Image Fitness 3.0 Bench English Manual - Page 12

EXERCISE

GUIDELINES

THE

FOUR

BASIC

TYPES

OF

WORKOUTS

•

Muscle

Building

In

order

to

increase

the

size

and

strength

of

your

muscles,

you

must

push

your

muscles

to

a

high

per-

centage

of

their

capacity.

You

must

also

progressively

increase

the

intensity

of

your

exercise

so

that

your

muscles

will

continually

adapt

and

grow.

Each

individ-

ual

exercise

can

be

tailored

to

the

proper

intensity

level

by

changing

the

amount

of

weight

used,

or

the

number

of

repetitions

or

sets

performed.

(A

"repeti-

tion"

is

one

complete

cycle

of

an

exercise,

such

as

one

sit-up.

A

"set"

is

a

series

of

repetitions

performed

consecutively.)

The

proper

amount

of

weight

for

each

exercise

depends

upon

the

individual

user.

It

is

up

to

you

to

gauge

your

limits.

Select

the

amount

of

weight

that

you

think

is

right

for

you.

Begin

with

3

sets

of

8

repeti-

tions

for

each

exercise

that

you

perform.

Rest

for

3

minutes

after

each

set.

When

you

can

complete

3

sets

of

12

repetitions

without

difficulty,

increase

the

amount

of

weight.

•

Toning

To

tone

your

muscles,

you

must

push

your

muscles

to

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moderate

amount

of

weight

and

increase

the

number

of

repetitions

in

each

set.

Complete

as

many

sets

of

15

to

20

repetitidns

as

possible

without

discomfort.

Rest

for

1

minute

after

each

set.

Work

your

muscles

by

completing

more

sets

rather

than

by

using

high

amounts

of

weight.

•

Weight

Loss

To

lose

weight,

use

a

low

amount

of

weight

and

increase

the

number

of

repetitions

in

each

set.

Exercise

for

20

to

30

minutes,

resting

for

a

maximum

of

30

seconds

between

sets.

•

Cross

Training

In

the

pursuit

of

a

complete

and

well-balanced

fitness

program,

many

have

found

that

cross

training

is

the

answer.

We

recommend

that

on

Monday,

Wednesday

and

Friday,

you

plan

weight

training

workouts.

On

Tuesday

and

Thursday,

plan

20

to

30

minutes

of

aero-

bic

exercise,

such

as

cycling,

running

or

swimming.

Rest

from

both

weight

training

and

aerobic

exercise

for

at

least

one

full

day

each

week

to

give

your

body

time

to

regenerate.

By

combining

weight

training

with

aerobic

exercise,

you

can

reshape

and

strengthen

your

body,

plus

develop

a

stronger

heart

and

lungs.

PERSONALIZING

YOUR

EXERCISE

PROGRAM

We

have

not

specified

an

exact

length

of

time

for

each

workout,

or

a

specific

number

of

repetitions

or

sets

for

each

exercise.

It

is

very

important

to

avoid

overdoing

it

during

the

first

few

months

of

your

exer-

cise

program,

and

to

progress

at

your

own

pace.

If

you

experience

pain

or

dizziness

at

any

time

while

exercising,

stop

immediately

and

begin

to

cool

down.

Find

out

what

is

wrong

before

continuing.

Remember

that

adequate

rest

and

a

proper

diet

are

also

impor-

tant.

WARMING

UP

Begin

each

workout

with

5

to

10

minutes

of

light

stretching

and

exercise

to

warm

up.

Warming

up

pre-

pares

your

body

for

exercise

by

increasing

circulation,

raising

your

body

temperature

and

delivering

more

oxygen

to

your

muscles.

WORKING

OUT

Each

workout

should

include

6

to

10

different

exercis-

es.

Select

exercises

for

every

major

muscle

group,

with

emphasis

on

the

areas

that

you

want

to

develop

the

most.

To

give

balance

and

variety

to

your

work-

outs,

vary

the

exercises

from

workout

to

workout.

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.br

.

175

you

find

the

schedule

that

is

right

for

you,

stick

with

it.

EXERCISE

FORM

In

order

to

obtain

the

greatest

benefits

from

exercis-

ing,

it

is

essential

to

maintain

proper

form.

Maintaining

proper

form

means

moving

through

the

full

range

of

motion

for

each

exercise,

and

moving

only

the

appropriate

parts

of

the

body.

Exercising

in

an

uncontrolled

manner

will

leave

you

feeling

exhausted.

Refer

to

the

information

accompanying

your

weight

set

(not

included)

for

exercise

information

concerning

proper

exercise

form.

The

muscle

chart

on

page

13

shows

the

locations

of

the

various

muscle

groups.

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.

Rest

for

3

minutes

after

each

set

if

you

are

doing

a

muscle

12

Image Fitness 3.0 Bench English Manual - Page 12

Exercise, Guidelines

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