IV. COMPONENTS OF FITNESS

These are the major components of physical fitness ─
(i) Cardiorespiratory Endurance – Cardiorespiratory system is the interrelated collective system of heart, lungs and blood vessels. Cardiorespiratory fitness or aerobic fitness depends upon heart’s ability to pump oxygen-rich blood to the working muscles and utilization of oxygen by the working muscles. Cardiorespiratory endurance training should always find a proper place in your exercise programme and should be done 3-5 days in a week, depending on your specific goal.
(ii) Muscular strength – It is the maximal ability of a muscle (or muscle group) to generate force. In simple words, it means the maximum weight you can lift during a single repetition. It is measured in RM (repetition maximum3). 1 RM bench press or 1 RM squat is good way to test your upper and lower body strength respectively.
(iii) Muscular Endurance – Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle (or muscle group) to generate force repeatedly for a longer time. Although muscular strength and muscular endurance are related, they are not the same. An example of muscular strength is a person lifting heavy barbell during one maximal effort. In contrast, muscular endurance is illustrated by a person performing
3. RM is measurement of the maximum weight that can be lifted one time. maximum number of repetitions of Chin ups, abdominal curl ups, push ups etc.
(iv) Agility – Agility is one’s ability for quick start, quick stop, and quick change of direction. Agility is very important in games. A more agile boxer would save himself more from his opponent’s punches and land more punches on his opponent.
(v) Speed – Speed is one’s ability to ‘explode’ (move fast) from one point to another point within shortest time. This is an all out effort.
(vi) Flexibility – Flexibility can be defined as the ability to move joints through their full range of motion (ROM). Lack of flexibility training may shorten tendons and make them tight. Low flexibility is one of the major causes of injury. It is interesting to see some body builders moving like ‘robots’ with their rigid limbs. This is because of their lack of sufficient flexibility training.
(vii) Body composition – Having right proportion of fat and lean body mass is an important component of fitness4. (Total body mass includes fat and lean body mass. Lean body mass includes everything other than fat, viz., bones, water, protein, minerals).

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Medical disclaimer - The website content is provided for general educational purpose only. It does not substitute professional medical advice. Reader is advised to consult his doctor before starting any fitness program to avoid any health risks.

V. FITT FACTORS

The acronym FITT stands for Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type (of exercise). It is important to keep these factors in mind while designing your exercise programme.

Frequency
It pays well to exercise the same muscle / muscle group frequently, 3-5 days a week, and to have two days off for recovery. While less than required frequency will yield very marginal benefits, too much of frequency may result in overtraining.
4. This has been discussed in detail in the chapter Weight Management.

Intensity
Intensity refers to the degree of effort. Intensity in cardiorespiratory endurance is measured by heart rate. Low intensity endurance training means training at low heart rate. As the intensity of training goes up, heart rate also goes up.

Similarly, intensity in strength training refers to the load or resistance. Low intensity strength training means training with low resistance or low weights. Intensity in this case is measured by the maximum number of repetitions, popularly referred as RM (repetition maximum). Thus 5 RM would mean that one can do maximum 5 repetitions with a particular weight. Higher the intensity, lower would be the R M. (Naturally !)

Selection and progression in intensity will depend upon your exercise goal. For example, if your goal is to increase your muscular endurance, select a weight that allows you a 12+ R M. However, exercising at this intensity will have little effect on your muscle strength. To gain muscle strength you will have to increase the intensity that allows you 3-5 RM. Similarly, for cardiorespiratory endurance, major part of your training should consist of building aerobic base at low intensity. But to reduce your race time you will have to increase the training intensity e.g., by including interval runs. (See section on Running).

Also, follow the principle of progression while increasing your training intensity and avoid ‘too much too soon’ approach.

Time (duration)
This is one of the most frequently asked questions – what should be the minimum or maximum duration of exercise for maximum gains? Well, the answer is – it all depends upon your training goal, and availability of time. On one hand, there are professionals who train 5-6 hours daily; on the other hand, there are executives who hardly find more than 20-30 minutes to spare for physical training. If your goal is just to keep fit, and you have only 20-30 minutes, a circuit training consisting of one or two sets of muscle strength / endurance training of all major muscles / muscle groups may be the answer5. But if you really want to improve your cardio- respiratory endurance or muscle strength or flexibility, you need to invest a little more time in training.

For good cardiorespiratory endurance, one requires to do at least 20-30 minutes of continuous training. This excludes time for warm-up, cool-down and stretching. For muscle strength one needs to perform at least 3-5 sets of the same exercise. Total exercise time depends upon the number of repetitions, sets and recovery time taken between two sets. Similarly, each flexibility exercise also may require minimum 15-30 seconds, depending upon the type of stretch.

If you have to cut short your time on exercise, do so on the total number of repetitions /sets, but never compromise on the recovery time. Rushing through the ‘rituals’ of all exercises hurriedly without allowing recovery may result into undue fatigue and injury.

Type
There are different types of exercises e.g., walking, running, stair climbing, bicycling, rowing, swimming, etc., for cardiorespiratory endurance; free weights, resistance machines, free hand etc., for muscular strength / endurance; stretches, Yogasanas for flexibility. The selection of a particular type or a combination of more than one type depends upon your exercise goal. For example, if your goal is to excel in running, focus on running; swimming is not going to help you much. Likewise, for a discuss thrower, cardiorespiratory endurance exercises may not be of much help; he has to focus more on strength training and flexibility training. Availability of resources may be sometimes a crucial factor in selection of a particular type/types of exercise.

5. Sample circuit training has been given in Appendix-I.

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Medical disclaimer - The website content is provided for general educational purpose only. It does not substitute professional medical advice. Reader is advised to consult his doctor before starting any fitness program to avoid any health risks.

VI. WARM-UP AND COOL-DOWN

A. Warm-up – Systematic and sufficient warm-up is a must before starting any vigorous exercise session. Warm-up consists of a set of continuous exercises, which are done with a gradual build-up of speed to elevate body’s core temperature till the point of perspiration. Beginning of perspiration is a good indicator that we are sufficiently warmed-up. During warming-up the temperature of muscles increases. A warmed-up muscle contracts and relaxes more quickly. Secondly, warming-up also helps more blood flow to the muscles. More blood flow means supply of more oxygen to muscles and hence more energy is available for exercise. Thirdly, our ligaments, tendons lose their stiffness and become more stretchable. Fourthly, our joints become more flexible. All these prevent possible injury caused by sudden load of high intensity exercise caused by high speed or heavy weight.
No warm-up session is complete without stretching. Some people start warm-up session with stretching. This is not a proper way to start. In absence of sufficient elevation of our core temperature, our muscles, ligaments, tendons would remain stiff. If we stretch them in this condition, we would make them more susceptible to injury. Therefore, proper sequence of warm-up procedure would be to start with some easy slow body movements, gradually increasing the speed till the point of perspiration and then following it by stretching.

Types of warm-up
(i) Passive warm-up – In passive warm-up temperature of muscles is increased by outside efforts, e.g., by giving vigorous massage or hot baths. This is not always practical.
(ii) General warm-up – It involves movement of maximum number of muscles for overall warm-up. Slow jog followed by 20-30 metre sprints, cycling, skipping, climbing hill or stairs, etc. are a few activities for general warm-up.
(iii) Specific warm-up – Before loading a specific muscle with high intensity exercise, it is advisable to warm-up that specific muscle. For example, slow jog will be good before starring a run. Light repetitions of bench press or a few push-ups will be helpful to lift a heavy weight afterwards. Warm-up process may take slightly more time in a cold weather. Better conditioned sportspersons are also likely to take more time. Nevertheless, warm-up is too important to be overlooked.

B. Cool-down – Cool-down is reverse process of warm-up. While warm-up may be compared to pre-take-off run of an aeroplane, cool-down is like its taxiing after the landing. The same set of exercises used for warm-up can be used for cool-down also. It involves gradual decrease in the intensity of exercise before stopping completely. Cool-down allows increased heart rate and blood pressure to gradually come down to normal level. Cool-down process should be concluded with stretching. In fact, stretching is more important during cool-down than during warm-up. It helps to reduce blood pooling in exercised muscles and removes lactic acid build-up (which is the immediate cause of tiredness and discomfort). In absence of proper cool-down, we may feel discomforts like headache, nausea, cramps, at the end of intense exercise and stiffness of muscles, tendons subsequently.

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Medical disclaimer - The website content is provided for general educational purpose only. It does not substitute professional medical advice. Reader is advised to consult his doctor before starting any fitness program to avoid any health risks.

VII. INJURY MANAGEMENT

Causes – 99% of our injuries during exercise are result of our own carelessness and violation of the basic principles of exercise. Injury may occur due to incorrect form and or technique, ‘too much too soon’ approach, low level of experience, medical history, low fitness level combined with overtraining, inadequate recovery time, lack of proper nutrition, insufficient or no warm-up/cool-down, poor concentration, adverse environment, failure to understand warning signs of body. Injury may also occur due to malfunctioning of exercise equipment, cluttered gym, etc.

Prevention – Injury is largely preventable if we follow these guidelines –
(i) Purchase good quality equipment, training apparels including shoes.
(ii) Never ignore warm-up and cool-down.
(iii) Use proper form and technique.
(iv) Follow the basic principles of exercise.
(v) Get assistance of a spotter in case of lifting heavy weights.
(vi) Focus your mind on the exercise, especially during high-intensity exercise. Focus of mind not only protects you against injury, it also enhances your performance.
(vii) Take sufficient precautions against extreme environment (heat, cold).
(viii) Take proper nutrition. For example, lack of required protein may impair muscle growth and its repair.
(ix) Slight discomfort or agony during exercise is OK and desirable. However, any kind of joint or muscular pain should be treated as a signal to stop or slow down.
(x) When you resume exercise after a long gap, start from a lower degree of intensity / volume and gradually reach the standard you had achieved when you had left training.
(xi) Avoid jerky movements in weight training. All movements should be at a controlled, slow, smooth pace.
(xii) Stop exercise at once on warning signs of dizziness, acute fatigue, mental confusion.
(xiii) Flexibility prevents injury. Do include flexibility in your exercise session.
(xiv) In case of long-duration (more than 30-40 minutes) exercise, hydrate yourself well at frequent intervals
(xv) In case of an injury, don’t deny your injury. Discontinue exercise and seek proper medical help to avoid further worsening of injury.

Management – In case of injury apply the principle of RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). Rest – Give rest to the injured part. Ice – Apply ice to the injured area. Cooling by ice decreases swelling of the affected part. Ice can be applied for 10-15 minutes at interval of 30-40 minutes. Compression – Compress the affected area with a firm but not too tight elastic bandage. Elevation – During first 24-72 hrs elevation of the affected part helps in checking swelling by reducing the blood flow.
Remember, RICE is a first aid only. Don’t hesitate to consult a doctor in case your injury prolongs.
Injury of any part of the body does not necessarily mean complete abandon of exercise. Unless medically advised otherwise, one can exercise one’s unaffected body parts. For example, if your shoulders are injured, there is no reason why you cannot exercise your legs, abdominal muscles, forearms.

Overtraining – Overtraining is generally caused by our ‘too much too soon’ approach to exercise. Inappropriately high levels of intensity or volume of exercise, or both combined together, and insufficient recovery time lead to overtraining. Neglect of proper nutrition is another significant factor that contributes to this phenomenon. One important sign of overtraining is that despite regular training, gains are stopped at a point and even worse, performance starts to decline. Other psychosomatic symptoms of overtraining are –
 Chronic muscle soreness/ joint pain, unduly nagging fatigue
 Stress-induced injury like tiny fractures
 Lack of enthusiasm for work out
 Lack of concentration
 Irritability
 Sleep disorders
 Decrease in lean body mass (decrease in muscle mass)
 Decrease appetite
 Lowered immunity level
 Frequent cold-like symptoms
 Altered blood pressure
 Altered resting heart rate (RHR)

An increase of more than 5 beats per minute above your normal (RHR)6 may be an indication that you have done too much exercise on the previous day. So, next day either do little training or simply take rest.

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Medical disclaimer - The website content is provided for general educational purpose only. It does not substitute professional medical advice. Reader is advised to consult his doctor before starting any fitness program to avoid any health risks.

VIII. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS

Heat

It is important to maintain our body’s normal range of core temperature (36.1° - 37.8° C). Any excessive variation on either side of this range may affect our training performance and if not regulated, it may lead to injury also. During excessive heat (which may be caused by outside temperature or by high intensity of the exercise itself) our body starts sweating for cooling. However, sweating as a cooling mechanism of body has certain limitations. For example, during long bouts of exercise, as body’s water contents deplete, the rate of sweating also declines and it becomes less effective as a cooling mechanism. Similarly, cooling effect of sweating also depends upon the relative humidity of air. Higher the air humidity, less will be the sweat evaporation (as air is saturated) and consequent cooling of body will be less. (Recall the experience with desert

6. Resting Heart Rate (RHR) is your heart rate taken when you are fully rested and relaxed. The best time to take your RHR is in the morning immediately after you make up and still lying in bed. coolers during humid months). Thus, it is quite possible to feel more uncomfortable to run at 35° C on a humid day than to run at 40° C on a hot but dry day.

Exercising in excessive heat may cause heat cramps (muscle cramps in arms, legs or abdomen), dehydration (symptoms like fatigue, dizziness, rapid pulse rate, weakness), heat exhaustion (weakness, excessive sweating, low blood pressure, dizziness) or heat stroke (high body temperature, rapid pulse, stoppage of sweating, mental confusion, disorientation, hallucinations). Children and elderly persons are particularly more susceptible to heat induced injuries as their body has less sweating capacity.

Heat induced injuries, if not treated on time, may be fatal. Therefore, once the symptoms appear, exercise should be immediately stopped and medical help should be taken.

Heat-related injuries may be prevented by (i) drinking water before and during exercising in the sun; (ii) drinking appropriate sports drinks to maintain electrolyte balance in the body; (iii) avoiding exposure to excessive heat and doing exercise during cooler part of the day; (iv) wearing light, porous clothes that promote fast sweat evaporation; (v) reducing the intensity and volume of exercise. On humid days, it is advisable to exercise at lower intensity. Take time to acclimatize to hot days.

Cold
Mildly cold winter mornings are probably the most enjoyable part of the year to train. However, the problem starts in extreme cold when the body heat loss is greater than body heat production. This condition may occur due to either extreme cold or insufficient clothing or very low intensity of exercise. Exposure to severe cold may lead to hypothermia, frostbite or dehydration. Wind worsens the situation during cold. Here again, children and elderly are more susceptible to risks of cold related injury as their body cannot produce metabolic heat that effectively.

Exercising during cold is a good idea to retain one’s normal range of core body temperature. However, once exercise is stopped, exposure to sweat-soaked clothing may lead to hypothermia. Therefore, it is advisable to (i) do low intensity exercise to avoid excessive sweating; (ii) wear porous clothes to allow maximum sweat evaporation; (iii) change into a set of dry clothes immediately after the exercise. Do not forget to change socks and undergarments. Wearing track suit throughout the exercise session is not of much use. Once you are sufficiently warmed up, remove your track suit and exercise in normal one-layer apparel to allow sweat evaporation. Once you stop exercising, again wear the track suit to keep body warm.

Cold related injuries can be prevented by wearing suitable multiple layers of clothing. Multiple layers of thin clothing are more effective in retaining heat than single thick-layered clothing. A good amount of heat loss occurs through open head, neck and hands. Therefore, these exposed body parts should be properly covered. In extreme cold, wearing an additional pair of socks and undergarments will be helpful.
Our subcutaneous fat is an excellent insulator against cold. This makes skinny models (who have very low fat mass) more vulnerable to cold related injuries in comparison with others who have normal % body fat. Another interesting thing about cold is that for its maintenance our body utilizes more carbohydrate and fat than in summer. So, winter is a good time to work out hard, eat heartily and still be in shape!

High Altitude
At high altitudes our performance decreases mainly due to presence of less oxygen. Before starting serious training, therefore one should take 3-4 weeks time to acclimatize by progressively increasing the intensity and volume of exercise. If not sufficiently acclimatized, one may get headache, nausea, loss of appetite, sleep disorders, etc.

Pollution
When pollution level is very high outside, it is better to exercise indoors. Pollution is more harmful if you are doing a serious endurance training as it involves breathing through mouth. As you know, our mouth, unlike our nostrils, does not have any natural filter against pollutants. Therefore, select a time and place for exercise where pollution level is relatively low.

It is relevant to mention here that quality of indoor air – whether inside your house, office or gym – is an important issue. Moisture, pets, dust mites, materials used in household furnishings, e.g., mattresses, curtains, carpets, etc. are some of the major sources of poor quality indoor air. These may cause minor allergies and may aggravate respiratory problems. By providing proper ventilation, allowing sunshine to enter into the room, regular cleaning of furnishings, replacing carpets with hard surface tiles (which are easy to clean), regular cleaning of air conditioners, coolers etc. we can reduce the pollution level indoors.

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Medical disclaimer - The website content is provided for general educational purpose only. It does not substitute professional medical advice. Reader is advised to consult his doctor before starting any fitness program to avoid any health risks.

IX. WOMEN AND EXERCISE

As men are generally bigger than women in size, their greater strength compared to women’s is mainly due to their larger size and hence greater muscle mass. There is no difference in muscle response of men and women and both can benefit in the same manner from a similar exercise programme. Generally, women are more flexible than men. Women have 25% smaller heart and 25-30% less lung capacity than that of men. Smaller heart means that it would have to work more to pump the same amount of blood. This combined with less lung capacity implies that women will fatigue faster than men. But this holds good only when we compare a woman with equally trained man. This should not, however, give men a false sense of superiority over women. A well-trained woman can beat an untrained/under-trained man in all aspects of physical fitness.

Women can exercise during menstruation. Pregnant women also can exercise, though with medical advice. Vigorous activity does not have any adverse effect on women’s reproductive organs or menstruation. There should be no undue concern about post-partum (after delivery of a child) fitness of women unless there have been other medical complications associated with it. There are many top ‘mother’ athletes in all sports and games. As regards apparels, proper sports bras are advised for women to prevent any damage to their breasts tissue during exercise causing prolonged jarring of breasts (e.g., in long distance running). Similarly, men are also advised to wear properly fitted underwears/supporters during such exercises.

Some women, especially long distance runners, may experience menstrual irregularities. Possible explanation for this is temporary sharp decline in estrogen production which is linked with fall in body fat below a certain level. Low-calorie intake and other nutritional deficiencies may be some of other factors causing menstrual irregularities. However, it is a temporary phenomenon and with restoration of normal fat percentage, normalcy is restored.

Many women fear that strength training would make them too muscular and give them a ‘manly’ look. This fear is unfounded as the muscle size of a woman cannot increase much beyond a point.

Women (as well as men) who are obsessed with weight control, often rely more on cardio-vascular exercise combined with low calorie diet. They ignore strength training and flexibility training. Such practice is against the basic principles of exercise. Avoiding strength training will deprive women of all its related benefits, viz., strengthening of muscle, bone, ligaments, tendons, etc. Bigger muscles help in weight control as they increase RMR of the body. Higher RMR means more caloric expenditure. Low calories intake decreases RMR and thus decrease the rate of weight loss. These things have been further explained in the chapter on Weight Management.

There is another misconception that strength training would turn fat into muscle. It is impossible as these two are quite different. Strength training increases size of muscles fibres, not of fat cells.

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Medical disclaimer - The website content is provided for general educational purpose only. It does not substitute professional medical advice. Reader is advised to consult his doctor before starting any fitness program to avoid any health risks.

X. CHILDREN AND EXERCISE

Moderate strength exercise, e.g., push ups, chin ups, squatting does not affect children adversely. It does not blunt their growth. It rather helps them to perform better in their school sports. However, intensive strength training involving heavy weights is not recommended for children on two grounds– (i)they may overtrain themselves without realizing its adverse implications and (ii) they may not follow the correct form and technique making themselves more vulnerable to injuries or deformities caused by repetitive use of wrong technique over a period of time.

As far as endurance training is concerned, studies suggest that children should not train intensively before age 18. Hard training before this age may result into their early burn outs. Intensive endurance training combined with low calorie diet may further cause damage to them. Therefore, it is advised, once they are mature, they can train hard. Speed training is more advisable for children. They should be encouraged to participate in a variety of games and sports for overall fitness and normal growth.

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Medical disclaimer - The website content is provided for general educational purpose only. It does not substitute professional medical advice. Reader is advised to consult his doctor before starting any fitness program to avoid any health risks.

XI. ELDERLY AND EXERCISE

Exercise is beneficial at any age. It is never too late to start exercise. And there is no reason to stop it at any age. Look at Baba Fauja Singh (born 1911), who set up a marathon world record of 5 hours 40 minutes in 2003 in the 90 plus age category. He re-discovered his passion for running at 81. Manohar Aich (born 1912), nicknamed ‘Pocket Hercules’, the first Mr. Universe (1952) from India, was another example of what elderly can do. WHO (World Health Organization) recommends that older adults should engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity 5 days per week. In fact, there are no specific advices to elderly than for anyone else. Whether adult or elderly, the only point to remember is – follow the basic principles of exercise. Elderly should have a thorough physical examination before starting an intensive strength or endurance training.

Older adults must realize that with age their age-predicted maximal heart rate (APMHR or MHR)7 declines.

APMHR = 220 – age.
Therefore, know your training heart rate (THR)8 (see section on Endurance Training) and exercise within the limit. The body of an elderly takes more time to adapt to increased intensity and volume of exercise. It implies that your progression may be slower and recovery period may be longer.

Degree of (physical) balance declines in old age. Some of the bathroom falls may be avoided by ensuring good balance exercises. A few practical exercises can be done in day-to-day life to improve balance, e.g., taking off shoes while standing, standing on one leg and lifting the other upto knee level, ( or, doing the same exercise with eyes closed) etc.

Aerobic exercise, e.g., brisk walk, jogging, cycling, swimming, etc., is an effective tool for weight management because it increases our total daily caloric expenditure. However, one must include some sort of strength training in his exercise programme because only strength training can slow down age-related decline in muscle mass, bone mass and overall strength.

7. MHR is the maximum safe limit of heart rate for exercise intensity.
8. THR is the heart rate at which one should train for optimal exercise benefits.

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Medical disclaimer - The website content is provided for general educational purpose only. It does not substitute professional medical advice. Reader is advised to consult his doctor before starting any fitness program to avoid any health risks.

XII. EXERCISE APPARELS

Clothing
Clothing should be comfortable and should not restrict any movement of body during exercise. A good quality non-cotton T-shirt or sleeveless undershirt and gym shorts are best in warm weather. Light, porous clothing such as ‘fish net’ vests allow sweat to come on their outer surface and evaporate quickly, thus promoting faster heat loss from our body. (Such T-shirts and shorts are available in local markets and also in almost all brands, e.g., ‘Climalite’ (Adidas), ‘Dri fit’ (Nike) etc.). On the other hand, cotton T-shirts become soggy (heavy with water) after absorbing sweat and make a layer that prevents adequate heat loss from our body. The recommendation for polyester vests/T-shirts might sound strange, as we have always been advised to prefer cotton clothes. Yes, cotton clothes are preferable for their sweat-absorbing quality when we have to sit in the office where we do not sweat much, but polyester/nylon clothes are preferable during exercise for their faster heat loss facilitation quality.

Light-material sleeveless vests/shorts are easy to maintain, as they hardly require any ironing. They can be daily washed after one use (unlike track lowers, which are generally washed after 2-3 or even more usage). We should also not forget about the decency of our wears.

During winter, clothing should be both insulating and ventilating. It is better to wear more than one layer of clothing than to wear single thick clothing. Upto 40% of heat loss may take place through head, neck and hands when uncovered. Therefore, in case of extreme cold, head, neck and hands should be well covered.

Shoes
Choice of appropriate shoes can prevent one from many running-induced injuries. There are hundreds of varieties of shoes available in the market in different price categories. While money is a factor, one should not save money on shoes only to later spend more (money as well as peace of mind) on treatment of injury! Therefore, choice is very clear – invest reasonable amount of money on purchase of good shoes, enjoy an injury-free running or buy a cheap pair of shoes, injure yourself and then go on spending more money on treatment of your injury!

Generally, while buying shoes, keep the following points in mind –
(i) Try shoes in the afternoon. The size of shoes should be slightly larger than your normal use conventional shoes. (Buy 9½ -10-No. running shoes, if you generally wear 9-No. shoes). This is because your foot swells during the day and during running.
(ii) When trying on shoes, wear socks in which you will run. Also, try on both shoes, as our feet slightly differ in size and shape.
(iii) Shoes must have proper arch support and heel-cushioning.
(iv) Feel the seams inside for ensuring that they are smooth.
(v) Shoes are not to be used for running after approx. 800-1000 kms of running.
(vi) The width of the toe box should be sufficient to allow easy toe movement inside
(vii) Shoes with extensive toe box netting material allow faster heat loss through evaporation of sweat.
(viii) Never ignore the quality of socks. Cushioned socks function as additional shock absorbers during running.

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Medical disclaimer - The website content is provided for general educational purpose only. It does not substitute professional medical advice. Reader is advised to consult his doctor before starting any fitness program to avoid any health risks.

XIII. EXERCISE PROGRAMME DESIGN

For optimal results, any fitness training programme design must take care of (a) basic principles of exercise, (b) FITT factors and (c) major components of fitness. This can be better understood by the table given below –

FITT	Components of fitness
	Cardiorespiratory Endurance	Muscular Strength	Muscular Endurance	Flexibility
Frequency	3-5 times/week	3 times/week	3-5 times/week	Everyday
Intensity	60-90% HRR9	3-6 RM10	12-15 RM	Till the point of slight discomfort but NOT PAIN
Time	20-30 minutes or more	The time required to do 3-6 repetitions of each exercise	The time required to do 12-15 repetitions of each exercise	20-30 seconds each stretch
Type		Running Swimming Bicycling Jumping Rope Walking/Hiking Stair Climbing	Free Weights Resistance Machines Partner-Resisted Exercises Body-Weight Exercises (Pushups/Situps/Pullups/Dips, etc.)	Active11 Passive12

If you have a 6-day exercise regimen; Monday, Wednesday and Friday may be devoted to cardiovascular fitness and Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for muscle strength / endurance. Sunday can be the rest day. In case of a 5-day regimen, in the first week Monday, Wednesday and Friday may be kept for cardiovascular fitness and Tuesday and Thursday for muscle strength /endurance. Saturday and Sunday may be the rest days. In the next week, the training days are flip-flopped, i.e., muscle strength/endurance can be done on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and cardiovascular on Tuesday, Thursday and so on. Stretching should be done in every training session, during warm-up, during exercise (between two sets) and during cool-down.

Earmarking number of days for strength or endurance training depends on your training goal. If you are primarily focusing on strength, you may like to devote four days to strength training and two days to endurance training, and vice versa.

9. HRR is heart rate reserve is the difference between one’s MHR and RHR. (HRR= MHR-RHR)
10. RM – Repetition Maximum.
11, 12. See ‘Types of stretching’ in the chapter Flexibility Training.

Here are some other important tips for an effective exercise programme design

• Firstly, decide about your specific goal.
• Keep in your mind total availability of time.
• Never skip warm-up / cool-down for lack of time. If you do not have enough time, better you reduce the number of sets rather than reducing warm-up session.
• If you resume your exercise after a long lay off (due to illness, job engagement etc.,) start from a lower intensity/volume so as to condition yourself before you reach your pre-lay off level. This will save you from injury.
• Monitor your progress. If you have reached your training plateau or your performance is declining, then redesign the exercise programme.
• Keep scope for occasional games and sports for variety and freshness.
• Include Yogic breathing, i.e., Pranayam in your exercise routine.

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Medical disclaimer - The website content is provided for general educational purpose only. It does not substitute professional medical advice. Reader is advised to consult his doctor before starting any fitness program to avoid any health risks.