Five Components of the Perfect Workout
A good exercise program addresses cardio training, muscle strength & endurance, and flexibility. The five areas that we want you to understand and be able to identify are the warm up, aerobic training component, post aerobic cool down, muscular training and flexibility stretching. Whatever the activity or activities you decide to engage in, they should have the following elements incorporated.
The warm up is essential to prepare the body to engage in more strenuous activity. It helps reduce the risk of injury, increases the core temperature of the body and allows the cardiovascular system to adjust blood flow. The warm up should last between three and five minutes, depending on the activity you will do and your fitness level.
The aerobic and muscle strength training component improves body composition, improves the capacity of the heart and vascular system and is critical for achieving and maintaining ideal weight. We know that the weight bearing activities like Curves helps to increase bone density and are especially helpful for individuals with diabetes or metabolic syndrome (pre-diabetes).
The post aerobic section, or cool down, will follow the aerobic section. This is usually three to five minutes. During this time simply do what you were doing during the aerobic time just at a slower pace. This will allow the blood in the extremities to be balanced throughout the body.
Last, you will need to engage in focused stretching of major joints surrounded by muscle groups. Stretch and hold for a minimum of fifteen to thirty seconds. As the muscles and joints allow, continue to increase range of motion while performing a static stretch in alignment.
