Fitness Fundamentals
Education is a crucial element in most areas of our lives
– your fitness knowledge is no exception! The fitness
field is full of countless exercise and training strategies.
Educating yourself on the risks and benefits associated
with various techniques can help you to feel more
confident in your training regime, and will broaden your
scope of exercise. Variety in your workouts is important
in preventing boredom, and in really giving your body a
challenge! Challenge yourself to change up your routine
using some of the techniques outlined in the following
pages.
Get Familiar with Fitness Terminology...
Delayed onset of muscles soreness (DOMS)-refers to
the muscular fatigue often felt within 1 or 2 days postworkout.
Lactic Acid-a by product of anaerobic exercise
developed in the muscles. Contributes to DOMS.
Anaerobic-translates to “without air”, and refers to
short duration high intensity exercises such as sprinting,
jumping rope, or climbing hills.
Aerobic-translates to “with air”, and refers to longer
duration, moderate intensity exercises such as walking,
running, and swimming.
Get Familiar with Fitness Equipment...
Body Composition –the ratio of lean body mass to body
fat mass. Ie: body fat percentage.
Free Weights –weights not connected to a machine. I.e.
dumbbells & barbells.
Intervals—high intensity bouts of exercise followed by
short periods of rest.
Dumbells
Yoga Ball
Resistance Band
Kettle Bells
Bosu Ball
Lean Mass—refers to muscle, or non-fatty tissue on
your body.
Resistance training—exercise that causes the muscles
to work against resistance. I.e. weights, resistance
bands, body weight exercise. Push, pull, and lift
motions.
Reps/Sets—repetitions refers to the number of times an
exercise is executed in a set. Sets refers to the grouping
of repetitions of an exercise. For example, 3 sets of 12
biceps curls.
Foam Roller
Medicine Balls
Barbell
Plate
Supersets—alternating back and forth between 2
exercises.
Target heart rate zone—is a range usually between
50%-75% or your maximum heart rate. To calculate
your maximum heart rate, use the following formula:
220 - your age x .70 = ______. This is equal to how many
times per minute your heart will be beating when you
are working at 70% of your maximum heart rate.
V02 Max—the maximal oxygen uptake or the maximum
volume of oxygen that can be utilized in one minute
during maximal or exhaustive exercise.
Weighted Vest
Skipping Rope
Wrist Wraps
Free Weights
Machine
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Popular Training Styles
Circuit Training : Circuit training involves a
combination of various cardio and strength training
exercises performed in a sequence with little rest
between each exercise. It keeps the heart rate elevated
for the duration of the exercise sequence, and often
uses various pieces of equipment including dumbbells,
yoga balls, Bosu balls, and kettle bells. A circuit can be
created by grouping any series of exercises together.
Plyometrics: Plyometrics use fast explosive and
powerful movements. These exercises engage the
nervous system, and help to develop muscular power
without necessarily increasing strength capacity.
Ideal for:  Sports specific training
 Fat Loss
Benefits: Improved explosive power and strength.
Examples:
Squat Jumps
Burpees
Lateral hops
Ideal for: Individuals who enjoy group exercise
Individuals with fat loss goals
Benefits: Increased cardiovascular capacity, improved
strength, high calorie expenditure, great system for
combining cardiovascular training with strength
training.
Example: Skipping for 1 minute, 10 pushups, 30
seconds of step-ups, 12 biceps curls, 10 dumbbell
lunges. This sequence would be repeated 8 times,
with rest being taken only at the end of each
sequence.
Calisthenics: Exercises performed without the use of
any weight or equipment. Calisthenics involve simple
movements that use body weight alone for resistance.
These exercises are popular among sports teams &
military units that perform them in synchronicity under
the direction of a group leader. They are typically
rhythmic movements, and can be practiced at any age.
Ideal for:  Sports teams
 Older adults
 Rehabilitation
 Individuals new to exercise
Benefits: Provides muscular resistance, with lower risk
of injury. Can be performed with minimal space &
equipment. Lower intensity of calisthenics allows for
gradual introduction to exercise, and allows the body to
comfortably move through various movement patterns.
Examples:
Pushup
Walking Lunge
Jumping Jack
Endurance Training: Exercising with the intention of
improving stamina and lung capacity.
Ideal for:  Athletes & individuals involved in cycling,
running, triathlons, swimming
 Individuals wanting to improve their
aerobic capacity or heart health
Benefits: Improves body’s ability to utilize oxygen
efficiently during exercise and daily function. Improves
efficiency of circulatory and cardiovascular system.
Example: 60 minutes of moderate intensity running
Tabata Training: Tabata training is an intense interval
circuit lasting only 4 minutes. Exercises used are
typically anaerobic, such as burpees and kettle bell
swings. The exercise is performed for 20 seconds,
followed by 10 seconds of rest. This is repeated 7 more
times for a total of 8 sets equalling 4 minutes.
Ideal for:
 Advanced exercisers
 Individuals with fat loss goals
 Individuals with limited time to exercise
Benefits: Tabata training provides many of the same
benefits as HIIT training. It improves ability to perform
high intensity exercise bouts, and is an efficient way to
burn calories without risking the loss of lean tissue.
Example:
Squat
Kettle Bell swing
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Advanced: 30 second split  30 seconds rest
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT training involves short intervals of maximum
capacity exercises, followed by longer periods of lowmoderate intensity exercises.
Ideal for:  Individuals with fat loss goals
Individuals with improved cardiovascular goals
 Individuals with sport specific goals
Benefits: High intensity interval training provides high
caloric burn in a short period of time.
Example:
30 seconds of box jumps, 30 seconds rest. 30 seconds of
bodyweight burpees, 30 seconds of rest..
Pilates
Pilates is a non-impact strength-training system of
exercise that focuses on controlled breathing, and deep
abdominal stabilization. Pilates uses precise movements
and gentle stretching in areas of tightness to allow for
greater range of motion.
http://www.pilates.ca/ap.html
Box jumps
Getting Started with HIIT
It is important that you modify the intensity and the
duration of your high intensity interval training bouts to
reflect your current physical condition. Any level of
exerciser can incorporate HIIT, but the level of intensity
needs to be appropriate. Use the following charts as an
idea for progressive improvements in your HIIT bouts.
Beginner: 30 second split  90 second rest
Advanced: 30 seconds split 60 seconds rest
Ideal for:  Individuals with core/back strengthening
goals
 Individuals looking for lower impact
...... resistance training
Benefits: Promotes improved strength, balance, and
flexibility while focusing on controlled breathing and
increased body awareness.
Various Pilates Movements
Yoga
Yoga is an ancient practice involving controlled
movements, postures, stretches, and breathing. Yoga
emphasizes the importance of restoring mental,
spiritual and physical balance.
Ideal for:  Individuals with stress relief goals
 Individuals with goals for improved balance,
strength, or flexibility
Benefits: Yoga provides physical benefits including
improved strength, posture, balance, physical
awareness, joint stability, range of motion, and
increased lean tissue. It is great for stress management
and improved mental health.
Examples of yoga poses:
Childs pose
Tree pose
Downward dog
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Increasing your Fitness Knowledge
Power Lifting
Power weight lifting involves powerful movements
including squats, deadlifts, and bench press. They
promote muscular strength, and utilize equipment such
as barbells and dumbbells.
Ideal for: Athletes
Individuals with goal improved strength
Individuals with fat loss goals
Benefits: Olympic lifting is an excellent method for
increased strength, power, and improved body
composition. Using anaerobic movements, it improves
cardiovascular health.
Examples:
Barbell back squat
Barbell bench press
Aquatic Training
Using the pool as a means for both cardiovascular
exercise and resistance training is a great way to
improve fitness, with little impact to your joints.
Ideal for:  Individuals with post-rehab goals
 Individuals new to exercise
 Older adults
Benefits: Water resistance and activities such as water
jogging can help to improve your cardiovascular health,
and offer much less impact on bones and joints that
jogging outside of the pool, for example. Although it is
great as a gentle strength training tool, resistance
training in the water should not take the place of weight
assisted strength training.
Example:
Water jogging with arm weights
Understanding Set/Rep Schemes
There are various methods and philosophies
surrounding set/rep schemes, and what works for one
individual may not work for another. Typically speaking,
heavier loads with fewer repetitions are used in
programs where significantly increasing lean mass (and
size) is the primary goal. A program that uses higher
repetitions with lower weights is likely geared toward
improved endurance and goals. Regardless of what you
use as a set/rep scheme, never sacrifice the quality of
your motion for weight, rep count, or speed.
Increasing Your Weights
When it comes to increasing weight values in your
exercise regime, what works for one person may not
work for everyone. Remember the importance of
challenging your body. As you continue to get stronger
and your exercise efficiency increases, your weight
values will need to be adjusted. To avoid plateaus, it is
important that you constantly challenge your body. If
you have been lifting the same weight values for 3
months, and notice that your strength and body
composition have stopped improving, try adding more
weight, and of course, ensure your exercises are
changing as well!
Exercise Frequency
The frequency of your exercise may depend on many
factors including the following:
 Exercise duration and intensity
 Exercise history, experience, and knowledge
 Consideration of physical limitations
 Doctor’s recommendation
Being active every day is vital in maintaining your
health. Without exercise, your risk for disease and
illness – including cancer – is increased, and your quality
of life is likely to suffer.
Training for your Goals
Your training method should be dependent on your
individual goals. If you have a goal to run a marathon,
your program will be much different than that of
someone looking to compete in bodybuilding. Perhaps
your goal is to improve your heart health, maybe it is to
lose 20 pounds, or to improve your range of motion.
Whatever your goals, do some research and speak to a
professional to learn what training styles will help you
see results safely and efficiently.
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Additional Resources:
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-ps/hl-mvs/pa-ap/index-eng.php
http://www.acefitness.org/workouts/
Frequently Asked Training Questions:
Should I use machines or free weights?
Machines can offer a higher sense of security, support
and comfort, so they often appeal to individuals just
getting started in a fitness program. However, free
weights will allow you to more freely work in your own
range of motion, which can help promote better
balance, posture, and core strength.
Benefits of Free Weight Training
Versatility. Free weights can be used for a variety of
exercises for the entire body. This eliminates the need to
move from machine to machine to work different muscle
groups.
Functionality. With free weights, you can move the body
through natural motions & through a variety of planes. This
allows you to mimic movements you do in real life such as
squatting, lifting things over your head & rotating the body.
Building whole body strength. Because you are supporting
your own body, you can work on specific muscles while
involving smaller stabilizer muscles that can get neglected
with machine training. This can also help you burn more
calories during your workout.
Benefits of Using a Machine
They're supportive. Most machines provide support, which
is great for people who need help when learning new
exercises. It can also be good for people rehabbing injuries or
those who want to lift heavy weights without a spotter.
They're easy to use. Because most machines work on a
fixed path and have instructions and diagrams posted, it's
often easier to use good form.
They save time. It usually doesn't take as much time to
change weights on machines as it would for many free weight
exercises.
They're less intimidating. Trying to figure out what to do
with a bunch of dumbbells can seem impossible. With
machines, you know exactly what muscles you're working and
how to do the exercise correctly.
How often should I change my program?
Your body can easily adapt to your exercise routine,
leading to plateaus and lack of excitement in your
program. Changing your program every 4 weeks will
help you avoid plateaus and stay engaged.
Should I work all muscle groups on the same day?
It can take your muscular system up to 48 hours to
completely repair, so properly resting your body
between training days is vital for recovery. As a general
guide, don’t work the same muscle groups back to back
days. For example: If you plan to train 2 days in a row,
ensure one day you focus on upper body exercises and
the next day you focus on lower body exercises. If you
prefer doing full body workouts, allow yourself at least 1
day of rest between training days.
As a female, won’t weight training make me bulky?
No! This is one of the biggest myths surrounding weight
training. When you lift weights, your body builds lean
tissue. As this lean tissue increases, the amount of fat
tissue on your body decreases. The more lean tissue you
have on your body, the more fat your body will burn even at rest!
Will situps really help me lose abdominal fat?
There isn’t a lot of credible research supporting the
claim that “spot reduction” training is possible or
effective. Although abdominal work will help to
strengthen muscle groups specific to that area, you
cannot dictate from which part of your body fat loss will
occur first. Typically speaking, areas that we find it
easiest to gain weight (Women: thighs, hips, buttocks.
Men: midsection) are the areas that will also be the
most difficult to lose fat. In terms of exercise, a full body
training program involving resistance work & high
intensity cardiovascular work is your best bet in
reducing body fat.
Why do my muscles ache the days following my
workouts?
The soreness you are feeling is called delayed onset of
muscle soreness, and it is normal to feel this set in 1-2
days after a resistance training session.
If I stop weight training, will my muscle turn to fat?
No. Your muscle and your fat are two different tissues,
so one cannot be “converted” into another. That being
said, if you stop weight training, your lean body mass
will eventually decrease. As your lean tissue decreases,
your body fat percentage is likely to increase. This
makes weight training an essential component of any
exercise regime: especially where body composition is
the focus.
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Pushup Progression
Progression 1
Progression 2
Progression 3
Progression 4
Progression 5
Progression 6
Frequently Asked Training Questions
Continued:
What time of day should I be working out?
There are a lot of factors to consider when deciding
what time of day is best to exercise. Consider things
such as your work schedule. If you are a morning person
and find that you have a bit of extra time before you
head off to work, use that time to exercise. If you work
shifts, you may find your body needs to rest after work
before you hit the gym. It is important that you make
your schedule work for you and that you develop a
schedule that you can stick to.
Since I’ve started resistance training, my
measurements have decreased, but my weight hasn’t
changed much. What gives?
Muscle tissue has a higher density than fat tissue.
The lean tissue you build during your weight training
may play a role in your bodyweight- that is, your body
weight may increase. However, the increase in your
weight does not necessarily translate into an increase in
size. Pay attention to your body fat percentage, as this
reading gives a much more accurate reading of your
body composition.
Exercise & Program Progression
It is important to change your exercise regime every 4-6
weeks. Our bodies are able to easily adapt , so following
the exact same program for longer than this can lead to
halts in your progress. Learn new exercises, try new
classes, change your weight values, and incoporate
various training methods. Changing things up will not
only help you to progress with a better chance of
success, but it will also prevent boredom and will keep
you feeling excited about exercise.
In addition, learning to progress the difficulty of your
exercises will add challange and excitement to your
fitness goals. There are always methods to increase the
difficulty of a specific exercise, and modifications that
can create the extra challange your body may be craving
as your strength and endurance improve.
Progression 1
Squat Progression
Progression 2
Progression 3
Progression 4
Progression 5
Progression 6
The following illustrates the progressions that can be
made with a simple pushup and a squat.
Resources: acefitness.org
Intervaltraining.net
Precisionnutrition.com
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