Body Mechanics
Beginner’s Guide to Fitness
Mark R. Hailey
Smashwords Edition
Body Mechanics – Beginner’s Guide to Fitness
Copyright 2009 © Mark R. Hailey
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ISBN 978-0-9664957-2-0
Disclaimer:
All efforts have been made to make this publication as accurate as possible, but no warranty is implied. The information provided is on an "as is" basis. The author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss, personal injury, or damage arising from the information contained in this publication. This also includes any products advertised in or associated with this book, or the Body Mechanics logo.
This publication is an expansion on Body Mechanics: Complete Fitness Journal & Guide. Keeping the core information from the original publication, updating information; and expanding the working out section to include instructions on how to perform a variety of exercises for the various muscle groups.
Before you begin any fitness program consult your physician.
Contents
The Human Body
Making the Commitment
The First Month
Your Medical History
Time Management
When to Work, and Work out
Motivation
Appearance
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Looking Back
Results
Back in the Day
Weight Loss
Tone, Firm, and Build Up
Energy
Medical History
Your Figure’s Figures
Percentage of Body Fat
Weight Training
Fitness Guidelines
Circuit Training
Toning and Firming
Strength Training
Body Building
Muscle Alchemy vs. Muscle Science
Fitness Journal
How much weight to lift?
Muscles of the Body
Leg Workouts
Back
Back Workouts
Shoulders
Shoulder Workouts
Chest
Chest Workouts
Abdominals
Abdominal Workouts
Biceps Workouts
Triceps Workouts
Forearm Workouts
Target Heart Rate Zone
Cardiovascular Workouts
For many people, the thought of getting into shape –– or just the act of exercising for that matter –– is like throwing a speeding locomotive into reverse. An enormous amount of energy has to come to a loud, grinding halt in a short period of time, and then slowly begin to move in the opposite direction.
The image you see in the mirror may not necessarily be one that you are comfortable with. Not only does the image reflect your physical state, it also reflects a certain lifestyle. A lifestyle, like our speeding train, which needs to be brought under control. It is that reflected image, more than anything, which has led you to put your hand on the train’s brake.
Getting into shape, biologically, is a relatively easy process; the hard part, more often than not, is simply getting started. Being physically fit takes commitment, discipline, concentration, and an overall desire to succeed. As creatures of habit, we often take the easiest path. Unfortunately, the human body is not prepared for such an easy journey, no matter how desirable we believe the path to be. Evolution has twisted and turned our physiology into a being that actually thrives on confronting hardship.
Once you begin a properly designed workout program you will be guaranteed results. Being fit is literally written into your DNA. Genetically we are designed to respond positively to a harsh environment, and we duplicate that environment with exercise.
Through resistance training, muscles become stronger with greater mass and better definition. Through cardiovascular training, the heart itself becomes stronger, pumping more blood through the body with less effort, thus helping to fuel active muscles with the body's fat reserves.
You should begin a fitness program by setting goals, then learning about and determining which exercise routines will work best for you to reach those goals.
With the extraordinarily wide range of fitness equipment available in today's health clubs and fitness retailers, the common denominator is you. Not every piece of equipment or machine is designed for everyone. To keep the commitment, discipline, and concentration aspect of your program going, you need to find what equipment works best for you. Also, indentifying the muscles and what exercise best affects them is one of the ways to succeed in a fitness program.
Over the next several months your body will go through some significant changes. You will be amazed at what can be unlocked within you. As you pull back on your own speeding locomotive’s brake, enjoy charting your progress, analyzing your results, and achieving your personal fitness goals.
The human body is a machine. Like all other machines, without proper care and maintenance, our bodies can show significant signs of wear and neglect over time.
Exercise and proper nutrition help to prevent our machine from the wear and tear that an inactive, sedentary lifestyle plays upon it.
There is nothing magical or mystical about exercise. In this modern society, we have simply replaced, in recreational form, the conditions that once aided the body in its very survival.
Through countless millennia, the human body has needed strong, dense muscles and a strong heart and lung capacity to simply compete with nature and survive in its surroundings. The problem is that our physical evolution has not caught up with our social evolution. In many ways our modern, intelligent, and analytical mind is trapped in the body of a primitive man. Exercise, in its most basic form, conditions the body to perform to its original design.
Making the Commitment
Making the commitment to physical fitness, in many ways, presents a greater challenge than the weights and workout routines that will follow.
Time management plays a key role in the decision to exercise. "What am I going to do?" and "when am I going to do it?" are the questions that build the foundation of any exercise program.
Changing one’s lifestyle is never easy, especially when food, schedules, and physical exertion are involved. Less of some, and more of others, and not necessarily in combinations we enjoy.
The First Month
The first month of any new exercise program can be the most challenging, especially if it has been a while since you have worked out, or if you have never worked out at all.
In the beginning, many people make the mistake of training too hard and too fast, causing soreness, frustration, and discouragement. Walking blindly into a gym and grabbing a piece of equipment in the hopes that something will happen will never work. To achieve your fitness goals, you need to plan your work –– and work your plan.
Take it slow. The human body conditions itself quite easily to the demands we place upon it –– even if those demands are an inactive lifestyle. As far as your body is concerned, you worked long and hard to develop weakened muscles, excess fat, and a slow metabolism. Reversing the effects of these adaptations takes time and effort, but with that effort comes noticeable results.
It may be hard to believe, but you do not build up your body in the gym. It is just the opposite –– you build it up in your sleep.
What is happening in the gym, or with fitness equipment at home, is tearing the body down. This weight resistance causes stress to which the muscles are unaccustomed. While your body is at rest, the muscles are basically saying: “Whoa . . . what was that? . . . That was hard . . . I’m not going through that again!”
So while you rest, your body begins to repair what was done to it through exercise; and just to be on the safe side, the muscles involved build up an extra layer of protection preparing for you to up the ante and increase the resistance of your workout. Therefore, proper rest is as important as proper exercise.
Easing into your new program one step at a time helps to condition your body to respond positively to the effects of exercise. Exploring different routines, seeing what works with your schedule, trying different foods –– all of these are important factors in incorporating fitness into your life. This exploration and discovery can make the challenges of your first month of exercising one of the most exciting.
The benefits of a good exercise program include reduced stress, increased energy, longer endurance, and a faster metabolism. Most importantly, you will look and feel better. These factors can set up a chain reaction that encourages a positive cycle of healthy choices.
How you work out depends a great deal on who you are. This includes your present physical condition, medical history, the time you can realistically devote to exercise, and your personal goals. A person's fitness program is as individual as he or she is. What is right for you may not be right for someone else.
The first few weeks of working out are the conditioning phase. Explore the different free weights and machines. Look at the different kinds of cardiovascular equipment and classes offered. Most gyms offer some kind of trial period; take advantage of that to see if the location, equipment, and classes available work for you. If you are buying home equipment, really test that equipment out in the store to see if it is a perfect fit not only for your body, but the goals you want to achieve.
Your Medical History
Your medical history plays an important role in determining what exercise routines are best for you. Someone with joint problems, for example, who wishes to focus on cardiovascular routines should avoid high-impact aerobics and concentrate on lower impact cardio exercises, such as the treadmill, elliptical machines, and recumbent bikes.
If you have a medical condition (diabetes, heart disease, pregnancy, etc.) are taking medication, or have had recent surgery, consult with your physician to determine which exercise routines are safe for you. This includes entering the sauna, steam room, and whirlpool.
Time Management
Time management is vital to the success of any fitness program. How much time you can commit to your workout is an important consideration.
Consistency is important in following a successful fitness program. Work, social activities, and family responsibilities are all contributing factors to time management. Finding the right times to exercise and sticking with that schedule allows you to obtain the greatest results, and sets you on the path to achieving your personal fitness goals.
When to Work, and Work Out
To realize these goals, you need to work out at least 2 to 3 days per week, preferably more. Putting together a simple daily or weekly schedule will help you determine what times you have available for working out.
Being physically fit involves discipline. Keeping things floating around in your head may work for some, but for the vast majority of us, once confronted with life’s realities, those ideas tend to float to the less accessible parts of the brain.
In a notebook, or on a piece of paper, start at 5:00 a.m. and list each hour until midnight. You can plug in where work, family, and social commitments go. See what might be traded around, what someone else might handle, and what might be postponed.
One of the statements fitness professionals hear most often is: "I don't have time to work out.” Once you put together your daily and weekly schedules, some gaps of time will begin to show. True, these may not be the most convenient gaps of time, but they are there nonetheless.
5:00 a.m., as ugly as it initially sounds, is a great time to get in a workout. Most gyms open at that hour and, for obvious reasons, most of the equipment is unoccupied. If you are a parent of small children, this allows you to get in a workout while your partner stays with the kids. Dealing with children is at the top of most people’s list when it comes to not having time to work out.
A special note about a predawn workout: after only a short period of time you will notice how good you feel, and how much energy you have during the day. The preworkout stretch alone is like a wonder drug. That feeling can be a powerful motivator when the alarm goes off that early in the morning.
Motivation
Before you get to know the fitness equipment and exercise routines that will become such a part of your life, you need to begin with getting to know yourself. Trainers can show you what equipment to use, family and friends can support your endeavors, but in the end it is just you and your desire to succeed.
When you are standing at the mirror, gazing at your reflection, ask yourself “who is this person, what do they want to accomplish, and what motivates them to succeed?
One of the foundations for beginning an exercise program, continuing it, living a healthier lifestyle, and establishing your fitness goals is motivation. You are exercising for a reason . . . what is it?
Appearance
How you presently look and feel weigh heavy in your decision and motivation to exercise.
How do you feel about your appearance and physical condition?
Exercising 3 days per week and including cardio routines (exercises that elevate your heart rate) will produce noticeable changes in endurance and appearance by the second month. These changes will greatly influence your motivation to exercise.
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Your BMR is the amount of energy, or calories, you burn to keep your body at minimal function during the day. The average adult burns between 1800 and 2400 calories during the day, and these numbers decrease as we age, largely due to inactivity.
Do the calories in the meals you eat during the day exceed these numbers?
Are you able to devote at least 30 minutes of vigorous exercise 3 days a week to increase the number of calories you burn?
Calorie counting is a dull and tedious process. But knowing how much energy you are bringing into your body versus how much energy you are expending is important. It does not matter how much exercise you are doing if you are continuing to bring in more calories than you are burning off.
One pound of fat equals 3500 calories. If you reduce your caloric intake by 250 calories, and do cardio work that burns another 250 calories, that equals 500 calories your body does not have to deal with. That means every 7 days you will lose a pound of fat. After one year that is 52 pounds of fat burned off with minimal work.
Looking Back
Look closely at your life and identify what prevents you from working out. Is it a lack of knowledge? Intimidation? A lack of motivation? Maybe poor results from past workouts? For many people the answer is simply "time."
When something is important we always make time for it. You owe it to yourself to remove time as a roadblock.
How long have you been considering an exercise program,
and what has stopped you from pursuing it?
Results
Getting results is what your training program is all about.
If you have worked out in the past, did you achieve the results you were looking for?
If you are not achieving the results you desire, many factors could be involved. These include: over training, under training, improper form, poor diet, workout scheduling conflicts, and not enough rest.
If you have used a fitness journal before, let a fitness trainer review it. A trainer can identify problems and get you back on track.
Back in the Day
As we age, our attentions focus on family, careers, and social interests. Often physical fitness and overall well-being pay the price. Look back in your life and see when you were the most fit. Ask yourself what you were doing then as opposed to what you are doing now to have lost that level of fitness.
Have you ever considered yourself physically fit?
What were you doing in your life at that time?
None of us can go back in time; priorities were simply different in our past. Recognizing fitness as one of your past priorities and incorporating it into one of your present ones can present a challenge; but you owe it to yourself, your family, and your career to continue the pursuit of physical fitness and a healthier lifestyle.
Weight Loss
If you want to lose weight, how much would you like to lose?
Weight can be a very misleading factor in the pursuit of physical fitness. Someone who is overweight can weigh 200 lbs., but by the same token, someone in peak physical condition can also weigh 200 lbs. It is the same weight but its makeup is completely different.
Losing weight is important for a variety of reasons, but it is the percentage of body fat that you want to decrease, not the body's overall weight. In fact, as you exercise you want to increase your muscle mass, and that mass has weight.
Endurance levels, percentage of body fat, muscle tone, muscle strength, inches of fat lost, inches of muscle gained –– these are the numbers to keep track of –– not the ones on the bathroom scale.
Your body is a machine; it needs fuel to operate. If you restrict the amount of food it needs, your body will think it is starving and eventually store more fat. By eating up to 5 small meals per day, and giving the muscles something to do (exercise), your body will convert the food to energy, fueling and developing those muscles, and not storing any excess fuel as fat.
Tone, Firm, and Build Up
If you want to tone and firm your body, and/or add more size, which muscle groups (legs, arms, chest, etc.) do you want to concentrate on and why? Answering this question helps you to establish fitness goals.
Identifying the different muscle groups, understanding how they work, deciding what changes you would like to see, and what equipment and routines work best, enables you to design a training program that is right for you.
Energy
Do you feel your energy level decrease as the day progresses?
Your endurance level measures how much and how long your body can endure stress before it fatigues.
To increase your energy and endurance levels, you must strengthen your cardiovascular system (the heart and blood distribution network).
Incorporating aerobic activities into your fitness program enables you to work out more efficiently, for longer periods of time, and have an increased energy level throughout the day.
Medical History
Before you begin any exercise program, consult with your physician.
To determine which exercise routines are safe and effective for you, here is a list of topics to discuss with your physician and personal trainer:
Blood pressure (high and low)
Recent surgery
Heart problems or irregularities
Joint problems
Back problems
Pregnancy
Chronic illnesses
Diabetes
Smoking
Cholesterol level
Previous injuries
Exercise is beneficial to everyone, but exercise is not a "one size fits all” endeavor. Age, current fitness level and medical history are all determining factors in designing a fitness program. Once your physician has given you the green light, all the determining factors should be reviewed with a certified personal trainer. The trainer will take this information and tailor the right fitness program(s) for you, enabling you to be safe and successful.
Dieting
Diets do not work. Your goal is to prevent additional fat storage, and reduce existing excess supplies. Not eating enough slows down your metabolism. Not exercising causes your body to lose lean muscle tissue, and in a reaction to this loss, can actually begin to store more fat.
By staying at, or just below, your BMR, and exercising at least 3 days per week, you balance your caloric intake and increase your caloric expenditure.
Age and Weight
As we age, our metabolism decreases. We burn fewer calories, lose muscle, and store more fat. The good news is that this process is largely preventable and partially reversible. Every age group benefits from a continuous program of vigorous exercise.
Fat Burning
Cardiovascular exercises build your endurance and increase your body’s ability to tap into its fat reserves to supply energy to the working muscles.
Tone and Firm
Using lighter weights with higher repetitions (12 to 15) in sets of 1 to 4 will help tone and firm the muscles as opposed to building them for mass. This can also be accomplished with circuit training.
Cuts
To get "cut" (a term for well-defined muscles), your diet and training work in concert. Aerobic exercises burn fat, resistance training shapes the muscles, and proper nutrition enhances them both.
Strength
Using heavy weights with fewer repetitions (8 – 12) in sets of 3 to 4 will help build larger muscles. For maximum performance, avoid working all the muscle groups on the same day, and have at least a day’s rest for each muscle group.
Rest
Proper rest is vital to the success of any workout program. It is important to rest between each set of routines and to get ample rest between each scheduled workout. Wanting to hit the gym or weights at home is great, but remember, you can’t build up unless you rest and repair.
Pain
If you feel pain . . . STOP! Continuing to work out while in pain only risks injury. The “pain” in the phrase no pain, no gain refers to the burn you feel from fatigued muscles –– not from injured ones.
Clothing
Exercises are best performed in clothing that is comfortable and non-constraining. You should also have a good pair of well-fitting shoes and a pair of fitness gloves.
Personal Trainer
A certified personal trainer, whether private or in a club, is a valuable asset to your workout. Education on fitness routines, proper form, and nutrition are just a few of the tasks of a good personal trainer. Plus, a personal trainer is a great motivator, which can be essential in the very beginning.
Your Figure’s Figures
A successful fitness program also includes good record keeping. Taking your body's measurements once a month enables you to keep tabs on the effects that exercise has, and allows you to stay focused on your goals.
The size of your neck, shoulders, chest, biceps, forearms, waist, hips, quadriceps, and calves, along with your weight and percentage of body fat, will all be changing once you are fully into your fitness program.
For an accurate reading, it is important that you take your measurements before you start your workout. It is very tempting to measure your muscles after they are pumped up; that is fine for curiosity, but for accurate and consistent readings you should take preworkout measurements.
Wrap the measuring tape evenly around the widest area of the body part being measured, keeping it perpendicular to the muscle. For both men and women, when measuring the chest, keep the tape level around the back and across the middle of the chest muscles. It is generally a good idea to measure twice to get a precise reading.
It is not uncommon that one side of your body is slightly larger in measurement than the other. Should your measurement vary by more than 3/4", consult with a personal trainer to review your training program.
Each month you should also weigh yourself and record the results. Depending on your program, do not be alarmed if after several months you have lost little or actually gained a few pounds. Muscle mass increases through exercise and has a greater density and weight, by volume, than fat. Remember, stepping on the scale only shows how much your body weighs . . . not how much fat you have lost. The scale's information includes muscle, bone, blood, organs, skin, and fat. This information is fine for simply recording how much your body weighs.
To streamline the process of reaching your fitness goals, you need to evaluate your body's muscle and fat content, and then control them through exercise.
The best way to evaluate the effectiveness of exercise on your body is by having a Body Composition Assessment. This is a test that determines what percentage of your body is made up of lean muscle and what percentage is made up of fat.
By recording the results of a composition test, you are able to keep track of how much body fat you have lost and how much muscle mass you have gained.
The most accurate of these tests is hydrostatic weighing. This process involves being submerged in a tank of water and then having your percentage of body fat calculated from your body's weight both in and out of the water. Although highly accurate, this test can be expensive and somewhat impractical to the average person since the tanks are largely located at universities and research facilities.
The next best things are the skin folds test, which can be performed by a certified personal trainer, and the bioelectrical impedance devices, which electronically measure the body's lean and fatty tissues. These can be hand held units found in fitness stores, or built into a bathroom scale.
By recording and analyzing the results of a body composition assessment, you and/or your trainer can best determine the next course of action in your fitness program.
Percentage of Body Fat
Fat is an important component of our body's machinery. Where we run into trouble is by simply having too much of it. Our body’s fat supply regulates body temperature; it surrounds, insulates, and cushions our internal organs; and is our source of energy reserves.
The following chart illustrates what percentage of body fat is normal and healthy, and what becomes excessive and dangerous. In fitness, losing weight means losing fat. By knowing what percentage of body fat you carry, you are better able to determine what kind of workout will best suit your needs and goals.
Percentage of Body Fat
Men
Essential –– 2 - 4%
Athletes –– 6 - 13%
Fitness –– 14 - 17%
Healthy –– 18 - 24%
Obese –– 25% +
Women
Essential –– 10 - 12%
Athletes –– 14 - 20%
Fitness –– 21 - 24%
Healthy –– 25 - 31%
Weight Training
One of the most effective ways of getting into shape is through weight training. Whether you are looking to tone and firm your muscles, increase their size just a bit, or really pack on the bulk, weight training is your answer.
The benefits of a weight training program are numerous. Weight training helps to reshape your overall appearance, firms your body, increases bone strength and density, and gives you a youthful appearance. As muscle increases in size and thickness, it becomes more efficient in burning larger percentages of fat.
Weight training exercises, where muscles engage in strong contractions for short periods of time, are called anaerobic activities. This means the activity does not need oxygen to perform. Anaerobics are strength-based routines, capable of powerful and quick bursts of energy. However, these muscles cannot endure for very long. This is where the fat burning part comes into play. Strength does not need oxygen –– but endurance does. The larger and denser the muscles are, the more oxygen is needed to aid in the fat burning/energy process when activating those muscles for long periods of time.
Even if it has been a while since you have worked out and your muscles may have atrophied, in just a short period of time, through weight training, you can get back what you once thought was gone.
The 4 most common types of weight training programs are circuit, toning and firming, strength, and body building. All of these programs are resistance training, meaning lifting a weight is involved, but the body reacts differently to each.
After looking over the previous sections on motivation and personal goals, you should have a clearer idea of what you want to achieve through fitness. In this section you will discover which weight training program best suits your needs.
When participating in a program that includes weights, comfort and flexibility are essential. Wear loose-fitting clothes such as t-shirts and sweatpants or garments designed to stretch and move with you. Also, wear a good pair of well-fitting shoes and fitness gloves to add extra grip and help prevent calluses.
Fitness Guidelines
When working out with weights, follow these guidelines to achieve maximum results and help prevent injury.
Warm Up and Stretch
You should always begin any training program with a warm up session of light cardio followed by stretching. This preconditioning will help reduce the risk of muscle injury and improve your flexibility and performance.
Warming up for 3 to 5 minutes before your workout properly prepares your body to achieve better results. Also, stretching after a workout is beneficial as this helps to loosen muscles that have tightened from contractions and helps to dissipate the lactic acid that has accumulated during the workout.
For beginners, stretching before a workout can sometimes be tiring. Muscles that are unaccustomed to working in that fashion can sometimes feel fatigued. As you progress with a steady cycle of stretching and resistance training, any tired feelings will disappear.
Water
You should drink plenty of water before, during, and after your workouts. Fluid loss causes dehydration, fatigue and lack of coordination. Don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink. Drinking 8 ounces of cold water 20 minutes before your workout and 4 to 8 ounces every 10 to 15 minutes during your workout will keep your body properly hydrated.
Breathing
As a machine, your body uses oxygen as one of the components that fuels the muscles. Breathe in a rhythmic fashion: exhale through your mouth as you execute a routine, and inhale through your nose as you release. Do not hold your breath, this can lead to an increase in blood pressure and put strain on your heart.
Form
Proper form, which is the exact execution of an exercise to achieve maximum resistance, is far more important than how much weight you can lift. Your movements should be smooth and precise. Take the muscle through its complete range of motion and limit the surrounding muscle’s involvement. Do not hyperextend or move out of your intended muscle’s range of motion. If you begin to sway, shake, or tremble, you are probably using too heavy a weight or have exhausted the muscles and it is time to stop or lighten the weight. Close attention to form is needed for every movement in every exercise. There is a saying in the fitness industry: always control the weight, don’t let the weight control you.
Spotting
A "spot" is a term used for assisting someone in a routine. A spotter helps to ensure proper form and balance, and gives motivation, feedback, and safety.
Order
You should begin your routines by working the larger muscle groups first (legs, chest, and back), then working down to the smaller ones. The larger muscles need more energy, and can take the stress of working out more readily –– this way you will not find yourself fatigued by the time you get to the smaller muscles.
Pain
Weight training is stressful on the joints, muscles, and overall body; however, it should not be painful. Should you feel pain –– STOP! Do not risk injury. If needed, lighten the weight of resistance or reduce the speed of the cardio routine.
Over Training
This is one of the easiest mistakes made in working with weights. Over training occurs when you push your body past its limits. When you exhaust the muscles and don't allow ample rest between workouts, you inhibit growth and become prone to injuries.
Weight Gain
When working with weights you increase the muscle's size and therefore the muscle's weight. Many people equate weight gain to getting fat. A program such as circuit training (designed to tone and firm) combined with a cardiovascular routine (designed to reduce body fat) can actually cause you to be thinner yet weigh more than when you started. Weight gain is not to be feared, it is simply to be understood.