Back to Basics

It’s easy to get lost in all the new fitness trends. There is a vast amount of knowledge out there and it is common to read up on what is considered “the best way.” It is important to remember that this is subjective and should be used as a trial for yourself.

If we look at physical activity guidelines by accredited organizations such as the American College of Sports Medicine and the CDC, they recommend to do moderate intensity aerobic physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes on 5 days per week, interchangeable with 20 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic activity on 3 days per week. They also recommend every adult to perform activities that maintain or increase muscular strength and endurance for a minimum of two days per week. These are excellent guidelines to get started if you are looking to get into a routine.

For those that are already consistently above these guidelines, remember these basic principles: Specificity, Frequency, and, Intensity. It is important to train for specificity, meaning you focus on your own fitness goals and work towards them on a weekly basis. These can be adjusted every 4 - 8 weeks after adaptations have been developed in the body. Examples include focusing on speed workouts for improving race times or focusing on strength, cardio, and a healthy diet for general health. Frequency and Intensity will be adjusted often to improve your strength and endurance as you should be aiming to progressively get better over time. These will also change possibly down a moderate percent when the body needs extra recovery time due to increasing demand of more intense workouts. After very intense workouts you should have at least a day of rest between strength training workouts. Try to alternate muscle groups to give your body time to recover.

It is up to you to put it together. Just remember what works for someone else might not work for you.