Activities of Strengthening

Your arms lift approximately 50% of your body weight for this type of pushup. When you build up your strength, you can start doing the regular pushups. Similarly, if you cannot complete all the repetitions of one exercise, do as many as you can and stop. Over time you will gain strength and you will be able to increase the number of repetitions. Aerobic training, also called cardio training, is any exercise that repetitively contracts large muscles and raises the heart rate above normal resting levels for 15 minutes or longer.

Resistance training or strength training is any technique that uses resistance to increase muscular strength. This can be accomplished by the use of exercise equipment, weights, or by lifting your body against the force of gravity. A circuit-training strategy of doing various strength training exercises for different muscle groups in quick succession meets all of the criteria of aerobic training.

The sequence of exercises described above places a prolonged increase demand on the heart, lungs and vascular network which is aerobic in nature and also provides strength-training stimulus for all of the muscle groups involved. Strengthening activities improve or maintain muscle & bone mass, improve balance & reduce fall risk, improve cardiovascular endurance, and improve functional ability, such as lifting objects, getting out of a chair, carrying groceries, or opening jars.

Older adults have more potential gain from strengthening than any other mode of exercise. Choose strengthening activities based on needs (for example, someone with less upper body strength may require more upper body exercises) Start with 2-3 strengthening activities for each area: the upper body, lower body, and back. Perform 1 set of 10 repetitions at a resistance that makes you tired at the last repetition, but be sure to maintain proper form! Alternately, use the Exertion Scale to maintain your intensity at a level between 12 and 14. For more details visit http://www.soundbodytrainer.com/