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UNIT 8 - FITNESS PROGRAMS

Unit 8 – Fitness Programs

Corey L. Batts
Purdue University – Global
EF310 Current Trends in Exercise and Fitness – Aging Well Across the Life Span
Dr. Jan Saeger
October 20, 2020
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UNIT 8 - FITNESS PROGRAMS
Unit 8 - Fitness Programs

Having a goal and a plan are important to one’s fitness. Without a goal we have no

direction. Without a plan we have no way to get to our goals. It takes both of them together to

make an impact. Looking at the goals for myself and a client will determine the exercise

prescription. Followed will be why these recommendations were suggested. Starting off with my

own personal evaluation.

Personal Evaluation

My physical activity levels have changed significantly throughout this course.

Unfortunately, they have not been for the better. Between moving, changing jobs, and bouncing

between living situations I have dropped any additional physical activity I don’t get from work.

In the coming weeks I want to revamp my entire physical activity levels. For this I want a

detailed strength training plan and preplanned times for aerobic activities. My goal is to increase

my overall health. My exercise prescription for myself is as follows.

Personal Physical Activity Schedule

Type Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Aerobics 120 Minutes 120 Minutes 120 Minutes 120 Minutes 120 Minutes
Moderate (Walking) (Walking) (Walking) (Walking) (Walking)

Aerobics 30 Minutes 30 Minutes 30 Minutes

Vigorous (HIIT) (Cycling) (Run)
Strength 60 Minutes 60 Minutes 60 Minutes
Training (Weights) (Weights) (Weights)
30 Minutes 15 Minute 15 Minute 15 Minute 15 Minute 15 Minute 15 Minute
Flexibility
(Yoga) (Stretch) (Stretch) (Stretch) (Stretch) (Stretch) (Stretch)

Personally, I get a bunch of moderate aerobic activity at work. Working on average 10-

hour days, I can easily achieve over 120 minutes of walk time. For this reason, I am only adding

vigorous aerobic activity in my time away from work. I want to increase my cardiovascular heath
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UNIT 8 - FITNESS PROGRAMS
but I am not a fan of aerobic activities. For this reason, I added variety and choose 3 different

activities that will help me achieve my goal. For strength training I designed a full-body routine

to be incorporated 3 days of the week. I alternated days for muscle and aerobic training to let my

body recovery from the previous exercise session. Following all of my exercise activities I will

be doing a 15-minute stretching routine. According to Dr. Gleen Shi post-workout stretching is

ideal because the muscles are already warm (Olsen, 2018). This is to help my flexibility and help

my muscles recover. I didn’t want any days off, so fitness would become a daily routine. For this

reason, I incorporated yoga on Sunday. Yoga will also help me improve my flexibility and

balance. Next will be Carl’s evaluation.

Client Evaluation

Carl’s goal is to gain muscle mass, “add some bulk” as he phrased it, and to become more

competitive for intramural sports. He has a decent base on aerobic physical activity from walking

the campus to classes, running during his Physical Education (PE) class, and playing intramural

sports. Where he lacks is in training his flexibility and strength. Unstructured workouts on the

occasional weekend with friends is not good for progressing one’s strength. To reach his goals he

must commit to a structured routine where progress can be monitored and exercises adjusted

accordingly. My exercise prescription for Carl is as follows.

Carl's Physical Activity Schedule

Type Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Aerobics 45 Minutes 45 Minutes 45 Minutes 45 Minutes 45 Minutes
Moderate (Walking) (Walking) (Walking) (Walking) (Walking)
Aerobics 30 Minutes 30 Minutes
Vigorous (Agility) (Run)
Strength 60 Minutes 60 Minutes
Training (Weights) (Weights)
30 Minutes 30 Minutes
Flexibility
(Cool down) (Cool down)
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Looking at Carl’s schedule reveals he gets a fair amount of moderate aerobic activity by

walking to classes Monday thru Friday. Carl also already participates in a 30-minute vigorous

run during his PE class. In addition to the vigorous aerobic activity does for his PE class I am

recommending agility training. This will help him reach his goal of becoming more competitive

for intramural sports. According to VeryWell Fit agility training increases sports performance by

stressing joints and muscles not frequently used (Quinn & Laferrara, 2020). For strength training

I am recommending the same full body routine twice a week. Being consistent with which

exercise are done Carl can adapt the strength training and increase weight as he progresses.

Immediately following strength training a stretching and flexibility routine should be

accomplished. This is an ideal time for stretching because his muscles are already warm from

strength training and will serve as a cool down post training.

These are my recommendation for Carl. I suggested this because, I feel he is not wanting

to commit to a big change in his lifestyle at this time. If Carl commits to my recommendation

and then wants to incorporate more physical activity throughout the week there is room to

incorporate this. I left him free to enjoy his party days on Thursday and Friday. Also, I left his

Saturday open to account for an ever-changing game schedule for intramural sports.

Conclusion

In conclusion, regardless of your goal there is a plan that will get you there. My exercise

prescription is more intricate and involved. Requiring me to perform a fitness activity everyday

but helping me reach my goal of better health. Carl’s exercise prescription is a more subtitle and

toned down. This will allow him to ease into new fitness activities but still have time for his

college studies, sports, and shenanigans. There is an ideal plan for all of us but it cannot be

determined without a goal.

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UNIT 8 - FITNESS PROGRAMS

References

Olsen, J. (2018, February 7). Mayo Clinic Minute: The benefits of stretching.

https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-the-benefits-of-

stretching/.

Quinn, E. (2020, May 28). Best Agility Exercises for Athletes. Verywell Fit.

https://www.verywellfit.com/best-agility-drills-for-athletes-3120599.