Do’s and don’ts of exercise regimens
Published 12:01 pm Friday, May 4, 2012
Day to day I train beginners, intermediates and people on advanced exercise regimens. I even train other trainers to better their skills. The thing I teach everyone I train is the fitness do’s and don’ts. Here are just a few. No matter your fitness level or expertise these rules apply.
Don’t over train. Over training at any level is a bad idea. Remember, rest is the glue that holds your exercise program together. If you were baking a cake and it called for one cup of sugar, you wouldn’t say, “that being the case, if I use three cups of sugar, the cake will be three times as good. Of course not (well, some of you might), because you would ruin the recipe. You fitness program is like a recipe too. Every aspect has its own proper portion. Also, don’t do extra exercise “because you enjoy it.” It’s still over training.
Do stretch before and after your exercise routine. When you stretch, you’re not stretching your muscles, but rather your tendons. Tendons hold muscle to bone and behave like leather in two ways. First, the more supple they are, the stronger they can hold. Second, you can’t condition tendons or leather in just one day. Both have to be conditioned over and over.
When I was head strength coach for the S.C. state champion girls gymnastic team, our team stretched for a full 30 minutes before every practice.
Never bounce a stretch, because that’s like snapping a rubber band and could cause you to tear a muscle or other connective tissue.