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Designing A Tailored Program for Advanced Fitness Levels
By Cindy | October 1, 2007
This is Part 4 of a 5 Part Series: Basics of a Tailored Program.
Are you an avid runner or swimmer? Are you looking to improve your fitness? After you completed Your Personal Assessment, you are confident that you’re ready for advanced training. I’ve outlined a general advanced training program below. When you reach this point in your fitness levels, your goals and specialty activities dictate how you proceed. For instance, a runner will want to focus on ways to improve distance or time. A swimmer may want to focus on different techniques or styles. By tailoring a program for your advanced fitness level, you fine tune your body to improve performance in your specialty. This plan focuses on the body’s overall fitness. For more specialized activities, there are many resources available to improve on the internet and in books. Enjoy your new goals and challenges. Your journey continues with success.
Points to Remember
- Fitness is accomplished through a variety of activities/exercises.
- Adjust your routines based on time, location and equipment.
- Choose the things you love to do.
- Be realistic in your expectations.
- As you advance in your skill level, make sure you are medically cleared for the demands you’re putting on your body.
Signs of Improvement
- Ease of breathing
- Increased frequency, duration or intensity
- Naturally accepting the Habit
- Maximizing your Personal Time and Enjoy every minute of it!!! (Release the Guilt)
The Cardiovascular Component
By this point in your fitness journey, you enjoy certain activities. In the advanced stages, your opportunities for fitness expand. You may work on building upon your favorite cardiovascular routines or you may start incorporating other forms of aerobic work into your lifestyle. When you reach this level of fitness, you may want to start competing and determining what aspects of competition are important to you. Are you interested in taking a course to teach? Maybe you’d like to lead a class in Aerobics or kickboxing?
That being said, you may want to continue at home and build upon the advances you’ve made thus far. Great! This chart provides the guidelines you’ll need to fulfill the Basics of a Tailored Program: Mode, Intensity, Duration and Frequency. Find the activities you enjoy. Look forward to taking the time to reward yourself!
| Mode | Intensity | Duration | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking, Running, Aerobic Classes/DVDs,Jump Roping, Swimming, Dancing, Hiking, Bicycling, Elliptical Trainer, Treadmill, Stepper, Stairs, Gardening, Focused housecleaning, Washing the car, raking leaves, Shoveling snow, Chasing children, rowing, tennis, racquetball, basketball, soccer, hiking, skiing, roller blading, etc. |
70 to 85% of your Heart Rate Reserve
Do a 10 second measurement |
30 to 60 minutes *Break up the routine into two or three sessions if necessary. |
5 Days a week |
Strength Training Component
Shifting from an intermediate to advanced fitness level in strength training is more of a mind shift change than anything else. As you muscles adapt to the routine, there are a few things you can do to maximize your strength training. The body is very astute. In strength training, the body will find the path of least resistance in that your muscles will become very efficient. To continue to see gains in your strength, here are a few things you can do in the advanced stages:
- Increase your frequency to three days a week. Always give yourself a day off between strength training routines. Your muscles need the day to mend.
- Increase your weight. If you’re finding it easy to complete 3 sets of 12 per exercise, it’s time to increase your weight load.
- Change up your strength training routine. Your body becomes accustomed to exercises. Make one day a circuit training routine where you go immediately from one machine to a different machine. Add jump roping or jogging in place of 1 minute segments between your strength training exercises. Shift up your different methods of machines, free weights, and resistance bands. Add different exercises that focus on the same muscles you are training.
Always remember to:
- Start the workout with a short 5 minute light aerobic activity and 5 minute stretch.
- Fequency: 3 times a week (make sure to give your body rest in between each day. Muscles need the time to recover).
- Intensity: 12 repetitions at 70% to 85% of your 1RM maximum measured in the Personal Assessment.
- Duration: 3 sets a workout, Pyramid style routine (slowly increase your weights to 1RM max as you increase your repetitions in a set), or a 30 minute circuit routine.
Many women have a concern that they are going to bulk up and start looking like He-Man. Your muscles are not designed to take on the characteristics of the male genome! You will find that your body will become more toned and your body figure as a woman will be accentuated. You will not bulk up!
In tracking your progress, give yourself eight weeks to see significant change in muscle development. Enjoy the steady progress of increased repetitions or sets. After four weeks, you may want to reevaluate your weight load. Here are a couple of sites that provide pictures or details to help you set up an advanced strength training workout:
At Home:
Resistance Bands: Do this series of resistance band exercises for a good at home workout. Bands come in different colors indicating different resistance levels. Increase the difficulty by purchasing higher resistance bands.
Dumbbells: Women’s Health Magazine has an excellent illustrated Dumbbell Exercises Routine maximizing your time and combining multiple muscle groups into each exercise.
In the Gym:
Advanced Strength Training Program with pictures. This program includes aerobic workouts but you may skip the cardiovascular portion if you already have your desired activity in place.
Flexibility Component
Flexibility requires repetition and consistency. To increase your flexibility, add dedicated sessions to stretching. Sports Fitness Advisor offers a great series of Flexibility Exercises you can incorporate into your routines. If you’re an advanced Yoga or Pilates guru, you can find great videos and classes that are tailored for the Advanced Levels.
Always remember:
- Do not bounce when going into and staying in a stretch.
- To develop your flexibility you want to hold a stretch for 20-30 seconds.
- You should not feel pain.
- Stretch to the point of tension. Release, relax and repeat.
Here’s a Fitness Journey Program template to help you design your workout. Have fun and enjoy the journey.
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Topics: Full Body Workouts |
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