Fitness Training Techniques

So what fitness training techniques make up the components of personal fitness?

Lets break down the components and look at each one individually and some of the fitness training techniques employed to maximize specific gains.

Please note that for the moment I shall only provide a brief explanation on each technique. I can cover the detail in dedicated pages on this site (otherwise this page will be very large!).

The main point of this page is to outline each area in order to make you aware of some the many fitness training techniques available to you.

(For more detailed information just follow the relevent links)

Goal: Cardiovascular fitness / weight loss (more info..)

Depending on your level of fitness and goals, there are different types of cardiovascular fitness training techniques you may wish to adopt.

Some good examples of the fitness training techniques employed to maximize this are:

Low Intensity Exercise: A great way to introduce a new starter to cardiovascular work.
Medium Intensity Exercise: Considered to be a level 2 for a beginner.
High Intensity Exercise: Trains the heart to become stronger and more efficient.
Fartlek Training: Which means "speed play" in Swedish.
Circuit Training or Burn Out: Circuit training is an advanced aerobics fitness training technique.
HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training: Good for bike, elipticals or running machines.
HIIT can be split into two catagories: Adjusting RPM and Adjusting resistance level

Goal: Muscle building/Muscle strengthening/Muscle endurance (more info..)

Weight training or resistance training is employed to stimulate muscle strength, power or growth.

fitness-training-techniques-for-strength

Various methods are used depending on the above goals. These may be for different reasons such as:

Developing muscular Power: Power / speed in your chosen sport.
Developing muscular strength: for a particular sport or to help overcome plateaus in bodybuilding.
Developing Muscle size (Hypertrophy): As a bodybuilder or for toning up your body.
Develop Muscle Endurance: For long distance atheletes or anybody wishing to increase their stamina.

.....Also and not always considered: fat loss.

Incorperated into this are training methods to help stimulate the muscle even more.

Good to use when muscle needs extra stimulation or you have reached a training plateau.

Examples of these can be:

Forced Reps.

Supersets.

Pyramid sets.

Goal: Greater Flexibility (more info...)

Just as there are different types of flexibility, there are also different types of stretching.

Stretches are either dynamic (meaning they involve motion) or static (meaning they involve no motion).

Dynamic stretches affect dynamic flexibility and static stretches affect static flexibility (and dynamic flexibility to some degree).

The different types of stretching are

ballistic stretching

dynamic stretching

active stretching many forms of yoga

passive (or relaxed) stretching

static stretching

isometric stretching

PNF stretching

For a full explanation please read this article "Stretching and Flexibility. Everything you never wanted to know" By Brad Appleton. You will find flexibility in Chapter 2 "flexibility".

It is a free download but please respect the authors request not to redistribute without acknowledging the Author and providing it in its entirety 'as is'!!.

Goal: General Skill Training (more info..)

In order to develop the skill or power needed for various sports certain fitness training techniques can be incorporated.

Above I have mentioned power training for muscular strength but this could also be used to help develop the explosive power a sprinter needs for example or help a soccer player develop a powerfull kick.

This can be achieved by a training routine that focuses on leg exercises such as various forms of the squat for example, performed more explosively when returning to the upright, starting position in order to develop power.

We could also incorporate a weight training plan to help develop an athletes endurance.

However another effective method could be used - "Plyometrics".

Plyometrics can improve the performance of an athlete through developing fast powerful movements. The function of the nervous system is also improved which helps to develop faster and stronger reactions.

If you want to improve your own sports performance then this is something that is definatly worth considering.

For further information check out the "sports fitness" section where more methods on sports specific training can be found.

From Fitness Training Techniques back to the Home Page