When begining an exercise program, avoid overdoing it during the first few months. Progress at your own pace, and be sensitive to your body’s signals. If you experience pain or dizziness while exercising, stop immediately and begin cooling down. Find out what is wrong before continuing.
Remember that adequate rest and a proper diet are important factors in any exercise program.
Warming Up—Begin each workout with 5 to 10 min- utes of stretching and light exercise to warm up. Warming up prepares your body for more strenuous exercise by increasing circulation, raising your body temperature, and delivering more oxygen to your mus- cles.
Exercise Form—Maintaining proper form is an essen- tial part of an effective exercise program. This requires moving through the full range of motion for each exer- cise, and moving only the appropriate parts of the body. Exercising in an uncontrolled manner will leave you feeling exhausted.
The repetitions in each set should be performed smoothly and without pausing. The exertion stage of each repetition should last about half as long as the return stage. Proper breathing is important. Exhale during the exertion stage of each repetition and inhale during the return stroke. Never hold your breath.
Cooling Down—End each workout with 5 to 10 min- utes of stretching. Include stretches for both your arms and legs. Ease into each stretch gradually and go only as far as you can without strain. Move slowly as you stretch and do not bounce. Stretching at the end of each workout is an effective way to increase flexibility.
Staying Motivated—For motivation, keep a record of each workout. List the date, the exercises performed, the resistance used, and the numbers of sets and rep- etitions completed. Record your weight and key body measurements at the end of every month.
THE BASIC TYPES OF STRENGTH WORKOUTS
Note: See the accompanying DVD to learn the correct form for a variety of exercises that can be performed with the resistance system.
Muscle Building—To increase the size and strength of your muscles, push them close to their maximum capacity. Your muscles will continually adapt and grow as you progressively increase the intensity of your exercise.
Toning—You can tone your muscles by pushing them to a moderate percentage of their capacity.
Weight Loss—To lose weight, use less resistance and perform more repetitions in each set.
MANUAL MODE GUIDELINES
Determining the proper length of time for each work- out, and the number of repetitions and sets to com- plete, is an individual matter. Develop a workout style that meets your personal needs.
Schedule your workouts for the time of day when your energy level is the highest. Each workout should be followed by at least one day of rest. Once you find the schedule that is right for you, stick with it.
Each workout should include 6 to 10 different exercis- es. Select exercises for every major muscle group, emphasizing areas that you want to develop most. To give balance and variety to your workouts, vary the exercises from workout to workout.
DESIGNING A WORKOUT
Muscle Building—Begin with 3 sets of 8 repetitions for each exercise you perform. Rest for 3 minutes after each set. When you can complete 3 sets of 12 repeti- tions without difficulty, increase the amount of resist- ance.
Toning—Select a moderate amount of resistance and increase the number of repetitions in each set. Complete as many sets of 15 to 20 repetitions as pos- sible without discomfort. Rest for 1 minute after each set. Work your muscles by completing more sets rather than by using high amounts of resistance.
Weight Loss—Use a low amount of resistance and gradually increase the number of repetitions in each set. Exercise for 20 to 30 minutes, resting for a maxi- mum of 30 seconds between sets.
