses almost exclusively body weight exercises to build upper body, lower
body, and core strength. Discipline: Gymnastics instills a sense of discipline
When we watch the gymnasts perform at the highest level, such as the Olympics or national
championships, it’s easy to be amazed at how strong and flexible they are. The raw physical
strength, flexibility, power, agility, coordination, grace, balance and control required in
gymnastics are impressive, but these elite level athletes are not the only ones who can benefit
from participating.
They are as follows:

1. Flexibility: Flexibility is a primary factor in gymnastics. Increasing flexibility can also be
an effective aid to the reduction of injury, preventing people from forcing a limb to an
injurious range of motion. By learning movements and combining them in a routine, the
gymnast can attain greater flexibility and greater control of the body.
2. Disease prevention: Participation in gymnastics can help maintain a healthy body, which
is key to preventing numerous health conditions such as asthma, cancer, obesity, heart
disease and diabetes. Being involved in gymnastics helps encourage a healthy lifestyle,
including regular physical activity and eating a well-balanced diet.
3. Strong and healthy bones: Participation in weight-bearing activities including gymnastics
can develop strong, healthy bones, which is important to develop at a young age. As we
age, we inevitably experience a decrease in bone mass every year. Building strong,
healthy bones at a young age can help reduce the risks of developing osteoporosis later
on in life.
4. Increased self-esteem: A study conducted by researchers at the Robert Wood Johnson
Medical School have indicated that children who participate in physical activity like
gymnastics are likely to have better self-esteem and self-efficacy.
5. Daily exercise needs: The American Heart Association recommends children participate
in 60 minutes of physical activity per day. Adults age 18 and over should participate in

30 minutes of exercise at least five days per week. Participation in gymnastics helps meet
the exercise recommendations set forth by the American Heart Association.
6. Increased cognitive functioning: Participation in gymnastics does not only offer physical
gains; it is beneficial for improving concentration and mental focus – an important aspect
of anyone’s life. Gymnastics allows children the chance to think for themselves, to
stimulate their imaginations and to solve problems safely.
7. Increased coordination: Gymnasts do not react with as large a “startle response” to
sudden imbalances as non-gymnasts. By applying this conditioning outside the sport,
people become better equipped to avoid hazardous situations by quickly identifying them
and naturally correcting body alignment when walking, standing or jumping, etc.
8. Strength development: Gymnastics produces, pound-for-pound, the best athletes in the
world. Gymnastics uses almost exclusively body weight exercises to build upper body,
lower body, and core strength.
9. Discipline: Gymnastics instills a sense of discipline. Each student must have the self
control to make corrections when a coach asks them to, and they must also have the self
discipline to stay on task when a coach is working with another gymnast.
10. Social skills: At all ages, gymnastics provides an opportunity to develop social skills.
Younger children learn how to stand in line, look, listen, be quiet when others are talking,
work and think independently, and how to be respectful of others. The older kids learn
how to set a good example for the people who look up to them and become role models at
a young age.
11 HEALTH BENEFITS OF GYMNASTICS, ACCORDING TO SCIENCE
Gymnastics is one of the best exercises for training for overall health and wellness. Multiple
studies on this subject prove the importance of gymnastics for bone, muscle, and cognitive
health. It’s not only about building muscle and improving flexibility, gymnasts make healthy
lifestyle choices, are confident, and are able to make smart decisions to become successful
adults.
Training your mind to feel happy and stress-free involves regular physical exercise. But boosting
one’s cognitive and emotional state of mind requires a more intense and consistent training
program. And that’s why gymnastics is so good for you! It helps build self-morale,
determination, and better communication skills. It also improves quality of sleep, fights
depression, and aids weight loss in the most effective way.
Participating in gymnastics from a younger age is important. It targets all muscle groups for
total-body strength and flexibility. Plus, it fights a bunch of metabolic and immune disorders by
lowering blood pressure and releasing antioxidant enzymes within the body.
With that out of the way, I found 11 science-backed health benefits of gymnastics for all of you!
So it’s never too late to begin, right?

1. Learning Gymnastics Enhances The Body’s Complex Motor Skill
A recent study on the positive effects of gymnastics proved that doing complex gymnastics
training on a daily basis can improve knowledge in performance and movement. This means it
accelerates the body’s general motor skill for better mobility and posture.
Learning a motor skill as complex and elaborate as gymnastics has a profound effect on the
body’s muscles and bones. It also enhances motor learning and effects other factors such as
physical response and learning skills. So if you participate in gymnastics on a regular basis, it
means you can learn better than those who don’t.
Such positive effects can also impact attention and communication. The study showed that
gymnasts performing more complex training and trampoline exercises showed a higher
percentage of motor learning skill than those who performed basic moves.
Hence, this study clearly indicated why learning progressing at complex sports such as
gymnastics has a positive effect on your learning abilities and motor skills. It makes you more
quick to respond physical and elevates your cognitive function to learn and understand faster.
Key Takeaway: Latest research suggests that learning complex gymnastic exercises can help you
improve your performance motor skills. It also trains the mind to learn and communicate faster
and better in challenging situations.
2. Doing Gymnastics Regularly Can Dramatically Increase Flexibility

You will come across a gymnast who’s not flexible. Because gymnastics consists of performing
specific types of stunts and turns, improving flexibility is very important. That said, the bends
and twists involved in gymnastics alleviates all types of muscle and joint stiffness.
So gymnasts can practice a wide range of movements without injuring their joints and muscles.
Young gymnasts are more flexible with stronger ligaments, tendons, and joints. This means early
participation in gymnastics can improve flexibility and prevent growth defects and fatigue.
This review also shed light on how gymnastics improves gravity hold and posture, making it
easier for gymnasts to practice balancing on beams and narrow bases.
Other stunts including forward kicks, leaps, splits, and side-kicks all depend on a gymnast’s
flexibility. So practicing expert gymnastic training exercises consistently can dramatically
improve your flexibility and relax your muscles to prevent any sort of serious injury during
performance.

Key Takeaway: Flexibility is the ability to bend and stretch joints and muscles while performing
supervised stunts. People with a higher range of flexibility are at a lower risk of getting injured
during gymnastics practice than those with stiff muscles and joints. Hence, doing more
gymnastics training helps improve flexibility and target all muscle groups in the body.
3. Participation In Gymnastics Can Build Proper Coordination And Balance

Increasing coordination and balance can help enhance body awareness and movement. If you
practice gymnastics for long, you will be able to use different parts of your body in versatile
ways. Not to mention, it improves overall body control and stability.
A recent review about the positive effects of gymnastics on children showed how increasing
coordination can directly impact motor skills and body alertness. Training from a younger age
can alleviate muscle tension and make your body feel more conscious and alive, a study
suggests.
Any sort of organised sport, like gymnastics, can improve both speed and balance in children.
Plus, it helps build the foundation of total-body strength and agility. More research has linked
coordination with gymnastics to improve performance while carrying out somersaults, backflips,
and beam balancing.
To improve coordination and balance, gymnasts perform sprints or side jumping jacks. This
helps increase agility during tests and alleviate muscle sprains and other injuries.
Key Takeaway: Maximum coordination and balance are key to performing complex gymnastic
training exercises. Gymnasts are consistently tested and trained to improve agility to perform
better on the balance beam or for somersaults. This elevates the ability to control and balance the
body against gravity.
4. Gymnasts Have A Better Sense Of Personal Control And Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is very important for gymnasts and athletes during performance. Believe it or not,
gaining personal control and self-esteem is a common trait among gymnasts. They feel more
self-aware and confident about their performance. So participating in gymnastics can improve
your sense of self by training your mind to not be critical and over-perform during training.
Another impressive benefit of gymnastics is improved confidence and judgement. Being a good
judge to your own performance skills is a good way to train harder and build muscle. This trait
also makes you less nervous around other people’s criticism and judgement.

Another study by the University of Toronto showed how personal control and physical exercise
go hand-in-hand for stellar performance. Young adults can gain internal focus and personal
control by practising highly-complex and challenging sports, including gymnastics.
This study included 30 female gymnasts between 11 and 17 years. The results showed that the
girls with practising higher performance sports reported a significantly high self-esteem and
personal control.
Key Takeaway: A challenging exercise routine can apply to your innate personal traits such as
personal control and self-confidence. Multiple reports have suggested that gymnasts who
perform complex routines are less self-conscious and self-critical during performance.
5. Gymnastics Promote Healthy Cognitive Functioning

There’s a direct link between physical fitness and cognitive function. A latest study proved that
agility training, circuit training, coordination, and other intense physical skills can dramatically
impact cognitive markers.
These include reasoning skills, verbal communication, spatial ability, and inductive reasoning.
All these are specific cerebral activities that determine a person’s overall cognitive health. These
mechanisms also impact a person’s attention, learning, and memory skills.
The study focused on the cognitive differences between an elite sportsperson and amateur
sportsperson. The results concluded that those who perform more challenging and complex
exercise routines reported higher cognitive abilities than amateurs.
The last review on this subject explored the dynamics of cognitive health and physical
performance for overall academic achievement. The result was that different parts of the brain
such as the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex are greatly influenced by physical performance.
These are the parts responsible for better physical movement.
The cerebellum, one the other hand, coordinates proper physical movement. While the prefrontal
cortex helps navigate and initiate better physical action to avoid injuries and errors.
Key Takeaway: Learning new and improved gymnastic moves can make your brain smarter
according to multiple studies. It improves cognitive health by broadening memory, attention,
reasoning, and learning skills. It also impacts certain areas of the brain responsible for physical
movement and coordination.

6. Enhanced Gymnastic Training Can Improve Bone Health
Increasing bone mineral density without the need of any medication is one of the most effective
treatments. Participating in gymnastics, on the other hand, also helps improves bone health and
wellness.
Due to a number of factors, including age, bones tend to get thinner and lose most of their
nutrients. This causes severe health problems such as osteoporosis, bone less, and bone fractures.
To strengthen bones and accelerate bone mineral density, regular participation in gymnastics is
essential. A study showed that gymnastics training has a positive effect on bone health in girls. It
improves bone geometry and resistance in girls. This study analyzed the bone health of 49 girls
between 9 to 13 years of age.
According to the results, the group who performed intensive gymnastic training exercises had
increased bone thickness and volumetric bone density. It also evaluated long-term bone mineral
density thickness in female gymnasts during old age.
Another study on the same health effects of gymnastics proved that it accelerates lumbar bone
mineral density after 27 weeks of intense training.
Key Takeaway: You can maximize bone health and strength by practicing more intense
gymnastic exercises. Elite gymnasts showed increased lumbar support, bone mineral density, and
tissue mass due to increased physical training.
7. Participation In Gymnastics Might Help You Lose Weight

Gymnasts who compete in tournaments have increased muscular strength with minimum body
fat. Hence participating in gymnastics can dramatically burn calories and make the body’s
muscles more toned and strong.
Because gymnasts follow a strict diet plan and train for hours in a day, the number of calories
burned is higher. According to a recent review, gymnastics is considered a moderate fat-burning
exercise routine. But it does promote steady weight loss if practiced consistently.
Throw in a healthy diet and persistent training, learning different gymnastics moves for weight
loss is possible. Another important health benefit is that gymnastics promotes better body
conditioning and toning. So when you increase your body’s flexibility, balance, and
coordination, it automatically leads to faster weight loss.
Also, practicing gymnastics regularly can also curb unhealthy appetites and cravings. So you eat
healthy and provide your body with nutrients that aid fat burning and muscle toning.

Key Takeaway: You can lose weight and become fit by focusing on practicing gymnastics on a
day-to-day basis. It even encourages healthy eating habits to burn fat and increase muscular
endurance.
8. Gymnastic Strength Training Can Positively Impact Muscle Health

A study on the effects of gymnastics on muscle health showed that long-term gymnastics training
can improve muscle reflexes and muscle extension. If you’ve heard of hip extensions, you know
what muscle extension is and how important it is for most adults.
But to sum it up, muscle extension is the movement that increases the angle between joints and
bones. The opposite of this movement is known as muscle flexion.
The study evaluated 20 gymnasts and 20 non-athletes. The results showed that gymnasts had
30% higher muscle extension than non-athletes. It also concluded that better physical training
programs for gymnasts can improve muscle reflexes and extensor muscle health for better
performance.
The kind of muscle resistance you develop increases core strength and balance. And due to
consistent practice involving stretches, the muscles are less likely to injure or sprain after a fall.
This increases muscle endurance with long-term health benefits as you get older.
Key Takeaway: Gymnastics enhances the proper development and maintenance of the muscles in
young gymnasts and adults. If you participate in gymnastics regularly, it will help tone all
muscle groups and alleviate muscle soreness, stiffness, and pain.
9. Gymnastics Can Also Prevent And Treat Incorrect Body Posture

Gymnastics instills correct and healthy postural control. This is when you maintain an upright
posture either while sitting or standing. Incorrect body posture seated or otherwise can often lead
to fatigue and leg and back pain.
Certain activities including stretching, walking, and high-knees can promote proper posture
control. With that in mind, a recent study proved how expertise in gymnastics is good for
maintaining a healthy posture for most people.
The study involved 6 gymnasts and 6 athletes in non-gymnastics sports. Based on certain
markers such as center of pressure and postural sway it was determined that gymnasts have
better posture control than others.

Hence precision in sitting and standing in an upright posture may be corrected by participating in
gymnastics. Anybody with an incorrect body posture can struggle to move around. Plus, it also
impacts motor skills, increasing your chances of a fall without proper support.
Since gymnastics create better coordination and balance, posture control comes without doubt. It
helps you walk better and sit for longer hours without experiencing any back or neck pain.
Key Takeaway: There is a definite link between gymnastics and posture control according to a
recent study. The study concluded that gymnasts had a better sense of posture control than non-
gymnastic athletes.
10. There Is A Clear Link Between Gymnastics And Depression

Modern science has always placed emphasis on reducing depression, anxiety, and stress with
regular physical exercise. This time, based on multiple studies, participation in gymnastics can
help combat depressive symptoms.
According to this study, long-term depression leads to neuro-endocrine secretion which impacts
both mood, sleep, fitness, and overall health. A study on 156 depressed patients was carried out
in three different groups. The first group focused on drug treatment and the second on sports-
related exercise program. The last group focused on both drug treatment and exercise.
Based on the results, long-term continuation of physical exercise in depressed patients showed a
significant improvement in psychological health. Since the body was stimulated by only physical
factors, it caused a more natural psychological response and brain chemistry.
Another study focused on reducing depressive symptoms in elderly patients. According to the
research conducted, participation in gymnastics can improve heart condition and autonomic
system. This also impacts mood swings, stress, and a variety of psychiatric symptoms in elders.
In addition, the effects of regular gymnastics activity against the proliferation of depression came
out positive in a similar study. This study focused on how physical exercise impacts the brain. It
reduces endorphin abstinence which is a major contributor to restlessness, fatigue, irritability,
etc.
Lack of regular exercise can cause endorphin abstinence in both youngsters and adults.
Key Takeaway: These studies prove that gymnastics has a well-defined effect on mental health.
It reduces signs of depression, promotes endorphin release, and is a safer alternative to drug
treatment for long-term use.

11. Gymnastics Training For Pregnant Women Can Improve Sleep Quality
Pregnancy comes with a whole slew of problems including fatigue, sleeplessness, and anxiety.
Based on recent studies, participating in gymnastics for healthy pregnant women can positively
impact sleep disturbances.
A group of 132 pregnant women were divided into two groups. The first group participated in a
moderate-level gymnastics training program while the second group had none. After a 10-week
period, the participant’s pyscho-emotional status and sleeping patterns were taken into account.
The results showed there was a significant decrease in anxiety and stress status that is the
psycho-emotional status of the first group. Also it reduced restless sleep, chronic tiredness,
daytime sleepiness. While the second group with no participation in gymnastics showed no
positive result at all.
This study also claims that healthy pregnant women can improve, if not prevent their psycho-
emotional status by performing more training exercises similar to or gymnastics. This can
directly affect sleep quality in most humans.
Pregnant women are increasingly falling victim to sleeplessness and daytime sleepiness.
Participating in gymnastics is a clever way to incorporate a healthy lifestyle and prevent
emotional disturbances that might lead to insomnia.
Key Takeaway: Gymnastics help induce a healthier sleeping pattern in pregnant women. It also
promotes better psycho-emotional responses to fight off depression, mood swings, and anxiety
levels.
Doing Them The Right Way – 10 Healthy Tips for Beginners

It’s no surprise that gymnastics is both a mentally and physically challenging sport. It focuses on
body awareness, coordination, balance, and flexibility. So gymnasts train hard to build muscular
strength and endurance without minimizing serious injuries.
You now know why gymnastics is so important for most people. It fights depression, increases
bone mineral density, and promotes better mental and cognitive function.
So how to get started in gymnastics to reap all its health benefits?
Getting started with gymnastic routines:

Before I list all the important gymnastic skills to look forward to, it’s important to pick a
gymnastics class that fits your age group. If you’re starting off late, it’s better to first attend a few

gymnastics training programs. This will help you determine your physical abilities, strength, and
flexibility. And it also helps you decide what you need to work on the most.
Floor
The floor is where it all starts. It involves basic gymnastic skills including balance and body
strength. If you hold your ground, you then progress to more complex floor movements. Elite
gymnasts master the basic floor moves like handstands, rolls, cartwheels, and somersaults. These
are trained and performed on a standard mat or spring floor to avoid injuries or sprains.
Beam
Practicing on the beam involves better body movement and coordination. A beam is a made up
of leather material, usually 4 inches wide. Female gymnasts often develop different gymnastic
skills including tap swing and stride circle. The more complicated gymnastic movements on the
beam are handstand, piked Jager, straddle back, and many more.
Vault
The vaulting table is where are complex skills are practiced. But for beginners, it involves more
basic skills like handstands and straddles. Working your way towards complex vault movements
requires muscular strength, flexibility, and better balance. It also means to “stick the landing” in
a professional and precise manner.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at a few important fitness tips for beginners. This will
help you get started with gymnastics in a healthy and injury-free manner.
1. Stick To A Schedule
Any gymnast would tell you how important it is to stick to a proper gymnastic training
framework. As per expert recommendation, training 3 times a week is ideal for beginners to
target all muscle groups. Each day focuses on a different training program starting from low-
intensity, medium-weight intensity, to high intensity sessions.
Such versatile training programs can build up better physical endurance and flexibility for
beginners. Also it offers you a day’s rest after every session for faster recovery.
2. Get The Basics Right

As with any other sport, learning the basic moves is critical for training. Since gymnastics is a
sport of flexibility, strength, and agility, it’s important to master the basics before moving
forward to more complex moves.
Based on a scientific review, building upper-body strength is necessary. Beginners can work on
that with basic push-ups. There are different variations of doing a basic push-up. So you can
increase the number of reps each week as you get stronger.

Doing a frog-stand to develop balancing skills and target core muscles is next. To master this
basic, you need to squat with your hands on the floor. It’s important to lead forward while lifting
your legs and touching the knees to the elbows. Hold this position for about 30 seconds to master
a frog-stand.
Other basic moves include a handstand and somersault.
3. It’s Important To Learn The Rules

Gymnasts don’t take rules lightly. For accurate performance, especially on a competitive level,
following the rules is critical. That’s why beginners are first taught the important rules of
gymnastics before training begins. Following these general rules help gymnasts hit higher scores
and follow the routine effectively.
For example, at the time of competition, skills such as balance beam and floor come with strict
time limits. If a gymnast exceeds the prescribed time limit, it leads to a score deduction. Other
additional rules are proper conduct, body position, etc.
4. Stretch Before And After Your Training

Stretching for flexibility and stretching for injury prevention are two different things. Most
people give least importance to stretching for injury prevention.
According to a recent study, stretching before and after gymnastics training has positive neural
and performance benefits. It helps in relaxing all muscle groups to reduce muscle stiffness and
cramps. Also, an increase in stretching leads to a significant increase in range of motion and
balance.
Stretching is important to boost strength and prevent fatigue caused by high-intensity workouts.
Gymnasts who stretch for injury prevention also reported better muscle strength and reduced
muscle stiffness after training. This can also prevent frequent muscle tears and knee problems.
5. Get Enough Sleep

Sleep and exercise go hand-in-hand for athletes and gymnasts. It’s important to get enough sleep
for proper training, especially when you want to make progress. For gymnastics training,
beginners need extra sleep to reduce stress on the muscles and bones. It also helps in recovery for
muscle soreness, especially after the first few sessions.
That said, beginners should train during evenings that is neither too early in the morning nor too
late. If you train during your early waking hours, it can cause tiredness throughout the day.
While training too late can leave you with very little body strength to train with.
So as beginners, giving your body complete rest and recovery by training in the evenings is
easier to recover from.

6. Don’t Forget To Wear Protective Gear
There are many ways to injure when practicing gymnastics. Floor exercises causes the most
injuries, according to a recent study. But amateurs can hurt themselves by falling off the beam or
other sports equipment too.
The most common injuries are ligament tears, bone fracture, muscle sprain, and back problems.
So in order to stay protected, wearing wrist straps, grips, spotting belts, and guards are essential.
Proper footwear is also critical to prevent ankle injuries.
Wearing wrist guards and grips prevent blisters and skin tears, especially during amateur
training. Since the outer layer of the skin is not used to such challenging movements, it can cause
serious injections if you act irresponsibly.
7. Practice Gymnastics After Eating

It’s important you eat a proper meal before training. It meets the body’s demand for a healthy,
filling, and immune-boosting meal. That said, gymnasts incorporate smaller meals that are high
in energy to control their weight and increase muscular strength. So during heavy training,
fatigue and dizziness is out of the question.
Eating energy bars, cereal, toast, or dried fruits before training is also healthy. And during
training, drinking carbohydrate-rich fluids can prevent weakness and build stamina. (28)
8. Make Sure To Stay Hydrated

Dehydration, according to a recent report, can cause many health concerns on sports
performance. It leads to decreased blood flow, heat dissipation, and sweat rate during exercise.
These factors contribute to many illnesses including immune-related diseases.
So for maximum physical performance, drinking sufficient amounts of water during the day is
important. It also affects your mood and concentration during gymnastics training. With
dehydrated muscles, your blood pressure drops, heart rate increases, and there’s not enough fuel
to power your body. This leads to more fluid loss and fatigue.
Preparing for a gymnastics meet includes drinking small amounts of water every 15-30 minutes
or so before, during, and after training.
9. Eat A Healthy Diet

Your body requires proper nutrients for energy production and boosting stamina. Gymnasts, on
the one hand, require high calorie intake to avoid tiredness, fatigue, and sluggishness. Other
important nutrients include macronutrients such as carbs, protein, and fats.
Foods such as oatmeal, whole-grain pasta, brown rice, and vegetables are considered high-
energy foods for a gymnast. It helps in proper fiber and protein absorption. While lean protein
meals consisting of eggs, chicken, and lean beef also boost energy during training.

Lack of proper nutrition can cause immune suppression which is characterized by an increase in
stress hormones in the body. Longer recovery is also a partly responsible for lack of nutrition in
the body.
10. Don’t Stress Yourself Out

Did you know stress can affect sports performance causing high blood pressure, fear, and
shortness of breath? Increased anxiety during physical performance can even cause serious
muscle spasms and soreness.
A recent report on anxiety and sports performance determined that high stress levels disrupt
concentration for more advanced skills in gymnastics. It can seriously impact a wide range of
gymnastic skills such as handstands, somersaults, and other basic moves.
Beginners often fall and release lots of perspiration due to high stress levels during performance.
So staying calm is critical to stellar gymnastics performance.
STEP AEROBICS
Step aerobics has all the benefits of a high-intensity cardio workout without putting stress on
your joints. It improves overall fitness by building strength , reducing fat, and boosting your
cardiovascular health. It also burns calories, making it an ideal way to maintain your target
body weight.
Step aerobics is an up-tempo way to get your heart pumping and stay fit.
Doing this choreographed cardio workout as part of a group exercise class can help build
motivation and create a sense of community. You can also do it on your own as long as you have
an adjustable step or a similar item to use.
Step aerobics benefits

Step aerobics has all the benefits of a high-intensity cardio workout without putting stress on
your joints. It improves overall fitness by building strengthTrusted Source, reducing fat, and
boosting your cardiovascular health.
It also burns calories, making it an ideal way to maintain your target body weight.
ResearchTrusted Source has even shown that doing step aerobics can boost mood and energy
levels.
The moves target your legs, upper body, and core, building strength and flexibility. They also
improve your balance, coordination, and agility. The social component of a group class can be
beneficial in forging new connections and may help to raise motivation levels.
Step aerobics is helpful in managing blood pressure and diabetes. People with osteoporosis
orosteopenia can do this low-impact exercise to improve bone strength. People with arthritis can
use a chair or stable object for extra balance during a step class.

Basic step aerobics routine
All you need to do step aerobics is some type of step or platform. You can do some of these
moves on your own to gain confidence before joining a class or make them part of your regular
home practice.
Here’s a routine that you can use as a base to build your own program. Alternate sides and don’t
use the same leading foot for longer than a minute.
Unit 3: Moves and techniques 5hrs

 COMMON MOVES INCLUDE:
Basic right
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1. Step onto the step with the right foot.
2. Step up with the left foot.
3. Step down backward with the right foot.
4. Step down backward with the left foot.
Basic left
1. Step onto the step with the left foot.
2. Step up with the right foot.
3. Step down backward with the left foot.
4. Step down backward with the right foot.
Turnstep move
1. Begin standing sideways to the step.
3. Turn as you bring the left foot up onto the step.
4. Step down with the right foot.
5. Bring the left foot down to meet the right.
A-STEP MOVE
1. Begin standing next to the bench, facing sideways.
2. Step up to the center of the step with the right foot.
3. Lift the left foot to meet the right.
4. Step down and back to the opposite side with the right foot.
5. Bring the left foot to meet the right.
Across the top move

1. Start facing sideways.
2. Step up sideways with the right foot.
3. Step up with the left foot.
4. Step off the other side of the step with the right foot.
5. Step down with the left foot.
6. Tap up.
8. Step up and tap step with the left foot.
9. Step down with the left foot.
10. Step down with the right foot.

Charleston
1. Step forward with the right foot to the left side of the step.
2. Step forward with the left foot and raise your knee, kick, or tap the floor.
3. Step the left foot back.
4. Step backward and lunge back with the right foot.
5. Hop turn.
6. Stand sideways and step up with the right foot.
7. Raise the left knee as you pivot on the ball of the right foot.
8. Bring the left foot down on the other side of the step.
9. Step down with the right foot to meet the left.
10. Stand sideways and step up with the right foot.
11. Step the left foot up in front of the right.
12. Step the right foot off the far side of the step.
13. Step off with the left foot.
FREESTYLE AEROBICS
choreography together.
choreography together.
Aerobic music is used throughout the class. This is sometimes followed by a strength section
which uses body weight exercises to strengthen muscles and a stretch routine to cool down and
improve flexibility. Classes are usually 30–60 minutes in length and may include the use of
equipment such as a barbell, aerobic step, or small weights.
In freestyle aerobics, the instructor choreographs the routine and adjusts it to the needs and wants
of her/his class. There is often no difference between base movements in freestyle and pre-
choreographed programs.
It is practiced to improve aerobic fitness, flexibility and strength.
TYPES OF GYMNASTICS
Artistic Gymnastics is usually divided into Men's and Women's Gymnastics. Men compete
on six events:
1. Floor Exercise,
2. Pommel Horse,
3. Still Rings,
4. Vault,
5. Parallel Bars, and

6. Horizontal Bar, while women compete on four:
7. Vault,
8. Uneven Bars,
9. Balance Beam, and
10. Floor Exercise.
Gymnastics is a sport that includes exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility,
coordination, and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the
development of the arms, legs, shoulders, back, chest, and abdominal muscle groups. Alertness,
precision, daring, self-confidence, andself-discipline are mental traits that can also be developed
through gymnastics. Gymnastics evolved from exercises used by the ancient Greeks that
included skills for mounting and dismounting a horse and from circus performance skills.
The most common form of competitive gymnastics is artistic gymnastics which consists of (for
women) the events floor, vault, uneven bars and beam. For men, it consists of the events floor,
vault, rings, pommel, parallel bars, and horizontal bar. Fédération Internationale de
Gymnastique (FIG) is the governing body for gymnastics worldwide. FIG governs eight sports
that include: "Gymnastics for All, Men's and Women’sArtistic Gymnastics, Rhythmic
Gymnastics, Trampoline - including Double Mini-trampoline, Tumbling, Aerobics, Acrobatics,
and Parkour." Disciplines not currently recognized by FIG include wheel gymnastics,aesthetic
group gymnastics, men's rhythmic gymnastics, TeamGym and mallakhamba.
Participants in gymnastics-related sports can include young children, recreational level athletes,
and competitive athletes at varying levels of skill, including world-class athletes.
ALARM PHASE
The alarm stage is also known as the fight or flight response. During the alarm stage, your
brain sends an emergency signal to other parts of your body, which lets those parts know that
you're in a dangerous situation. As your body mobilizes itself to react, you can choose between a
fight or flight response. For example, you'd be choosing the 'fight' response if you heard
gunshots on a city street and confronted the shooter. By comparison, you'd be choosing the
'flight' response if you fled the scene, which according to your brain, would most likely be in
your best interest.
When you're in the alarm stage, your nervous system is prepared to fight or flight. Your heart
starts beating faster, which provides more blood and oxygen to your arms and legs. For instance,
if you're behind the driving wheel and the car in front of you suddenly comes to a stop, you'll
most likely slam on your breaks. As a result of this close call, you'll also feel your heart beating
faster.
Let's look at another scenario: While taking a late night, after-work or after-school jog, a man
holding a knife approaches you and demands money. If your brain suggests the fight response,
you may try to fight him off and take away his knife. If your brain decides on the flight response,
you may give him your money and run away, or just run away. In this case, the brain would
probably suggest the flight response, leading your heart to beat faster and more blood to be
pumped into your limbs, so you can get away quicker.

Alarm reaction stage
At the alarm reaction stage, a distress signal is sent to a part of the brain called the hypothalamus.
The hypothalamus enables the release of hormones called glucocorticoids.
Glucocorticoids trigger the release of adrenaline and cortisol, which is a stress hormone. The
adrenaline gives a person a boost of energy. Their heart rate increases and their blood
pressurerises. Meanwhile, blood sugar levels also go up.
These physiological changes are governed by a part of a person's autonomic nervous system
(ANS) called the sympathetic branch.
The alarm reaction stage of the GAS prepares a person to respond to the stressor they are
experiencing. This is often known as a "fight or flight" response.
The alarm reaction stage is the first sign of general adaptation syndrome and occurred in
Selye's rats between 6 and 48 hours following the introduction of the “nocuous agent”.
During this stage, the sympathetic branch of the ANS is activated — the adrenal gland secretes
the stress hormone cortisol, along with adrenaline, and Selye observed that the rats' bodies
underwent significant physical changes, including a reduction in bodily fat and the shrinking of
numerous organs, including the liver and thymus and lymph glands. The body temperature was
also lowered, conserving energy (Selye, 1926).
The alarm reaction stage prepares animals for a fight-or-flight response — a term coined by
Walter Cannon to describe our reaction to a stressful event. The body adapts to be able to react
quickly in either fleeing or confronting the threat posed to them.
ADAPTATION PHASE
throughout human evolution, our survival has been contingent on an ability to survive life-
threatening situations — from being hunted by predators to recovering from illnesses.
But how do we become consciously aware that a situation is dangerous so that we might adapt to
(and survive) it?
Often, we are first alerted that a situation is threatening by one of the side effects of stress — our
heart rate increases, for example, and we become aware goosebumps on the skin, amongst other
physical symptoms.
A Vienna-born endocrinologist by name of Hans Selye (1907-1982) was the first scientist to
single out these side effects and to identify them collectively as being the result of 'stress' — a
term that we use routinely today, but which did not even exist until less than 100 years ago.
Whilst conducting experiments relating to hormone production, Selye noticed that his subjects
showed a similar set of side effects regardless of the type of life-threatening stimulus that
researchers presented to them.
Seyle termed this collection of responses general adaptation syndrome (GAS), a 3-stage set of
physiological processes which prepare, or adapt, the body for danger so that we ready to stand a

better chance of surviving it compared to if we remained passively relaxed when faced with a
threat.
Discovery of GAS
Who was Hans Selye?
Hans Selye was born in Vienna, Austro-Hungary in 1907. He graduated with an MD from the
German University of Prague in 1929, received a PhD in 1931 and the following year, accepted a
position at McGill University in Montreal, Canada to continue his biochemistry research.
Whilst at McGill, in a 1926 article in Nature entitled, “A Syndrome produced by Diverse

Nocuous Agents”, he identified a set of symptoms of being exposed to various threats in rats as
general adaptation syndrome, and later labelled “stress” as we understand it today. Selye died in
Montreal in 1982 at the age of 75.
General adaptation syndrome was discovered accidentally by Selye whilst he was conducting
experiments on rats at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
In a 1926 letter to Nature, Selye described the findings of a series of experiments on rats, in
which the animals were subjected to numerous stressors, which he referred to as “nocuous
agents”, including exposure to cold temperatures, injection with various toxins and being forced
to endure excessive physical exertion (Selye, 1926).1 He then observed the physiological
responses to these stressful situations.
Selye noted that regardless of the type of shock the rats were exposed to, a similar set of
symptoms could be observed shortly afterwards, indicating that the reaction was not to a specific
stimulus but part of a more general reaction to stressful situations.
Selye went on to identify three distinct stages of general adaptation syndrome — the
initial alarm reaction stage which occurs shortly after the stressful event, followed by
a resistance stage, during which body's Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) resists the impact
of the stressful stimulus, and finally, if the stress continues, the exhaustion stage, when the body
fails to cope with the distressing stimulus.
EXHAUST PHASE
Exhaustion stage
After an extended period of stress, the body goes into the final stage of GAS, known as the
exhaustion stage. At this stage, the body has depleted its energy resources by continually trying
but failing to recover from the initial alarm reaction stage.
Once it reaches the exhaustion stage, a person's body is no longer equipped to fight stress. They
may experience:
1. tiredness
2. depression
3. anxiety
4. feeling unable to cope
If a person does not find ways to manage stress levels at this stage, they are at risk of developing
stress-related health conditions.

The final phase of general adaptation syndrome is the exhaustion stage, in which the body has
depleted resources following its attempt to repair itself during the preceding resistance stage. If
the original threat has passed, it will continue its recovery.
However, the body no longer has the energy to cope with continued stress in the long term, and
should it continue, it begins to show signs of exhaustion, gradually deteriorating as it persists.
A Short-Term Survival Strategy?

The limited resources and energy that the body has to cope with stressful situations means that
general adaptation syndrome has evolved to be only useful to animals' survival in the short term
— that is, if the threat does not persist, leading to exhaustion.
For example, a rush of adrenaline might enable prey to flee an approaching predator, but the
persistent stress of being hunted continuously for days would be difficult to adapt to in the long
term.
Individual Differences
Selye himself acknowledged that stress impacts each individual differently (Selye, 1950).2 What
one person considers to be a severely stressful situation, another person may experience as only
mildly distressing.
The GAS may also be manipulated by training — on experiencing stress on a regular basis, our
bodies adapt to cope with it.
This ability to manipulation our stress response is particularly useful for endurance sports and
affects how athletes train for strenuous competitions.
Resistance
During the resistance stage, the body tries to counteract the physiological changes that happened
during the alarm reaction stage. The resistance stage is governed by a part of the ANS called the
parasympathetic.
The parasympathetic branch of the ANS tries to return the body to normal by reducing the
amount of cortisol produced. The heart rate and blood pressure begin to return to normal.
If the stressful situation comes to an end, during the resistance stage, the body will then return to
normal.
However, if the stressor remains, the body will stay in a state of alert, and stress hormones
continue to be produced.
This physical response can lead to a person struggling to concentrate and becoming irritable.
UNIT 4: SYMPTOMS OF OVER-TRAINING – TO NAME A FEW
5HRS
Here are nine signs of overtraining to look out for:

1) Decreased performance.
2) Increased perceived effort during workouts.
3) Excessive fatigue.
4) Agitation and moodiness.
5) Insomnia or restless sleep.

6) Loss of appetite.
7) Chronic or nagging injuries.
8) Metabolic imbalances.
If a little exercise is good for you, more must be better, right? Yes, but only up to a point. When
it comes to exercise volume, there is a “dose-response relationship,” which means that the more
you work out, the more benefits you will achieve, but there is a tipping point beyond which the
amount of exercise you perform can do more harm than good. This point can be reached by one
or both of the following two ways:
 Too much exercise without enough recovery
 Chronic underfueling
This tipping point is known as overtraining syndrome (OTS) and, in short, leads to a decrement
in fitness level and possibly injury. Whether you are male or female, you are equally at risk for
OTS, so recognizing the early signs and combating them can prevent detrimental fitness and
health outcomes.
Here are nine signs of overtraining to look out for:

1. Decreased performance.
The telltale sign of overtraining is a lack of improved performance, despite an increase in
training intensity or volume. Decreased agility, strength and endurance, such as slower reaction
timesand reduced running speeds are all common signs of overtraining.
2. Increased perceived effort during workouts.

Not only can overtraining decrease performance, it can also make seemingly effortless workouts
feel unusually difficult. A clear sign of this is an abnormally elevated heart rate during exercise
or throughout the day. If you are experiencing OTS, you may find that it takes longer for your
heart rate to return to normal after a workout.
3. Excessive fatigue.
A few days of fatigue or “heavy legs” is expected at times. But fatigue will accumulate in a body
that never has a chance to fully recover from previous workouts. Further, chronic, negative
energy expenditure leads to something called “low energy availability,” which means that the
body is consistently pulling from its own energy stores (carbs, protein, fat). This can be the result
of too much training or too little fueling.
4. Agitation and moodiness.

Overtraining significantly affects your stress hormones, including cortisol and epinephrine. This
hormonal imbalance can cause mood swings, unusual irritability and an inability to concentrate.
5. Insomnia or restless sleep.

Sleep ideally provides the body time to rest and repair itself. But overproduction of stress
hormones, as mentioned above, may not allow you to wind down or completely relax, making
sleep much less effective (which compounds chronic fatigue and moodiness).
6. Loss of appetite.

A hormone imbalance can also affect hunger and satiety mechanisms. More training should
stimulate more appetite, but the physiological exhaustion of OTS can actually lead to appetite
suppression.
7. Chronic or nagging injuries.

Overused muscles and joints can cause constant aches or joint pain. Pain that does not subside in
two weeks (or so) should be considered a notable injury. Overtraining taxes all of the body's
systems and also makes it more difficult to ward off infections. Thus, frequent illnesses and
upper-respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are signs as well. Medical complications may also
include low bone mineral density and low testosterone.
8. Metabolic imbalances.
Long-term low energy availability may lead to nutrient deficiencies, such as iron deficiency
anemia, which have the potential to harm both health and performance. Medical complications
can also involve the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, endocrine, nervous or reproductive systems
(e.g., menstrual cycle disturbances in women).
9. Psychological stress and/or depression.

Some people live for punishing workouts and grueling competitions. If this sounds like you, the
inability to train or race (combined with an imbalance of hormones and lack of quality sleep) can
significantly affect your psyche.
If you recognize these signs of overtraining in yourself, seek the help of a physician or other
health professional to seek help. In some workout arenas, rhabdomyolysis is a right of passage,
but it is important to understand that the kidneys shutting down is NOT the sign of an
accomplished workout (but rather a sign of acute overtraining).
A better approach is to follow a periodized training program that includes both active recovery
and complete rest. Rest can be frustrating, but recognize that a day or two spent on the foam
roller is better than a day or two in a hospital bed. Recovery today not only allows for greater
production tomorrow, but likely fewer missed training days over the next few months.
MUSCLE HYPERTROPHY – INCREASE IN MUSCLE CELL/FIBER SIZE (GIRTH)
After strength training, whole muscles increase in volume, and therefore also in mass. In
humans, this happens largely because of an increase in the volume of individual muscle fibers,
rather than by an increase in the number of fibers.
Individual fibers can increase in volume either by increasing in length, or by increasing in

diameter. Increases in length occur through the addition of new sarcomeres in series, which are
probably added to the end of existing fibers, while increases in diameter occur by the addition of
myofibrils in parallel.
Changes in the shape and structure of the muscle accommodate these increases in size, such that
the origin and insertion of the whole muscle do not need to be altered.
So what stimulates a muscle fiber to increase in diameter or in length?

How is hypertrophy stimulated?
The stimulus for hypertrophy is mechanical tension. This mechanical tension must be generated
by the fiber itself, but it can be produced either by active contraction or passive resistance to
stretch.
When the mechanical tension experienced by the muscle fiber is produced more by the passive
elements (these are the structural parts of the fiber, including the giant molecule titin), the fiber
seems to increase in volume mainly by increasing in length, by adding sarcomeres in series.
This effect might be stimulated by titin sensing the stretch that is imposed upon it, as the fiber is
deformed longitudinally.
In contrast, when the mechanical tension experienced by the muscle fiber is produced more by the
active elements (the actin-myosin crossbridges), the fiber seems to increase in volume mainly by
increasing in diameter, by adding myofibrils in parallel.
This effect might be stimulated by the outward bulging of the muscle fibers that occurs when
actin-myosin crossbridges form, which deforms the muscle fiber in a transverse direction.
What determines how much of the mechanical tension is produced by active or passive forces?
The contribution of passive and active force to overall mechanical tension is determined by the
length of the muscle, the contraction mode, and the lengthening speed.
1. Length of the muscle

Strength training using exercises that involve larger ranges of motion (ROM) increase the
proportion of mechanical tension that comes from passive elements, because the structural
elements are stretched after fibers reach a certain length.
Contrary to popular belief, full ROM and partial ROM concentric-only strength training each
cause similar hypertrophy, if perform the same amount of work in both training programs, and so
long as we measure hypertrophy by changes in muscle volume, rather than by changes in muscle
cross-sectional area.
However, the type of hypertrophy is slightly different after each type of strength training. Full
ROM training mainly causes hypertrophy by increasing fascicle length, while partial ROM
training predominantly causes increases in cross-sectional area.
2. Contraction mode
Strength training using lengthening (eccentric) contractions increases the proportion of
mechanical tension that comes from passive elements, because titin is activated once the fiber
starts to lengthen, and automatically begins to contribute to force production.
Titin contains two elements in series with each other (Ig domains, and a PEVK segment), which
are separated by a small N2A segment. When elongated passively, the highly elastic Ig domains
increase in length, which provide only a small amount of resistance to stretch. When elongated
actively, N2A binds to thin myofilaments, and this limits how much of the change in titin length
can be achieved by lengthening of the Ig domains. Consequently, the much stiffer PEVK segment
must elongate instead (and may also wind onto) the thin myofilament, and this provides a great
deal of passive resistance to stretch, but only in active lengthening (eccentric) contractions.

Although it was once believed that eccentric-only strength training could produce greater muscle
growth than concentric-only or conventional strength training, it is now widely accepted that
when programs are volume- or work-matched, the amount of hypertrophy that occurs after each
eccentric-only and concentric-only strength training is very similar.
Importantly, the latest research shows that while eccentric-only and concentric-only strength
training produce similar increases in muscle volume, eccentric-only training mainly increases
fascicle length, while concentric-only training mainly increases muscle cross-sectional area.
3. Lengthening speed
Strength training with eccentric contractions can involve different lengthening speeds, and since
the force-velocity relationship is much flatter on the eccentric side, compared to on the concentric
side, these lengthening speeds do not substantially influence the amount of force exerted.
However, the lengthening speed does affect the proportion of the force that is produced by passive
and active elements, respectively.
Faster speeds reduce the proportion of mechanical tension that comes from passive elements,
because the detachment rate of actin-myosin crossbridges is faster, thereby reducing the amount
of active force produced. On the other hand, they increase the proportion of mechanical tension
that comes from passive elements, because of the viscoelastic properties of titin and the other,
structural elements of the muscle fiber that resist lengthening.
Consequently, fast eccentric-only strength training produces greater increases in fascicle length
than slow eccentric-only strength training, while slow eccentric-only strength training probably
causes greater increases in muscle cross-sectional area.
What is the takeaway?

Muscle fibers increase in volume either by increasing in length, or by increasing in diameter.
Increases in length occur through the addition of sarcomeres in series, while increases in diameter
occur through the addition of myofibrils in parallel.
During strength training, when the mechanical tension experienced by a fiber is produced more by
the passive elements, the fiber seems to increase in volume mainly by increasing in length. In
contrast, when the mechanical tension experienced by the fiber is produced more by the active
elements, the fiber seems to increase in volume mainly by increasing in diameter.
The contribution of passive and active force to overall mechanical tension, and therefore whether
hypertrophy occurs through increases in either fiber length or diameter, is determined by the
length of the muscle, the contraction mode, and the lengthening speed.
Muscle growth is determined by an increase in muscle fiber number (hyperplasia) as well as an

increase in muscle fiber size (hypertrophy). The number of muscle fiber is determined before
birth. Postnatal muscle growth mainly results from muscle hypertrophy through the increase in
muscle fiber length and girth. The muscle fiber is formed by myoblast fusion, which needs
continuous supply of nuclei. The enlargement of muscle tissue during postnatal growth is
believed to be the consequence of increase in satellite cell activities, which fuse to adjacent
muscle fibers to increase their sizes. After birth, the number of skeletal muscle fiber in most
mammals and avian species does not increase due to the completion of embryonic proliferation
of skeletal muscle cells.35 For example, there is no significant change in postnatal fiber number

in mice, rat, pig, and cattle.35–38 However, other studies indicate that limited extent of muscle cell
proliferation occurs after birth in some species. For example, the increase in muscle fiber number
was observed shortly after birth in rodents.
Others argued that the increase in fiber number during the first days of postnatal life was a result
of maturation and elongation of the existingmyotubes rather than due to a production of new
fibers.40,41 Due to the limitation of fiber size increase, the growth potential for skeletal muscle is
virtually determined by the number of fibers established at around the time of birth. This
relationship of muscle fiber number and growth potential has been demonstrated in the enlarged
muscles of double-muscled cattle, in genetically different sizes of animals, and in runts as
compared with normal pigs.
Muscle fiber is a unique cell with multiple nuclei. Muscle growth is characterized by continuous
recruitment of nuclei to the existing fiber through the period of postnatal growth. One of the
main purposes of the recruitment of new nuclei is to maintain constant demand of protein
synthesis. By adding nuclei to the existing myofiber, the cell will maintain appropriate nuclear to
cytoplasmic ratio for efficient protein synthesis and utilization.
The source of nuclei is strongly believed to come from muscle satellite cells, which are quiescent
mononucleated cells, located between the sarcolemmaand basement membrane of muscle fibers.
Muscle satellite cells can account for about 30% of the nuclei associated with muscle growth
during early postnatal growth. The contribution of satellite cells to muscle growth or buildup
decreases as animals and humans age. In a healthy adult, satellite cells represent ~ 2–7% of
nuclei within skeletal muscle.34 Satellite cells are normally in quiescent state in adult muscle,
become activated to proliferate in response to injury, and give rise to more satellite cells and
contribute to muscle growth or regeneration. Muscle satellite cell is functional as adult stem cell.
A reserve pool of satellite cell is retained for future use after muscle regeneration by the
asymmetrical division of satellite cells, in which one daughter cell returns to quiescence and
replenish the satellite cell pool, while the other daughter cell enters the differentiation to form
myofiber.
The MRF expressions during satellite cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation are
analogous to their expressions manifested during the embryonic formation of myofiber.
Quiescent satellite cells do not express MRFs. In mouse skeletal muscles, activated satellite cells
(satellite cells entering the cell cycle) first express either Myf5 orMyoD following the
coexpression of Myf5 and MyoD.42 Myogeninand MRF4 are expressed in cells when they start
differentiation.43,44Intrinsic activation of satellite cells is controlled by proximal signals from the
myofiber microenvironment, inflammatory responses, and microvasculature
Insulin-Like Growth Factor (IGF)-1

IGF-1 promotes muscle growth and is being actively pursued for muscle disease (31). IGF-1 acts
downstream from growth hormone and is related to insulin. Processing differs between IGF-1
and insulin in that the former retains the C domain and has a longer A and additional D domain.
IGF-1 is multiply spliced to produce distinct products, and the presence of the E peptide is
thought to be important for some aspects of muscle growth. IGF-1 is stabilized in the serum by
binding to IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) and acts though the IGF-1-receptor. IGF-1s bind the
type 1 IGF receptor, a receptor serine threonine kinase that, in turn, stimulates a cascade of
signaling responses. In response toligand binding, the IGF-1 receptor is phosphorylated and
activates the MAP kinase-dependent signaling (MAPK) and the PI3K/AKT pathways.

Overexpression of IGF-1 results in larger mice with an increase in muscle fiber number and
larger cross sectional area(32). Treatment with IGF-1 improves muscle size in
the mdxmouse (33,34). Because of its effects on growth of muscle, IGF-1 is being investigated
for its use to treat muscle disorders. The utility of IGF-1 may extend to sarcopenia and muscle
wasting associated with chronic disorders such as liver disease and heart failure. Inhibiting IGF-1
is being pursued in early phase oncology trials. Whether IGF-1 will promote untoward tissue
growth such as malignancy will be closely followed in clinical trials.
POWER CONTINUUM
Power in the workplace is neither good nor bad in and of itself; it is neutral until wielded,
operating on a continuum from positive to negative. Only once it’s wielded (and depending on
how it is wielded) will it have either a positive or negative influence on a person, relationship,
decision, project, or other aspect of work. Motivated professionals want to understand how to
better wield power, whether from a position of authority or not, in order to influence outcomes at
work. Where and how do they do this, and how can they advance an idea, position, or goal for
the better?
To learn more about what sources of power we have and in what ways to use them, read on.
The Elements of Power

In his 2011 book, The Elements of Power, Terry Bacon points to 11 different sources of power
that each of us can tap into in the moment and cultivate over the long term, in order to build our
power and our ability to influence. Five of the sources are personal (communication, knowledge,
history, character and attraction factor), five of them are organizational (role, resources,
reputation, network, information), and a general one relates to will or motivation.
What do each of these mean? Let’s take a look, keeping in mind that to maximize any of these as
a power source, you have to have the will (itself a source of power) to learn (about yourself and
your workplace), and to develop and execute an influencing plan.
Personal Sources of Power

1) Expressiveness
In top spot is definitely how effectively you can communicate. This power source is based on
your abilities around clarity, energy, conviction, and appropriateness in the areas of speech, body
language and writing. Master this and you can go very far in your influencing.
2) Knowledge
This relates to your skills, talents, abilities, learning, wisdom, and past accomplishments and
expertise, and where and how you bring them to bear on a situation you want to influence. Are
you silent or are you sharing, contributing, and making connections to add value and influence
discussion and decision-making?
3) History
This source of power is effected when you tap into the ‘past’ you share with a person or
colleague. It’s based on familiarity, trust, liking, and similarities. For example, if you can first
find similarities or common ground with someone, this will help influence their view of your
idea.

4) Character
Your character is a source of power you can always tap into, and is based on your integrity,
honesty, fairness, courage, modesty, and kindness. This is of course feeds your reputation at
work. If you are in a new work context, of course, it takes a while for people to get to know your
character, but there are ways to share examples of this quite quickly when building relationships.
5) Attraction
This is the power gained by causing people to like you, and it is based on everything from a
friendly, open or charming personality and/or interactions all the way to physical attractiveness,
including how well you present yourself in terms of dress and grooming. Introvert or extrovert,
snappy dresser by nature or not, we must all be aware of the large and small influences this can
have on others.
Organizational Sources of Power
1) Your Role
This is the authority you have vested in you based on your position at work. This can be a
significant source of power, but can also lead to abuses of power if not used wisely.
2) Information
In any role you play at work, you have control or access to certain information. This power
source has five elements which form the mnemonic RADIO: retrieval, access, dissemination,
interpretation, and organization. How you choose to use this information is key: are you adding
to and empowering (i.e., having a positive influence) or are you withholding (a negative
influence)?
3) Network
Everyone has a power based on their connections with other people (involving reciprocal respect,
admiration, favour granting, and collaboration). How big is your network (your lateral and
vertical network, in and out of the organization), and how are you using it to gain support and
access when needed?
4) Reputation
Based on your actions over time and your character, this is how people (your team, friends,
organization, or society) hold you in esteem. It takes some time to build and thus to be able to
draw on as a power source, so it is a good idea to focus on it heavily in a new work context.
5) Resources
In many roles you have access to resources; understanding what those are can help you leverage
your control and use of them for influencing (financial, supplies, human, natural, or other).
Cultivate Positive Influence in the Workplace
What kinds of power sources do you see being used most in your workplace? Which are you
using to influence your co-workers and supervisors?
Influence grows gradually, sometimes so gradually we barely notice it. Don’t be discouraged if
you’re not wielding the level of influence you want in the workplace. Instead, be motivated to
implement small changes over the long term, and know what to tap into in the moment when
necessary.
UNIT 5: TRAINING MYTHS 5hrs
THE “FIT” PRINCIPLE
The F.I.T. principle refers to guidelines for regular physical activity. F.I.T. stands for frequency,
intensity and time.

Frequency: refers to how often you exercise each week. For adolescents, experts recommend
engaging in activities that require "moderate to vigorous levels or exertion" on three or more
days a week.
Intensity: refers to how hard you push yourself when you exercise. Intensity can be assessed by
checking the heart rate.
Time: refers to how long you exercise per session. Twenty to sixty minutes of exercise at your
target heart rate level gives you the maximum health benefits, as well as allowing you to get
physically fit.
For every two fitness truths, there's a lie, and sometimes it’s hard to determine which is which.
(Especially when it’s something many of us have just assumed for as long as we can remember.)
So, now presenting: Mythbusters, Fitness Edition. Letting go of these 12 fitness misconceptions
will help you get better, faster, stronger, and more powerful. Flex on friend, flex on.
Myth #1: Strength training will make you bulk up.

Truth: It's pretty hard for women to bulk up from a normal strength-training routine because
they don't have as much testosterone as men (the difference in this hormone level makes men
more prone to bulking up). In fact, if weight loss is your goal, strength training can actually help
you lean out, but you have to keep your nutrition in check, too. "Muscle is metabolically active,"
explains Adam Rosante, C.S.C.S., author of The 30-Second Body. Simply maintaining lean
muscle mass requires higher energy, he explains."So, the more lean muscle you have, the more
calories your body will burn at rest." #Science.
Myth #2: You can focus on losing fat from certain body parts.
Truth: Spot-training is not a thing. "Fat cells are distributed across your entire body," says
Rosante. "If you want to lose fat from a specific spot, you need to lose overall body fat." High-
intensity interval training can work wonders—after an intense workout, your body needs to take
in oxygen at a higher rate to help it return to its natural resting state. This process requires the
body to work harder, burning more calories in the process. Incorporating strength training can
help you hit your goals too, since having more lean muscle will help your body burn more
calories at rest. (Psst—here are 10 workouts that are insanely effective for weight loss.)
Myth #3: Doing lots of cardio is the best way to lose weight.
Truth: If your goal is weight loss, logging endless miles on the treadmill isn’t always the best
approach. Yes, traditional cardio workouts will help create a day-to-day calorie deficit (in
addition to a healthy diet), which is essential for losing weight. But in the long-term, since
having more lean muscle mass helps your body burn more calories at rest, you’ll be adding to
this deficit without doing a thing. A combination of both high-intensity cardio and strength
training is a good idea. And don't forget, when it comes to weight loss, having a smart nutrition
plan is key.
Myth #4: Not feeling sore means you didn't get a good workout.
Truth: While soreness and workout intensity are sometimes connected, how tired your muscles
feel isn't always a good indicator of a solid sweat session. "Being sore doesn't necessarily mean it
was a great workout—it just means that a significant amount of stress was applied to the tissue,"
says exercise physiologist and trainer Pete McCall, M.S., C.S.C.S., host of the All About Fitness

podcast. “You can have a great workout and not be sore the next day," he says. Proper recovery
will help prevent achy muscles. "Refuel within the first 30 to 45 minutes post-exercise, stay
hydrated, and get enough sleep—all of these things can help boost recovery and minimize
soreness."
Myth #5: You should give 100 percent effort during every workout.
Truth: Sort of. You should try your best to stay focused, be present, and give 100 percent during
every workout. But not every gym session should require a balls-to-the-wall level of intensity.
And if you are sore everyday, that may be a sign that you're going too hard. "It's not a good idea
to exercise at too high of an intensity too frequently—it limits recovery and can lead
to overtraining," says McCall. Ideally, to avoid putting too much stress on your body, you should
only be going extra hard two to three times per week.
Myth #6: Strength training means using machines and heavy weights.
Truth: Strength training means using resistance to work your muscles—and that resistance
doesn't necessarily have to come from a machine or a heavy weight. (Hello, killer bodyweight
exercises!) Aside from your own bodyweight, you can also use tools like kettlebells, medicine
balls, and resistance bands to add resistance. None of that around? Here are 13 incredible
bodyweight movesyou can do at home.
Myth #7: Sweating a ton means you worked your ass off.
Truth: Not necessarily. "You sweat because your core temperature increases," explains exercise
physiologist Tracy Hafen, founder of Affirmative Fitness. Yes, your muscles create heat when
you exercise so a tough workout will increase your internal temp, she explains, but it also has to
do with the temperature you're working out in. "For example, you’re not going to sweat as much
in 40-degree weather as you would in 80-degree weather," Hafen explains.
The humidity in the air also plays a role. "It’s not sweating that cools you off, it’s the
evaporation [of sweat]. You’ll feel like you’re sweating more when it’s humid because sweat
can’t evaporate." (This is also a reason to be careful exercising in hot, humid climates, because
your body temperature will keep increasing.)
Myth #8: Crunches are a great exercise for your abs.

Truth: Meh. Crunches probably aren't going to hurt your core strength, but they're not the most
efficient exercise you can do to strengthen your midsection. "Your ab muscles are designed to
work most effectively when you're standing upright," says McCall. Of course, there are plenty of
great abs exercises that aren't completely upright (for example, this perfect plank), but these four
standing abs moves will set your whole core on fire.
Myth #9: You have to do at least 20 minutes of cardio to make it worth your while.
Truth: You can get an amazing cardio workout in less time by utilizing high-intensity interval
training. "High-intensity cardio challenges the respiratory system to work efficiently to deliver
oxygen to working muscles," says McCall. "If the system is stressed hard enough, it doesn't
require a lengthy workout for results." Plus, high-intensity training creates an afterburn effect,
meaning you continue burning calories after you're done. One approach is Tabata, or 20 seconds
of hard work, 10 seconds of rest for eight rounds total, which adds up to a four-minute
routine. Here's what you need to know about Tabata.

Myth #10: You need to stretch before a workout.
Truth: While it's true that you shouldn't just jump right into a workout, dynamic warm-ups are
where it's at—you can save those static stretches for afterwards. "Your pre-workout goal should
be to improve mobility and elasticity in the muscles," says Rosante. This is best done with foam
rollingand a dynamic warm-up, where you keep your body moving (instead of holding stretches
still). This preps your body for work and helps increase your range of motion, which means you
can get deeper into exercises (and strengthen more of those muscles). Try this five-minute warm-
up, or the warm-up section from this 30-minute workout.
Myth #11: Yoga isn't a "real" workout.

Truth: "People who write off yoga probably have an image of yoga as series of gentle
stretches—they clearly haven't taken a tough yoga class," says Rosante. "The first time I took
one was atJivamukti Yoga Center, and was a radically humbling experience. It's been one of the
best additions to my routine, both for my body and mind." While there are some blissfully
relaxing yoga classes out there, tougher types (like Bikram and power Vinyasa yoga) can
definitely leave you sweaty, sore, and satisfied. Can't make it to class? Here's a yoga-flow
sequence for stronger abs you can do at home.
Myth #12: You should work out every day.

Truth: Definitely not true—hallelujah! When you work out, you're breaking down muscle
fibers so they can rebuild stronger. However, to do this, you need to give your body time to
recover from working out. Aim for one to two days per week of active recovery rest days—that
means doing something that doesn't put stress on your body, like gentle stretching or a walk. So,
you're definitely off the hook for that seven-days-a-week workout plan.
FLEXIBILITY
Flexibility or limberness refers to the range of movement in a joint or series of joints, and length
in muscles that cross the joints to induce a bending movement or motion. Flexibility varies
between individuals, particularly in terms of differences in muscle length of multi-joint muscles.
Quality of life is enhanced by improving and maintaining a good range of motion in the joints.
Overall flexibility should be developed with specific joint range of motion needs in mind as the
individual joints vary from one to another. Loss of flexibility can be a predisposing factor for
physical issues such as pain syndromes or balance disorders.
Sex, age, and genetics are important for range of motion. Exercise including stretching and yoga
often improves flexibility.
Many factors are taken into account when establishing personal flexibility: joint structure,
ligaments, tendons, muscles, skin, tissue injury, fat (or adipose) tissue, body temperature, activity
level, age and sex all influence an individual's range of motion about a joint. Individual body
flexibility level is measured and calculated by performing a sit and reach test, where the result is
defined as personal flexibility score.
Anatomical Elements of Flexibility

Joints
The joints in a human body are surrounded by synovial membranes and articular cartilage which
cover, cushion and nourish the joint and surfaces of each .[1] Increasing muscular elasticity of the
joint's range of mobility increases flexibility.
Ligaments
Ligaments are composed of two different tissues: white and yellow. The white fibrous tissues are
not stretchy, but are extremely strong so that even if the bone were fractured the tissue would
remain in place. The white tissue allows subjective freedom of movement. The yellow elastic
tissue can be stretched considerably while returning to its original length.
Tendons
Tendons are not elastic and are even less stretchy. Tendons are categorized as a connective
tissue. Connective tissue supports, surrounds, and binds the muscle fibres. They contain both
elastic and non-elastic tissue.
Areolar Tissue
The areolar tissue is permeable and is extensively distributed throughout the body. This tissue
acts as a general binder for all other tissues
Muscle Tissue
Muscle tissue is made of a stretchy material. It is arranged in bundles of parallel fibres.
Stretch Receptors
Stretch receptors have two parts: Spindle cells and Golgi tendons. Spindle cells, located in the
center of a muscle, send messages for the muscle to contract.[4] On the other hand, Golgi tendon
receptors are located near the end of a muscle fiber and send messages for the muscle to relax.
As these receptors are trained through continual use, stretching becomes easier. When reflexes
that inhibit flexibility are released the splits then become easier to perform. The splits use the
body's complete range of motion and provide a complete stretch.
Stretching
Flexibility is improved by stretching. Stretching should only be started when muscles are warm
and the body temperature is raised. To be effective while stretching, force applied to the body
must be held just beyond a feeling of pain and needs to be held for at least ten seconds.
Increasing the range of motion creates good posture and develops proficient performance in
everyday activities increasing the length of life and overall health of the individual.[6]
Dynamic
Dynamic flexibility is classified as the ability to complete a full range of motion of a joint. This
is a release of energy with proper timing for the muscles to contract.[7] It also controls movement
as the speed increases while stretching parts of the body. This form of stretching prepares the
body for physical exertion and sports performance. In the past it was the practice to undertake
static stretching before exercise. Dynamic stretching increases range of movement, blood and
oxygen flow to soft tissues prior to exertion. Increasingly, coaches and sports trainers are aware
of the role in dynamic stretching in improving performance and reducing the risk of injury.
Static-Active

Figure skater Caroline Zhang at 2008 Skate Canada
Static-active stretching includes holding an extended position with just the strength of the
muscles such as holding the leg in front, side or behind. Static-active flexibility requires a great
deal of strength, making it the hardest to develop.
Ballistic
Ballistic stretching is separate from all other forms of stretching. It does not include stretching,
but rather a bouncing motion. The actual performance of ballistic movements prevents
lengthening of tissues. These movements should only be performed when the body is very warm;
otherwise they can lead to injury.
Limits of Flexibility
Each individual is born with a particular range of motion for each joint in their body. In the book
Finding Balance by Gigi Berardi, the author mentions three limiting factors: Occupational
demands, movement demands and training oversights.
Internal Factors of Flexibility
Male yoga practitioner in an inverted lotus position

Movement demands include strength, endurance and range of motion. Training oversights occurs
when the body is overused.[9]Internally, the joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments can affect
one's flexibility. As previously mentioned, each part of the body has its own limitations and
combined, the range of motion can be affected. The mental attitude of the performer during the
state of motion can also affect their range.
External Factors of Flexibility

Externally, anything from the weather outside to the age of the performer can affect flexibility.
General tissues and collagen change with age influencing the individual. As one ages,
performing activities of daily living without pain becomes much harder. By stretching often, one
can maintain a level of musculoskeletal fitness that will keep them feeling well.
performers should be aware of over-stretching. Even basic things such as clothing and
equipment can affect a performance. Dance surfaces and lack of proper shoes can also affect a
performer's ability to perform at his/her best
Signs of Injury
Stretching for too long or too much can give way to an injury.[12] For most activities, the normal
range of motion is more than adequate. Any sudden movements or going too fast can cause a
muscle to tighten. This leads to extreme pain and the performer should let the muscle relax by
resting.
Risk of Injury
Some people get injuries while doing yoga and aerobics so one needs to be careful while doing
it. While most stretching does not cause injury, it is said that quick, ballistic stretching can if it is
done incorrectly.[13] If a bone, muscle or any other part is stretched more than its capacity it may
lead to dislocation, muscle pulls, etc. or something even more severe too.
UNIT 6: CARDIOVASCULAR/AEROBIC EXERCISE 5hrs

Aerobic exercise is any type of cardiovascular conditioning. It can include activities like brisk
walking, swimming, running, or cycling. You probably know it as “cardio.” By
definition, aerobic exercise means “with oxygen.”
Common cardio exercises are brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming, rowing, and cross-
country skiing. Cardiovascular exercise raises your heart rate and breathing rate into the
moderate-to-vigorous intensity level for 10 minutes or more
Cardiovascular workouts are designed to balance three factors for maximum effectiveness and
safety: frequency, intensity and duration. You will also need to include a warmup period before
you enter the target intensity period of your workout, and a cool-down period before the end of
your workout.
What Is Cardio Exercise?
Common cardio exercises are brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming, rowing, and cross-
country skiing. In the gym, cardio machines includetreadmill, elliptical trainer, stationary cycles,
stepping machine, rowing machine, and ski trainer.
Exercises done primarily to build strength, such as lifting weights, using weight machines,
resistance exercise, and core workouts are not considered to be cardio exercise as they don't raise
your heart rate throughout the exercise period.
Warming up and Stretching

Warming up before the more intense portion of your workout gets blood flowing to your muscles
and loosens you up. This is considered to be essential rather than just starting your workout at
full effort.
Traditionally, you are coached to stretch the primary muscles to be used in the workout after
your warmup. There are several schools of thought on the use and effectiveness of stretching,
with some experts advising to do a dynamic warmup but not to do static stretches before cardio
exercise.
This is the traditional workout advice:

 A warmup of five to 10 minutes at low intensity will prepare your muscles for exercise
and steadily raise your heart rate.
 Start at an intensity of 50 to 60 percent of your maximum heart rate, doing whatever
activity will be your workout method. If you are walking or running, start by walking or
running at an easy pace that puts you into this heart rate zone—one where you can still
carry on a full conversation.
 Now is the time to stretch the muscles you will use in your workout. They are warmed up
and may benefit from flexibility stretches or drills specific for the muscle groups you will
be using in the workout.
Cooling Down
After you have completed your workout in your target heart rate zone, you should cool down
with five to 10 minutes of lower intensity. Follow these guidelines:
 Aim for a heart rate of 50 to 60 percent of maximum heart rate for 5 to 10 minutes for
your cool down.

 Traditionally, you would end your workout with gentle stretching of the muscles used in
the workout. This is no longer universally recommended, but you can do it if you wish.
Frequency
The minimum recommended amount of cardiovascular exercise 150 minutes per week of
moderate-intensity aerobic activity or for 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic exercise, or a
combination. However, the sessions should be spread throughout the week.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends cardiovascular exercise three to five
days a week for most programs.
To give your body time to build and repair muscles alternate a day of an intense or long cardio
exercise session with a day of rest or easy exercise such as walking and stretching or yoga.
Duration
How long should you exercise in each exercise session? For cardiovascular benefits, aim for 20
to 60 minutes in your target heart rate zone, apart from the time you spend in warmup and cool-
down. At this duration, your body burns through its available glycogen energy and begins to
burn stored fat. While you will still have the benefits of burning calories, if you exercise for less
than 20 minutes in your zone, the best fitness benefits come from setting aside the 20 to 60
minutes to spend in the aerobic zone.
Intensity
When beginning a fitness program, concentrate on increasing your duration with good posture
and form before you work on increasing the intensity of your workout. If you are using walking
for your workout, work on increasing the number of minutes walked in each session. A general
rule of thumb is that it is safest to increase this by 10 percent per week. Once you are walking
comfortably and with good posture and form for 60 minutes at a time, then work on increasing
the intensity by adding speed, hills, or intervals.
RPE REVISED RATING SCALE
The RPE scale is used to measure the intensity of your exercise. The RPE scale runs from 0 –
10. The numbers below relate to phrases used to rate how easy or difficult you find an activity. ...
In most cases, you should exercise at a level that feels 3 (moderate) to 4 (somewhat heavy).
Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is a widely used and reliable indicator to monitor and guide
exercise intensity. The scale allows individuals to subjectively rate their level of exertion during
exercise or exercise testing (American College of Sports Medicine, 2010). Developed by Gunnar
Borg, it is often also referred to as the Borg Scale. Two RPE scales are commonly used: 1. the
original Borg scale or category scale (6 to 20 scale), and 2. the revised category-ratio scale (0 to
10 scale). The original scale was developed in healthy individuals to correlate with exercise heart
rates (e.g., RPE 15 would approximate a HR of 150 bpm), and to enable subjects to better
understand terminology (Borg, 1982). The category ratio scale was later developed and has since
also been modified to more specifically record symptomatic breathlessness (Modified Borg
Dyspnoea Scale). RPE scales are particularly valuable when HR measures of exercise intensity
are inaccurate or dampened, such as in patients on beta blocker medication. This is due to the
scale’s ability to capture the perceived exertion from central cardiovascular, respiratory and
central nervous system functions

Both the 6-20 and 0-10 scales are used in clinical practice to measure perceived exertion; no
current recommendations exist regarding use of one scale in preference to another. The Modified
Borg Dyspnoea Scale is most commonly used to assess symptoms of breathlessness. Despite
being a subjective measure of exercise intensity, RPE scales provide valuable information when
used correctly. It is therefore important that clinicians take sufficient time to educate the patient
and ensure appropriate understanding prior to use
Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Category Scale

6
7 Very, very light
8
9 Very light
10
11 Fairly light
12
13 Somewhat hard
14
15 Hard
16
17 Very hard
18
19 Very, very hard
 Muscular strength/muscular endurance intensity

 Flexibility
Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Category-Ratio Scale

0 Nothing at all
0.3 0.5 Extremely weak Just noticeable
0. 7 1 Very weak
1.5 2 Weak Light
2. 5 3 Moderate
4 5 Strong Heavy
6 7 Very strong
8 9 10 Extremely strong “Maximal”
11 • Absolute maximum Highest Possible
Modified Borg Dyspnoea Scale

0 Nothing at all
0.5 Very, very slight (just noticeable)
1 Very slight 2 Slight
3 Moderate
4 Somewhat severe
5 Severe
6
7 Very severe
8
9 Very, very severe (almost maximal) 10 Maxima
Patient Instructions for Borg Dyspnoea Scale “This is a scale that asks you to rate the difficulty
of your breathing. It starts at number 0 where your breathing is causing you no difficulty at all
and progresses through to number 10 where your breathing difficulty is maximal. How much
difficulty is your breathing causing you right now?”
UNIT 7: CARDIORESPIRATORY/AEROBIC EXERCISE 5hrs
Muscular strength/muscular endurance exercise/flexibility

Cardiorespiratory fitness, when combined with muscle endurance, strength, body
composition and flexibility make up the five most crucial components of physical
health and fitness. Often referred to as aerobic, endurance or cardio exercise,
cardiorespiratory activities, this form of exercise relies upon the ability of your
body to provide yourself with enough oxygen to engage in sustained exercise.
When you do regular cardiorespiratory exercise, your lungs, heart and circulatory
system work more effectively to deliver oxygen -rich blood to the muscles of your
body. There are a wide range of activities you can choose from for this exercise,
including biking, running, swimming, dancing and circuit traini ng. Of course,
choosing something that you enjoy will motivate you more effectively to stick to
your program. So what are the benefits of good cardiorespiratory fitness?
What can high-intensity interval training do for you?
Increased Life Span

Even if you’re already at a healthy weight level for your height and age,
cardiorespiratory fitness is an essential part of maintaining your overall health.
According to studies conducted within the United States, men who had poor levels
of cardio fitness were far more likely to die from numerous causes (twice as
likely), than those who were cardio -fit.
Decreased risk of Diabetes
Researchers in Michigan published a paper regarding the health benefits of regular
cardiorespiratory exercise in a journal for the Mayo clinic. The paper confirmed
that a lack of aerobic fitness in individuals can prompt negative changes in the
metabolic system that in turn may lead to type 2 diabetes. Experts maintain that by
engaging in regular cardior espiratory activity, you can improve your glucose
regulation, and insulin sensitivity, thereby reducing your diabetes risk.

Better Bone Health
By engaging in moderate aerobic activities such as jogging or swimming for up to
150 minutes every week, you may be able to avoid suffering from various bone
complications, including hip fractures. According to the centers for disease
control and prevention, exercising in such a way helps to maintain the strength of
your bones by slowing the rate at which bone densit y is lost.
Reduced Chance of Metabolic Syndrome
Regular workouts regarding endurance can be helpful in preventing metabolic
syndrome, according to the CDC. Metabolic syndrome can be recognized as a
combination of medical conditions including excess waist f at, high blood pressure
and high levels of cholesterol and blood sugar. The condition can put you at risk
of developing diabetes early, because it makes your cells more resistant to insulin.
You may also find that heart complications can occur as a side ef fect of metabolic
syndrome, such as strokes or heart disease.
Promotes Weight Loss
According to a number of experts, dancing, running and swimming are some of the
best endurance exercises for helping you to burn more calories and lose excess
weight. Usually, a single pound of fat can be equated to around three thousand
five hundred calories. Thereby, you can lose a pound a week by cutting five
hundred calories out of your diet every day. Endurance exercises and
cardiorespiratory fitness can help you burn an ywhere up to 872 calories an hour,
depending on the intensity of the activity or sport, and your initial body weight.
BENEFITS
1. Cardiorespiratory fitness
Together with muscular strength, muscle endurance, flexibility and body composition --
make up the five essential components of physical fitness. Often referred to as cardio,
endurance or aerobic exercise, cardiorespiratory activity relies on your body's ability to
provide your muscles with enough oxygen to carry out sustained exercise. In addition to
helping manage your weight, engaging in cardio offers major benefits.
2. Programs
When you perform cardiorespiratory activity, your heart, lungs and circulatory system work hard
to deliver oxygen-rich blood to your muscles. You can choose from a wide variety of cardio
programs. Swimming, biking, running, stair climbing, circuit training and interval training all fall
under the cardio category. Choosing something that you enjoy doing helps you stick to the
program. Taking dance classes or joining group aerobic programs are examples of fun ways to
improve your cardiorespiratory fitness.

3. Increases Life Span
Even if you're at a healthy weight, cardiorespiratory fitness is crucial to your overall health.
Researchers at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, Texas examined the effect
of cardio fitness on all-cause mortality and published the results in the March 1999 issue of the
"American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." The study found that lean men with low cardio fitness
were twice as likely to die from all causes than lean, cardio-fit men.
4. Decreases Diabetes Risk

Researchers at the William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan published a review of
the health benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness in the journal "Mayo Clinic Proceedings." Peter A.
McCullough, and his colleague Barry A. Franklin, confirmed that a lack of aerobic fitness elicits
adverse metabolic changes that can lead to type 2 Diabetes. The pair maintains that engaging in
regular cardiorespiratory activity improves insulin sensitivity and glucose regulation, which
decreases your risk for type 2 diabetes.
5. Other Benefits
Regularly engaging in a cardiorespiratory program provides a host of other health benefits. It
protects you against cardiovascular disease, increases your bone density, lowers cholesterol,
reduces blood pressure and improves sleep quality. As a general rule, engage in at least 150
minutes of moderate-intensity cardiorespiratory activity each week. You can divide this into five
30-minute sessions.
LIMITATIONS
Although there is a well-known association between cardiorespiratory endurance and health

outcomes in adults, the measurement of cardiorespiratory endurance in youth and of its
relationship to health outcomes is relatively new to the literature. The committee's review
revealed clear relationships between cardiorespiratory endurance and several health risk factors,
including adiposity and cardiometabolic risk factors. Other studies point to a potential
relationship between cardiorespiratory endurance and other, less studied risk factors, such as
those related to pulmonary function, depression and positive self-concept, and bone health.
Limitations of the studies reviewed by the committee relate mainly to the design of the studies,
specifically the lack of analysis of the independent effect of cardiorespiratory endurance on
health. A paucity of studies explore the effects of several potential modifiers, such as age,
gender, body composition, maturation status, and ethnicity, on performance on the various tests
of cardiorespiratory endurance. While such effects have been suggested in the past, the
committee could draw no conclusions based on the evidence reviewed.
The cardiorespiratory endurance tests most commonly associated with a positive change in a
health marker are the shuttle run and tests conducted with the treadmill and cycle ergometer.
Available evidence indicates that these three types of tests demonstrate acceptable validity and
reliability. The health markers most frequently assessed are related to body weight or adiposity
and cardiometabolic risk factors. Based on its relationship to health, as well as its reliability,
validity, and feasibility, a timed or progressive shuttle run, such as the 20-meter shuttle run, is
appropriate for measuring cardiorespiratory endurance in youth. If the test is to be administered
in a setting with space limitations (e.g., a mobile test center for a national survey), a submaximal

treadmill or cycle ergometer test should be used. The shuttle run is advantageous when there are
time constraints and when cost may be a problem, such as in schools and other educational
settings. Although the evidence for a relationship between distance/timed runs and health is
insufficient at this time, this type of test is valid and reliable and could be an alternative in
schools and other educational settings.
Until more data are collected with which to establish criterion-referenced cut-points (cutoff
scores), interim cut-points corresponding to the lowest 20th percentile of the distribution of
cardiorespiratory endurance should be used to interpret results of all cardiorespiratory endurance
tests and to determine whether individuals are at risk of negative health outcomes.
Cardiorespiratory endurance has been recognized as a key component of physical fitness

throughout the history of the field. This chapter presents the committee's review of the scientific
literature that explores the relationship between specific field tests of cardiorespiratory
endurance and health outcomes in youth. The committee's recommendations for the selection of
fitness tests are based primarily on an extensive review of the literature provided by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) described. In making its recommendations, the
committee considered not only the evidence for a relationship to health, but also the scientific
integrity (reliability and validity) of putative health-related tests, as well as the administrative
feasibility of implementing these tests. After presenting these results, the chapter offers guidance
for setting interim cut-points (cutoff scores) for the selected tests.
UNIT 8: VIGOROUS EXERCISE: 5hrs
7 PRINCIPLES OF EXERCISE AND SPORT TRAINING
When you approach your multisport training, the best way to answer your questions is to better
understand the principles behind the work you are putting in to improve. These are seven basic
principles of exercise or sport training you will want to keep in mind:
Individuality
Everyone is different and responds differently to training. Some people are able to handle higher
volumes of training while others may respond better to higher intensities. This is based on a
combination of factors like genetic ability, predominance of muscle fiber types, other factors in
your life, chronological or athletic age, and mental state.
Specificity
Improving your ability in a sport is very specific. If you want to be a great pitcher, running laps
will help your overall conditioning but won’t develop your skills at throwing or the power and
muscular endurance required to throw a fastball fifty times in a game. Swimming will help
improve your aerobic endurance but won’t develop tissue resiliency and muscular endurance for
your running legs.
Progression
To reach the roof of your ability, you have to climb the first flight of stairs before you can exit
the 20th floor and stare out over the landscape. You can view this from both a technical skills
standpoint as well as from an effort/distance standpoint. In order to swim the 500 freestyle, you

need to be able to maintain your body position and breathing pattern well enough to complete the
distance. In order to swim the 500 freestyle, you also need to build your muscular endurance well
enough to repeat the necessary motions enough times to finish.
Overload
To increase strength and endurance, you need to add new resistance or time/intensity to your
efforts. This principle works in concert with progression. To run a 10-kilometer race, athletes
need to build up distance over repeated sessions in a reasonable manner in order to improve
muscle adaptation as well as improve soft tissue strength/resiliency. Any demanding exercise
attempted too soon risks injury. The same principle holds true for strength and power exercises.
Adaptation
Over time the body becomes accustomed to exercising at a given level. This adaptation results in
improved efficiency, less effort and less muscle breakdown at that level. That is why the first
time you ran two miles you were sore after, but now it’s just a warm up for your main workout.
This is why you need to change the stimulus via higher intensity or longer duration in order to
continue improvements. The same holds true for adapting to lesser amounts of exercise.
Recovery
The body cannot repair itself without rest and time to recover. Both short periods like hours
between multiple sessions in a day and longer periods like days or weeks to recover from a long
season are necessary to ensure your body does not suffer from exhaustion or overuse injuries.
Motivated athletes often neglect this. At the basic level, the more you train the more sleep your
body needs, despite the adaptations you have made to said training.
Reversibility
If you discontinue application of a particular exercise like running five miles or bench pressing
150 pounds 10 times, you will lose the ability to successfully complete that exercise. Your
muscles will atrophy and the cellular adaptations like increased capillaries (blood flow to the
muscles) and mitochondria density will reverse. You can slow this rate of loss substantially by
conducting a maintenance/reduced program of training during periods where life gets in the way,
and is why just about all sports coaches ask their athletes to stay active in the offseason.
The principles of specificity, progression, overload, adaptation, and reversibility are why
practicing frequently and consistently are so important if you want to improve your performance.
Missed sessions cannot really be made up within the context of a single season. They are lost
opportunities for improvement. Skipping your long ride on weekend A means you can’t or
shouldn’t go as far as originally planned on weekend B (progression & overload). Skipping your
Monday swim means your swimming skills and muscles won’t be honed or stressed that day
(specificity). Missing a week due to a vacation sets you back more than one week (adaptation
and reversibility). Apply these principles to your training to get a better understanding of your
body and how to achieve success.
TWO TO FOUR SETS ARE RECOMMENDED FOR EACH MUSCLE GROUP

Depends on the intensity of training and the volume of training. You have to consider things like
total volume (sets x reps x weight used) per muscle group.
There are all sorts of ways to manipulate this based on the time you have available to train.
Generally however, you want to do 2–3 workouts per muscle group (or movement pattern) per
week. 3x a week if you’re a beginner or low level intermediate and you can drop it to 2x a week
as you become more advanced.
The reason is advanced people adapt more slowly than beginners and can train at much higher
intensities. If you’re like most people you’re probably starting in a more moderate training zone
(6–12 reps).
I know bodybuilders often only do 1 and HIT (not HIIT) affectionados only do one crazy set of
each exercise per muscle group a week too. They basically hammer the crap out of one muscle
group each workout and that generally doesn’t work that well for new people (or at least
progress is very slow this way) or for people who aren’t taking drugs. Plus it doesn’t feel very
good to blast one muscle group once a week and then leave it for a whole week, you’re
deconditioned by the time you come back to it.
Most people just need to add load to a few key lifts when they are starting out:
 Lower Body Push (Knee Dominant Exercise, squat, lunge, step up, etc…)
 Lower Body Pull (Hip Dominant Exercise, bridge, deadlift, hinge, leg curl, etc…)
 Upper Body Push (Bench, Push ups, Overhead Press, etc…)
 Upper Body Pull (Chin Ups, Rows, Pulldowns, etc…)
If you can squat your bodyweight on a bar, or lunge with half your body weight, maybe it’s time
to complicate your training by thinking more specifically about parts of the quad and what you’d
like to add more hypertrophy to. If you can bridge or deadlift more than your bodyweight, maybe
it’s time to think about adding something specifically for your calves. And so on and so forth for
most pushing and pulling exercises in the upper body. Most people can learn to bench their body
weight or do 25 pushups with ease without ever having to do an accessory movement to bring
the triceps up or the shoulders up, you can worry about those things later. If you can’t do 8 chin
ups (as a male of reasonable bodyweight) do you really think your bicep curls are going to work
better?
There is very little need for most beginners to complicate things further than this framework on
their own except to:
 Manage pain
 Figure out how to recruit certain muscles better
 Fix movement patterns and work around issues they have with any of the above
exercises
 Learn how to move better in general (there is more to movement than 4 exercises,
obviously…)

 Maintain healthy joints
These are all related to ‘how’ you train (not ‘what’ you’re training) and they are a lot more
difficult to learn because they are very specific to your body. For example, maybe squatting isn’t
for you specifically but a different variation or a change in foot or ankle position works. You
won’t know until you’ve tried, and then tried some different options from there. You have no
experience with the possible changes, so you have to try a bunch of them in a trial and error
fashion.
That’s just how this is going to work if you’re going to have any success. You’re going to try
some things, get frustrated and have to try something new. You’ll guess right sometimes and
make some progress too.
You can’t read these out of a book, you have to experience hitting some roadblocks get some
very specific questions (this question isn’t that specific, it’s about one very minor detail
regarding training), then find answers to work around those roadblocks. There is only one way
to do that:
PRACTICE
It’s all about doing these things, seeing what works, and adjusting. This is a process and it works
the same for everyone, there are no short-cuts. Sometimes things you practice just click, and
sometimes they don’t. C’est la vie.
“Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.”~ Bruce Lee
You have to apply things to truly figure them out, that means, get off the internet, stop
researching this subject and go try something. Take something tangible, like the 2x2 Training
Framework (or any other simple program you’ve found online) and try it out. See how it works.
Not working? OK now look for answers to what you might be doing wrong. Brainstorm reasons,
then get back to it.
Don’t worry about how optimal it is before you start, or what you read about it online; You have
to do it to learn, not read about it. Everything works if you apply it effectively. You have to
execute any plan for the plan to work though. Most people just don’t apply it and if they do, they
don’t apply it consistently enough.
If you want my advice, keep it simple and just Explore the 2x2 Training Framework. 4 exercises
you choose based on the tools you have available done 2–3x a week. Once you reach a baseline
of strength (what I call ‘adequate strength) which most people can achieve in 6–12 months of
steady consistent work then maybe add in some assistance exercises and worry about
‘developing certain muscles.’ That’s a separate learning process or one that you can integrate
within any good training system as you go. Just like those main four exercises though, you’re
going to learn what accessory movements are ideal for what you want to accomplish and what
will actually work for you. That’s also a bit of a maze to figure out with no previous experience.
Once you’ve developed experience, mazes are easier to get through.

When the temperatures start to drop at summer’s end, most people begrudgingly store their
bathing suits and sun-tan lotion. For those with muscle on the mind, they know it’s the time of
the year when they can focus on size and getting as big as possible. Let’s take a look at the
training methodology to follow to maximize your muscle mass.
KEY TO SIZE: KNOW YOUR VOLUME

Studies show that if you want to increase the size of your muscle mass, you should focus on the
volume of your workouts. Volume refers to the number of exercises, sets, and repetitions that
you perform each workout. The mistake that many lifters make is asking, “What is the ideal set-
to-repetition range per workout?” It’s important to take a step back and look at the bigger picture
first.
If you want to increase muscle size, the real question is, “How many total repetitions should be
completed each week?” Once we have this number, then we can break everything down by
workout.
For higher volume workouts, studies suggest that larger muscle groups such as the quadriceps
and the back require between 90 and 120 weekly repetitions, depending on the amount of
weight used. The heavier the weight you use, the fewer repetitions are required. The smaller
muscle groups such as the biceps and triceps need between 50 and 70 repetitions.
Now how can we effectively reach our target repetitions for each muscle group?
SAME MUSCLE, TWO OR THREE TIMES PER WEEK

If you want to reach your weekly repetition goal and increase muscle size, I recommend training
each muscle group two or three times per week. Sure, you can dedicate one day per week to
hammering out 10 or more sets, but there are a few reasons I would suggest against this:
Proven Science: Studies show that targeting each muscle group two or three times per week
with fewer sets results in greater muscle mass than once-per-week workouts that contain many
sets.
Avoid Burnout: Aside from volume, the amount of intensity you bring to your workouts is
important for tearing down muscle tissue and triggering hypertrophic growth. Training each
muscle group two or three times per week with fewer sets allows you to maximize your intensity
in each workout.
Lower Risk of Injury: Fewer sets spread out over a few workouts can help you avoid overuse
injuries. What’s more, if you can avoid burnout and stay in the zone during the entire workout,
this will decrease your risk for absent-minded injuries.
WHICH WORKOUT SPLIT IS BEST FOR YOU?

There are two ways that I would recommend splitting up your workouts to increase muscle and
achieve the repetitions goal mentioned above:

BEGINNERS
If you have less than a year’s experience with weight training, I would recommend using full
body workouts (one exercise per muscle group) three times per week. Your workout schedule
would look something like this:
Monday: Full-Body Workout #1
Tuesday: Rest Day / Cardio
Wednesday: Full-Body Workout #2
Thursday: Rest Day
Friday: Full-Body Workout #3
Saturday: Rest Day / Cardio
Sunday: Rest Day
ADVANCED
If this isn’t your first rodeo, I would recommend using an upper body, lower body split. Each
week, you’ll perform two upper body workouts and two lower body workouts. There should be
two exercises per large muscle group and one exercise per smaller muscle groups in your
workout.
Monday: Lower Body
Tuesday: Upper Body
Wednesday: Rest Day / Cardio
Thursday: Lower Body
Friday: Upper Body
Saturday: Rest Day / Cardio
Sunday: Rest Day
HOW TO BREAKDOWN VOLUME PER WORKOUT

If you choose the full-body workout routine, you’ll be exercising each muscle group three times
per week. Here’s how you can break that down per workout:
Large Muscle Groups:
 90 to 120 weekly repetitions divided into three workouts
 30 to 40 repetitions per workout
 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions per exercise
Smaller Muscle Groups:
 50 to 70 repetitions divided into three workouts
 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
If you choose the upper, lower split workout routine, you’ll be exercising each muscle group two
times per week. Here’s how you can break that down per workout:

Large Muscle Groups:
 90 to 120 weekly repetitions divided into two workouts
 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions per exercise (two exercises per muscle group)
Smaller Muscle Groups:
 50 to 70 repetitions divided into three workouts
 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
UNIT 9: OTHER TECHNIQUES 5HRS

PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT TRAINING
When training, we progress by changing the weight, reps and sets - progressively making things
harder, signalling to our bodies that it needs to grow and adapt.
The one variable that usually stays the same is the distance we move the weight - even when
doing deficit or a partial range of movement, we keep this the same each time we train
(deadlifting from a 2 inch block, rack pressing from the same height).
This makes sense, because adding more weight is cool. More reps is kinda cool, but not as frosty
as extra weight on the bar.
But what happens if instead of increasing the weight and keeping the range of motion the same,
we keep the weight the same and increase the distance we move? Can our bodies adapt to a
heavier weight like this?
Progressive Movement Training seems to have answer.

(if you're not fussed about the history/how it works, feel free to skip these sections and
dive right into the PUTTING INTO PRACTICE and TRAINING NOTES sections. I'll
only be a little hurt.)
Paul Anderson and the holes in the ground (history/how it

works)
(I first read about Progressive Movement Training in “Beyond Bodybuilding” by Pavel
Tsatsouline, which has way more info and history in it - I’ve jotted down a summary of it
here but for more info go check out the book!)
Progressive movement was first used, or at least first documented, by 1950’s strongman Paul
Anderson, who used it to build a raw 1,200 lb (544kg) squat - this was a reported training
number, not in competition.
The dude was still mad strong, so stay with me here.

What he did was load up a huge weight (about 45kg on top of his max) onto pins that were about
4 inches below his lockout height, and then proceed to squat 2 sets of 20-25 reps.
As you can see the goal is not to do a max heavy single, it’s to get used to a heavy weight.
From there, he recommended dropping the height of the pins after 3 workouts by 3 inches, and
aim to do 3 less reps - continue this every 3 workouts and you’ll eventually make it close to or be

at the bottom. He said you may want to do smaller drops (dropping the height 1-2 inches) as this
will be easier to adapt to.
Even if we’re not quite at the bottom of the movement, we’ll still be able to get a new PB as
we’ve worked through our sticking point. There is a point on all lifts that we’ll struggle with
more than the full range of movement - because in the full ROM we have some momentum to
carry us through the sticking point, but with progressive movement we’ll be going from a dead
stop form each height.
That’s great for squats, but what about the deadlift?

Enter Bob Peoples, who used this method to deadlift a reported 328kg at a bodyweight of 81kg
(725lb at 178lb bodyweight), before big powerlifting belts, steroids or canvas underwear were
around. He didn’t have any blocks or safety pins to put the bar on, so he dug a big hole in the
ground and partial deadlifted from there. With safety pins in a rack you can put the pins in a
lower position, with a hole in the ground you just fill it up a little each session until you’re back
at ground level.
Seems straightforward enough, so how do we set it up? Preferably without a spade.

***The sciencey term for how Progressive Movement works is neurological carryover -
in which the training effect is most effective at the angles (range of motion) used, but
there is a transfer to other angles (about 15-20 degrees either side). This means training
with a small range of movement will have an small effect on a slightly larger range of
movement - then when we train at a slightly greater range of motion, this will carry over
to an even greater range, and so on and so forth. This means even at greater ranges of
motion, our body has some preparation from the previous week’s training, as it’s getting
used to moving with the overload weight.
SETTING UP, NO HOLES REQUIRED (SET UP)

Now the local gym will have a problem with us digging a hole in their floor, so we’ll use some
blocks or boxes instead. If there are no blocks available, we could stack up other weight plates
(just be careful not to damage them). The last option is to use the safety pins in the squat rack,
because this will take the slack out of the bar and change the movement slightly. By deadlifting
with the weighty ends on an elevated surface instead of the bar, we get a movement and forces
that are more akin to lifting from the floor. By making the movement more specific (similar) to
our objective (in this case, deadlift from the floor), we can be sure there will be greater carry
over and thus greater gainZ.
*this is an example of the Law of Specificity - you won’t learn much Spanish by taking
Chinese lessons*
The only thing we need to make sure of now is that we are increasing the range of motion by a
standard amount, so that there’s no surprise jumps that give your body a fright. The easiest way
to do this is to use blocks that are about 2 inches thick, so we can just remove one each week. If
we’re using weight plates or rack safety pins, make sure you have a note of what plates you’ve
used or how high the safety pins are set.
If there’s a big gap between the safety pins slots, you’ll need to find something to attach/sit on
top of them to reduce the gap. If not, try spending and extra session or two at the same height,
and try to get extra reps in to build some extra strength before making the jump down a spot.
PUTTING INTO PRACTICE
(WEIGHT/REPS/SETS/PROGRESS)

Now we have our set up down, it’s time to pick a weight and ATTACK.
But first, some final points to consider before we start:
- This is INTENSE.
- You’re basically overloading the deadlift for many weeks in a row, so you’ll need to eat A
LOT to recover. If you’re shredding or not keen to eat any more, I doubt you’ll be consuming
enough to allow your body to recover well from each training session, which will increase the
chance of injury, and reduce your progress.
- As we’re using supramaximal weight, I’d also recommend you wear a belt to help protect your
lower back - safe technique is a must, but the belt will help on the reps you have to fight for.
- Don’t jump into this if you’re just coming out of a peaking cycle or deadlift heavy training -
take a week or two to recover first if you are, to let your back recover and reduce the risk of
injury. I’ve read that you shouldn’t try this type of training more than 2-3 times a year, and I
agree. Switch your deadlift training to something a little less intense for a few weeks afterwards
(maybe more volume or speed based) to let the structures of your back recover adequately.
- I deadlifted conventional (arms outside legs) for the duration, I have no idea if there’s
difference in pulling sumo (arms inside legs) - I doubt it, but as long as you understand the
principles you’ll be able to adapt as you go.
To summarise: BE SAFE. Don’t injure yourself just for a gym PB - take necessary
precautions, and drop the bar if you feel your lower back getting out of position. We
can get reps another day, but not if your vertebral discs shoot out your spine like
frisbees.
Happy? Good. Time to pick a weight.
For squatting, Paul Anderson would do his max plus 45kg - but as we’ve seen this is over a
longer period of time as the range of motion is increased every 3 sessions. I’m not saying this
isn’t going to work for deadlift, but it’s not what I did.
Instead, by being a little more conservative in the initial weight, we can successfully drop the
height each week and be done much quicker.
So instead of 45kg, I’d recommend starting with 10-20kg over your current max. The more
conservative we are, the more likely we are to succeed, but we also need to challenge ourselves
somewhat to stimulate the body more, so 2kg would be a little "meh".
Now, just before we go ahead and load up the weight, we’ll need to make sure we’re setting our
blocks/boxes/plates/rack safeties to the correct height. With a weight on the bar (only a small
amount - using plates the are about the same diameter as you’ll be using for the top heavy set)
practice the lockout portion of the movement from the height you’ve set - you should only be
moving about 2-3 inches at most, enough so that the weight is in the air but not much more.
Adjust until you’re moving through this tiny range, and once you’re happy it’s time to warm up.
The warm up should be no different to how you normally warm up for a heavy deadlift set -
using full range of motion with the lighter weights to get the blood moving and the nerves and
joints ready for action. Once you get into heavy territory, say 2 or 3 warm up sets away from the
working overload weight, move the weight onto the blocks. Then continue your warm up -
adding weight, doing reps from this tiny range - until you reach your overload weight.
Here, things will get gnarly.
Paul Anderson would do two sets of 20-25 reps for his squats, but for deadlift we’re going to go
for one set, and as many reps as possible. This will let us go all out without having to worry

about conserving energy for another set. If you’ve got wrist straps to help hold onto the bar, this
is a good time to use them. If not, use chalk and hold fast.
For this first session we should easily get into double figures - so aim for at least 12. The more
the better.
If we get less than 10 I’d say the weight may be a little too heavy, and we should drop it slightly.
There are people who claim you can run this method in a linear manner right to the bottom (2
sets of 7 reps, next week 2 sets of 6 reps, etc etc), but I don’t think this gives your body enough
stimulus, and in later weeks we’re going to hit some deadzone speed bumps (we’ll cover this
later) so I don’t believe a strict linear approach to the reps is going to work here.
I could be wrong of course, and linear rep schemes work fine for you, but tbh I think
you’ll be the minority in that case.
Once we’ve completed our first all out session - rejoice! That’s the overload done for this week!
And then despair, for it only gets harder from here.
The plan moving forward is to increase your range of movement each week, and continue to do
as many reps as possible. This may be fine for a week or two, but sooner or later you’ll reach an
awkward point - where the movement transitions from more leg dominant to more back
dominant, and it’s just awkward to co-ordinate - and then a deadlifting dead zone - the point
where it’s almost harder to lift from than deadlifting from the floor.
Everyone will be a little different due to individual biomechanics and technique, but this
deadzone is usually near the bottom - because we’ve not got the momentum from the normal
floor start, so we need to brute force the weight up from a dead stop, and through the sticking
point, which is a little harder.
As such, the rep guide gets a little fuzzy when the bar is around/just below your knees and when
you get to the deadzone. You’ll find the reps decrease each week - this is to be expected - but
still aim to do AS MANY AS POSSIBLE. At the awkward point, get at least 4-6 reps, and when
we’re getting to the final couple of sessions take what you can - at least one rep means we’re
able to yank the weight through the deadzone without any initial momentum to help out, which
bodes VERY WELL for the final from-the-floor day,
So if you can get at least one rep in from each height of the final weeks, you can definitely pull
the weight form the floor.
This is what my reps looked like, using 220kg as my overload weight (15kg more than my last
PB) and blocks that are about 2 inches thick:
Week 1 - 6 blocks - 13 reps
Week 2 - 5 blocks - 12 reps
Week 3 - 4 blocks - 5 reps (bar at knee)
Week 4 - 3 blocks - 4 reps (bar below knee)
Week 5 - 2 blocks - 1 and a half reps
Week 6 - 1 block - 1 rep
Week 7 - PB from the floor (1 rep. Much celebrating)
Due to differences in limb lengths, height and technical setup, you may have more or less
sessions and might hit the at-knee and below-knee days sooner or later than I do. This is totally
cool, as there’s no point trying to contort your body to fit my dimensions and progress
landmarks. As long as you follow the principles of:
1. As many reps as possible
2. Increase the distance a little each week
You’ll be just fine. We can always redo sessions and try to get more reps if we have an off day,
or we have to increase the distance too quickly due to equipment (such as large gaps between
safety pins or only big boxes available). This version of the method should only take 6-8 weeks

to complete, but longer is acceptable as long as you’re making some kind of progress each week
(more reps, or a little extra distance).
MY TRAINING NOTES:
Week 3 was rough as this had the bar sitting just at my knees - this is an awkward position to lift
from as it’s hard to balance the work between your legs and your back, so you may find yourself
stiff legging the weight up or have the bar scrape up your thighs. This is part of the game, so try
to be mindful of your technique and keep a good balance between leg/back work.
Or film it/get feedback from someone to see where you’re having difficulty.
I had a tendency to use my back and posterior chain way more than my legs in the later sessions -
characterised by my legs straightening quickly and struggling to goodmorning/grind the bar up
my thighs. To combat this, get the hips a little lower at the start and focus on leg pressing the
world away while keeping the torso a little more upright. The first couple of sessions can be
quite back dominant, so just make sure you don’t get into bad habits for the rest of the training
block.
I found that 6 was the hardest, which is probably because it’s right at the deadlift deadzone -
where there’s only our brute force available to pull the weight off the block. If you can get one or
more reps here, then you’re golden. If you get none, don’t be too disheartened - this is the
deadzone. As with any rubbish sessions, we can always try it again next time - or if you’re
pushed for time, use a lighter weight so we’re still getting the full movement from this height
using a heavy weight. It might not be as heavy as our goal, but it’s better than nothing.
BODYBUILDING
Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's
musculature for aesthetic purposes. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a
bodybuilder
Most pros don't train much more than most people, well most people that do go to the gym
regularly. Mark Dugdale trains four day per week for roughly an hour. Ronnie C trains 6 days
per week for about 1 1/2 hours. No pro that I know (and I know many) trains for 2 hours
per day twice per day.
For professional body builders, cardio conditioning helps lose excess fat, and it also stimulates
your metabolism to work better even when you're not working out. That helps you burn more
calories, which means burning more excess fat, which helps improve body composition, creating
a lean, hard, defined physique.
If you do a full body workout, you need more time to recover, and this means more days with
no training. By doing a 3 day bodybuilding routine you can train every daywithout
over training. ... However, Arnold generally did 8 to 12 reps for the upper body muscles, and 12
to 16 reps for the lower body muscles.
 Nutrition

Sex differences in mass gains
Is There A Difference Between Male and Female Muscles? women are around 30-
35% muscle by weight, while men are 40-50% muscle. ... The strongest 10% offemales can
only beat the bottom 10% of men! Weight for weight (lean body mass only), women's grip
remains pretty feeble compared to the men.
Key Points
1. Most of the major differences in performance and metabolism between genders can be
explained by size and body composition, not gender itself.
2. Of the true gender differences, the most important ones have to do with differences in sex
hormones and fiber types.
3. Additionally, women’s fat and muscle tissue is better equipped than men’s for handling
both carbs and fat.
4. All of these differences make women better metabolically suited for… just about everything
related to health and performance except for short, intense bursts of activity that rely on
glycolytic capacity.
5. If you prefer pictures to words, the highlights of this article are presented in an
infographic at the bottom.
6. So, just for starters, how much of a difference IS there between men and women? Or at
least, how large are the physiological differences in major parameters that relate to
strength and performance?
7. Not very large at all.
8. For starters, men and women are very metabolically similar, at least when looking at
metabolic rate. About 90% of daily energy expenditure can be explained by fat-free
mass, fat mass, and activity level. Women *do* tend to have slower metabolisms than
men, but the difference is primarily a function of muscle mass and body size, not gender.
9. In terms of muscle mass differences, women tend to have about 2/3 the muscle mass men
do, with a larger difference in upper body muscle mass(about 1/2) than lower body
muscle mass (about 3/4). And although men tend to be stronger than women, that
difference is explained *almost* entirely (97%) by muscle mass differences. That means
if a man and woman have the same size muscles, they should have roughly the same
strength.
10. On the aerobic side of things, men tend to be slightly faster than women with equivalent
levels of training. However, the difference is almost entirely explained by body
composition differences (men tend to be leaner), hematocrit differences (higher levels of
testosterone lead to slightly higher red blood cell counts), and differences in heart size.
11. So, just to get this out of the way early, the VAST majority of the differences between
men and women that are relevant to performance aren’t necessarily gender differences,
but rather can be primarily explained by differences in body composition. A woman and
a man with similar training and similar amounts of muscle and fat will perform similarly.
The point of this article is to delve into those differences that DO exist that aren’t
explained entirely or almost entirely by size and body composition, and talk about the
difference they can make in training and diet.

MUSCLE TONING
Toning exercises are physical exercises that are used with the aim of developing a physique with
a large emphasis on musculature. In this context, the term tonedimplies leanness in the body
(low levels of body fat), noticeable muscle definition and shape, but not significant muscle size
Exercises popularly believed to improve tone are primarily weight lifting exercises performed
with high repetitions and low resistance (low weight), with short rest periods.
This conventional wisdom is however criticized as poor-quality and inefficient. What is
advocated is an exercise routine involving; resistance training - to stimulate muscle breakdown
and repair (increasing muscle mass will raise metabolism, as muscle has a higher calorific usage
than fat; cardiovascular exercise (particularly interval training) to burn calories;
optimal nutrition - to manipulate calorie intake and provide sufficient nutrition for muscle
growth. The primary requirement for looking toned is obtaining low body fat, as it is fat that
creates a 'soft' look.
WEIGHT LOSS
Weight loss, in the context of medicine, health, or physical fitness, refers to a reduction of the
total body mass, due to a mean loss of fluid, body fat or adipose tissue or lean mass, namely bone
mineral deposits, muscle, tendon, and other connective tissue. Weight loss can either occur
unintentionally due to malnourishment or an underlying disease or arise from a conscious effort
to improve an actual or perceivedoverweight or obese state. "Unexplained" weight loss that is not
caused by reduction in calorific intake or exercise is called cachexia and may be a symptom of a
serious medical condition. Intentional weight loss is commonly referred to as slimming.
Intentional weight loss is the loss of total body mass as a result of efforts to improve fitness and
health, or to changeappearance through slimming. Weight loss is the main treatment
for obesity, and there is substantial evidence this can prevent progression from prediabetes
to diabetes type 2 with a 7-10% weight loss and manage cardiometabolic health for diabetic
people with a 5-15% weight loss.
Weight loss in individuals who are overweight or obese can reduce health risks, increase
fitness,[6] and may delay the onset of diabetes. It could reduce pain and increase movement in
people with osteoarthritis of the knee. Weight loss can lead to a reduction in hypertension (high
blood pressure), however whether this reduces hypertension-related harm is unclear.
Weight loss is achieved by adopting a lifestyle in which fewer calories are consumed than are
expended.[7] According to the UK National Health Service this is best achieved by monitoring
calories eaten and supplementing this with physical exercise.
Depression, stress or boredom may also contribute to weight increase,[8] and in these cases,
individuals are advised to seek medical help. A 2010 study found that dieters who got a full
night's sleep lost more than twice as much fat as sleep-deprived dieters.

Though hypothesized that supplementation of vitamin D may help, studies do not support
this. The majority of dieters regain weight over the long term.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans those who achieve and manage a healthy
weight do so most successfully by being careful to consume just enough calories to meet their
needs, and being physically active
Techniques
The least intrusive weight loss methods, and those most often recommended, are adjustments to
eating patterns and increased physical activity, generally in the form of exercise. The World
Health Organization recommended that people combine a reduction of processed foods high in
saturated fats, sugar and salt and caloriccontent of the diet with an increase in physical activity.
An increase in fiber intake is also recommended for regulating bowel movements. Other methods
of weight loss include use of drugs and supplements that decrease appetite, block fat absorption,
or reduce stomach volume. Bariatric surgery may be indicated in cases of severe obesity. Two
common bariatric surgical procedures are gastric bypass and gastric banding. Both can be
effective at limiting the intake of food energy by reducing the size of the stomach, but as with
any surgical procedure both come with their own risks that should be considered in consultation
with a physician. Dietary supplements, though widely used, are not considered a healthy option
for weight loss.
Many are available, but very few are effective in the long term.
Virtual gastric band uses hypnosis to make the brain think the stomach is smaller than it really is
and hence lower the amount of food ingested. This brings as a consequence weight reduction.
This method is complemented with psychological treatment for anxiety management and
with hypnopedia. Research has been conducted into the use of hypnosis as a weight management
alternative. In 1996 a study found that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) was more effective
for weight reduction if reinforced with hypnosis. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ACT, a
mindfulness approach to weight loss, has also in the last few years been demonstrating its
usefulness.
Long-term weight loss

In order for weight loss to be permanent, changes in diet and lifestyle must be permanent as
well. There is evidence that counseling or exercise alone do not result in weight loss,
whereas dieting alone results in meaningful long-term weight loss, and a combination of dieting
and exercise provides the best results. Meals replacement, orlistat and very-low-calorie
diet interventions also produce meaningful weight loss.
There is a substantial market for products which claim to make weight loss easier, quicker,
cheaper, more reliable, or less painful. These include books, DVDs, CDs, cremes, lotions, pills,

rings and earrings, body wraps, body belts and other materials, fitness centers, clinics, personal
coaches, weight loss groups, and food products and supplements.
In 2008 between US$33 billion and $55 billion was spent annually in the US on weight-loss
products and services, including medical procedures and pharmaceuticals, with weight-loss
centers taking between 6 and 12 percent of total annual expenditure. Over $1.6 billion a year was
spent on weight-loss supplements. About 70 percent of Americans' dieting attempts are of a self-
help nature.
In Western Europe, sales of weight-loss products, excluding prescription medications, topped

€1,25 billion (£900 million/$1.4 billion) in 2009.
The scientific soundness of commercial diets by commercial weight management organizations

(CMWOs) varies widely, being previously non-evidence-based, so there is only limited evidence
supporting their use, due notably to high attrition rates. Commercial diets result in modest weight
loss in the long-term, with similar results regardless of the brand, and similarly to non-
commercial diets and standard care. Comprehensive diet programs, providing counseling and
targets for calorie intake, are more efficient than dieting without guidance ("self-help"), although
the evidence is very limited. The NICE devised a set of essential criteria to be met by
commercial weight management organizations to be approved.
Characteristics
Unintentional weight loss may result from loss of body fats, loss of body fluids, muscle atrophy,
or a combination of these. It is generally regarded as a medical problem when at least 10% of a
person's body weight has been lost in six months or 5% in the last month. Another criterion used
for assessing weight that is too low is the body mass index(BMI). However, even lesser amounts
of weight loss can be a cause for serious concern in a frail elderly person.
Unintentional weight loss can occur because of an inadequately nutritious diet relative to a
person's energy needs (generally called malnutrition). Disease processes, changes in metabolism,
hormonal changes, medications or other treatments, disease- or treatment-related dietary
changes, or reduced appetite associated with a disease or treatment can also cause unintentional
weight loss. Poor nutrient utilization can lead to weight loss, and can be caused byfistulae in the
gastrointestinal tract, diarrhea, drug-nutrient interaction, enzyme depletion and muscle atrophy.
Continuing weight loss may deteriorate into wasting, a vaguely defined condition
called cachexia. Cachexia differs fromstarvation in part because it involves a systemic
inflammatory response. It is associated with poorer outcomes. In the advanced stages
of progressive disease, metabolism can change so that they lose weight even when they are
getting what is normally regarded as adequate nutrition and the body cannot compensate. This

leads to a condition called anorexia cachexia syndrome (ACS) and additional nutrition or
supplementation is unlikely to help.
Symptoms of weight loss from ACS include severe weight loss from muscle rather than body
fat, loss of appetite and feeling full after eating small amounts,nausea, anemia, weakness
and fatigue.
Serious weight loss may reduce quality of life, impair treatment effectiveness or recovery,
worsen disease processes and be a risk factor for high mortality rates. Malnutrition can affect
every function of the human body, from the cells to the most complex body functions, including:
(1) immune response;
(2) wound healing;
(3) muscle strength (including respiratory muscles);
(4) renal capacity and depletion leading to water and electrolyte disturbances;
(5) thermoregulation; and
(6) menstruation.
In addition, malnutrition can lead to vitamin and other deficiencies and to inactivity, which in
turn may pre-dispose to other problems, such as pressure sores.
Unintentional weight loss can be the characteristic leading to diagnosis of diseases such as
cancer and type 1 diabetes.
In the UK, up to 5% of the general population is underweight, but more than 10% of those with
lung or gastrointestinal diseases and who have recently had surgery. According to data in the UK
using the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool ('MUST'), which incorporates unintentional
weight loss, more than 10% of the population over the age of 65 is at risk of malnutrition. [46] A
high proportion (10–60%) of hospital patients are also at risk, along with a similar proportion in
care homes.
CAUSES
Disease-related
Disease-related malnutrition can be considered in four categories:[46]
Problem Cause
Poor appetite can be a direct symptom of an illness, or an illness could
make eating painful or induce nausea. Illness can also cause food aversion.
Inability to eat can result from: diminished consciousness or confusion, or
Impaired intake physical problems affecting the arm or hands, swallowing or chewing.
Eating restrictions may also be imposed as part of treatment or
investigations. Lack of food can result from: poverty, difficulty in shopping
or cooking, and poor quality meals.
Impaired This can result from conditions that affect the digestive system.

digestion &/or
absorption
Altered Changes to metabolic demands can be caused by illness, surgery and organ
requirements dysfunction.
Losses from the gastrointestinal can occur because of symptoms such as
vomiting or diarrhea, as well as fistulae and stomas. There can also be
Excess nutrient
losses from drains, including nasogastric tubes.
losses
Other losses: Conditions such as burns can be associated with losses such
as skin exudates.
Weight loss issues related to specific diseases include:

1) As chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) advances, about 35% of patients
experience severe weight loss called pulmonary cachexia, including diminished muscle
mass. Around 25% experience moderate to severe weight loss, and most others have
some weight loss. Greater weight loss is associated with poorer prognosis. Theories about
contributing factors include appetite loss related to reduced activity, additional energy
required for breathing, and the difficulty of eating with dyspnea (labored breathing).
2) Cancer, a very common and sometimes fatal cause of unexplained (idiopathic) weight
loss. About one-third of unintentional weight loss cases are secondary to malignancy.
Cancers to suspect in patients with unexplained weight loss include gastrointestinal,
prostate, hepatobiliary (hepatocellular carcinoma, pancreatic cancer), ovarian,
hematologic or lung malignancies.
3) People with HIV often experience weight loss, and it is associated with poorer
outcomes. Wasting syndrome is an AIDS-defining condition.
4) Gastrointestinal disorders are another common cause of unexplained weight loss – in fact
they are the most common non-cancerous cause of idiopathic weight loss.[citation
needed]
Possible gastrointestinal etiologies of unexplained weight loss include: celiac
disease, peptic ulcer disease, inflammatory bowel disease (crohn's disease and ulcerative
colitis),pancreatitis, gastritis, diarrhea and many other GI conditions.
5) Infection. Some infectious diseases can cause weight loss. Fungal illnesses, endocarditis,
many parasitic diseases,AIDS, and some other subacute or occult infections may cause
weight loss.
6) Renal disease. Patients who have uremia often have poor or absent appetite, vomiting and
nausea. This can cause weight loss.
7) Cardiac disease. Cardiovascular disease, especially congestive heart failure, may cause
unexplained weight loss.
8) Connective tissue disease
9) Oral, taste or dental problems (including infections) can reduce nutrient intake leading to
weight loss.

Therapy-related
Medical treatment can directly or indirectly cause weight loss, impairing treatment effectiveness
and recovery that can lead to further weight loss in a vicious cycle.
Many patients will be in pain and have a loss of appetite after surgery. Part of the body's
response to surgery is to direct energy to wound healing, which increases the body's overall
energy requirements. Surgery affects nutritional status indirectly, particularly during the recovery
period, as it can interfere with wound healing and other aspects of recovery. Surgery directly
affects nutritional status if a procedure permanently alters the digestive system. Enteral
nutrition (tube feeding) is often needed. However a policy of 'nil by mouth' for all
gastrointestinal surgery has not been shown to benefit, with some suggestion it might hinder
recovery.
Early post-operative nutrition is a part of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocols. These
protocols also includecarbohydrate loading in the 24 hours before surgery, but earlier nutritional
interventions have not been shown to have a significant impact.
Some medications can cause weight loss, while others can cause weight gain.
Social conditions
Social conditions such as poverty, social isolation and inability to get or prepare preferred foods
can cause unintentional weight loss, and this may be particularly common in older
people. Nutrient intake can also be affected by culture, family and belief systems. Ill-fitting
dentures and other dental or oral health problems can also affect adequacy of nutrition.
Loss of hope, status or social contact and spiritual distress can cause depression, which may be
associated with reduced nutrition, as can fatigue.
Myths
Some popular beliefs attached to weight loss have been shown to either have less effect on
weight loss than commonly believed or are actively unhealthy. According to Harvard Health, the
idea of metabolism being the "key to weight" is "part truth and part myth" as while metabolism
does affect weight loss, external forces such as diet and exercise have an equal effect. They also
commented that the idea of changing one's rate of metabolism is under debate.
Diet plans in fitness magazines are also often believed to be effective, but may actually be
harmful by limiting the daily intake of important calories and nutrients which can be detrimental
depending on the person and are even capable of driving individuals away from weight loss

Gymnastics and Aerobics Course Guide

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Gymnastics and Aerobics Course Guide

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TEAM UNIVERSITY

DIPLOMA OF EDUCATION (PRIMARY

CODE: DPE 5211

Unit 2: Relevance of studying gymnastics and aerobic 5HRS

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 2

Unit 3: Moves and techniques 5hrs

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 3

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 4

Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic

It is usually performed to music and may be practiced in a group setting led by

Aerobics using dumbbells

Moves and techniques

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 5

Common moves include:

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 6

It is practiced to improve aerobic fitness, flexibility and strength.

MEANING OF AEROBIC GYMNASTICS SKILLS

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 7

INDIVIDUAL MALE OR INDIVIDUAL FEMALE

What are the six types of gymnastics?

Artistic Gymnastics is usually divided into Men's and Women's Gymnastics.

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 8

Women compete on four:

AEROBIC GYMNASTICS (AER)

Competitive aerobic gymnastics

National Aerobic Championships

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 9

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 10

The events consist of:

UNIT 2: RELEVANCE OF STUDYING GYMNASTICS AND AEROBIC 5HRS

BENEFITS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE

Here are some of the many benefits of aerobic exercise:

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 11

Other health benefits

1. Improves cardiovascular health

3. Helps regulate blood sugar

4. Reduces asthma symptoms

5. Reduces chronic pain

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 12

8. Strengthens immune system

9. Improves brain power

10. Boosts mood

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 13

11. Reduces risk of falls

12. Safe for most people, including kids

13. Affordable and accessible

Is aerobic exercise safe?

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 14

Strength development: Gymnastics produces, pound-for-pound, the best athletes in the

They are as follows:

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 15

11 HEALTH BENEFITS OF GYMNASTICS, ACCORDING TO SCIENCE

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 16

2. Doing Gymnastics Regularly Can Dramatically Increase Flexibility

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 17

3. Participation In Gymnastics Can Build Proper Coordination And Balance

4. Gymnasts Have A Better Sense Of Personal Control And Self-Esteem

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 18

5. Gymnastics Promote Healthy Cognitive Functioning

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 19

7. Participation In Gymnastics Might Help You Lose Weight

4th Trimester Material In-service Team University Page 20

8. Gymnastic Strength Training Can Positively Impact Muscle Health