Your Physical Fitness Exercise Prescription - An Analytical Approach

Your Physical Fitness Exercise Prescription - An Analytical Approach

The market offers us many choices when it comes to fitness systems designed to get us physically fit. What is a fitness system? Generally, it is an exercise product bundled with a set of exercises or just a group of exercises with the promise of delivering a fit body. So, how do you know if it is the right answer for you? We can use an analytical approach to solve this problem.

Your Physical Fitness Exercise Prescription - An Analytical Approach

First, what is physical fitness? According to most authoritative bodies, it is our cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle endurance, muscle strength, joint flexibility and body composition. So, what does it all mean? Cardiorespiratory is your ability to use oxygen while exercising. The more, the better. Muscle endurance refers to the muscles ability to repeat a motion for an extended period of time. Muscle strength is your "one repetition maximum" and joint flexibility is your range of motion. Body composition refers to the amount of body fat you carry expressed as a percent to your total mass. Okay, we have a good working model. Now, we can make some assumptions:

If you get physically fit per the model (above average or excellent cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle endurance, strength, flexibility and low body fat), you will accrue health benefits such as reducing the risk of some diseases and maintaining or improving your quality of life as you age.

If you get physically fit per the model, your physical appearance will improve.

If we could get these benefits by taking a pill prescribed by a physician, we would to it.

So, we should look at physical fitness as a prescription. Something we do on a routine basis for the rest of our lives.

If you can agree to the above assumptions, then we can add some variables or requirements that meet our needs. The physical fitness program or system should accomplish the following:

Each daily workout must hit on all elements of the physical fitness model: Cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle strength, endurance and flexibility (if we want to get truly physically fit)

Our daily workout prescription should range from 20 to 30 minutes

The exercises should be low risk

The exercises should be functional movements

The daily workout should be attainable to everybody regardless of age, gender or physical condition.

The program or system should be sustainable for life.

These variables take into consideration that our physical fitness program is a prescription, therefore, it needs to meld with our daily activities. Okay, now we are ready to run some fitness program scenarios through these variables.

How about jogging, walking, or using a treadmill? Well, they do not pass the first variable. We need to hit on all components of physical fitness. Here, we mainly hit our cardiorespiratory component, so we need to add other programs or components. Doing so will extend the exercise time well beyond our goal of 20 to 30 minutes.

How about bodybuilding weight training? Here, we may have a problem with hitting on all components of the fitness model. Cardiorespiratory endurance may be a missing component that we may have to add leading to issues with time. Also, it's tough to complete body building routines in 20 to 30 minutes. By all means, if you want to take up bodybuilding, do so, however, know that to be successful, it is demanding of your time and lifestyle.

How about functional weightlifting combined with functional body weight exercises? Here is daily workout we can test:

Complete 5 rounds with out any prescribed rest.

Hang Clean to a push press 50% of body weight 8 reps - followed by

Dead hang pull up 8 reps - followed by

17 inch decline push up 15 reps = one round

Does this cover variable one, the components of the physical fitness model? Yes. This will tax you all the way around.

What about the time? If you are fit, you can get through this in under 13 minutes. Elite athletes will complete all rounds in under 7 minutes. Average athletes will hit the 20 minute mark.

What about risk? Well, that depends. You will need some skills on the clean and push press. So this variable could be a limiting factor for some folks.

What about functional movements? Yes. All of the movements are functional.

Is this daily workout attainable? Yes, but with a qualifier: You will need training on the clean and push press and we can scale the push-ups and pull-ups to make them attainable for anyone. We can also scale the push press and hang clean.

Is this daily workout sustainable? Yes, but again with the same qualifier that you have training on the functional weightlifting.

Functional weightlifting combined with functional body weight exercises is an option for some that meets the variables set forth in the analysis.

Try another scenario: High intensity body weight exercises without the functional weightlifting. Here is a typical routine we can test:

Perform following:

10 push-ups followed by

15 squats followed by

5 pull-ups equals 1 round.

Complete as many rounds as you can in 20 minutes.

Okay, do we hit on all components of physical fitness? Yes. Time for some math. If you get 20 rounds in 20 minutes, that is 2 seconds per repetition, or 200 push-ups, 300 squats and 100 pull-ups. This is indicative of a fairly fit individual and will require good cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle endurance and muscle strength. Most people will have to rest to catch their breath (cardiorespiratory endurance weakness) or recover to get all of the repetitions in a set (muscle endurance/strength weakness). Which is saying there is plenty of room for fitness gains.