Fitness Unit Information
SEE THE LINK MY WORKOUT PLAN ON THE SIDEBAR FOR YOUR WORKOUT PLAN ASSIGNMENT.
Our focus this year will be fitness. However, what we will do is participate in a variety of activities to develop and maintain good fitness levels. It is important to understand the fitness concepts and how to implement them in daily activity.
The standards we will be covering:
Standard 2: Students will achieve a level of physical fitness for health and performance while demonstrating knowledge of fitness concepts, principles, and strategies.
2.1: Participate in moderate to vigorous physical activity at least 4 days a week. 2.2: Participate in enjoyable and challenging physical activities that develop and maintain the five components of physical fitness.
2.3: Meet health-related physical fitness standards established by a scientifically based health-related fitness assessment.
Pretesting for FitnessGram. Aerobic Capacity: Mile Run, Mile Walk, Pacer. Trunk Extension, Flexibility: Shoulder Flexion, Sit & Reach, Upper Body Muscular Endurance: Push Ups, Modified Push Ups. Curl Ups. Body Composition.
Flexibility: is generally associated with the elasticity of muscles. It is denoted by the Range of Motion of a certain joint and its corresponding muscle groups. The amount of flexibility that you have is influenced by the structure of the joint's bones and ligaments, the amount of bulk that surrounds the joint, and the elasticity of the muscles tendons that cross the joint. What kind of activities help to improve your flexibility levels?
Muscular Strength: Muscular strength refers to the amount of force a muscle can produce and is usually measured by the maximum amount of force a muscle can produce in a single effort (maximal effort). Muscular strength is improved when lifting or moving heavy objects such as doing a weightlifting workout. We need a certain amount of strength to be able to perform everyday physical tasks like lifting, moving, or carrying things at home or work. What are some common exercises we can do to improve muscular strength?
Muscular Endurance: Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to repeatedly exert force against resistance. Some of the fitness tests would be to see how many push-ups or sit-ups you can complete in a designated amount of time or without being timed until you couldn’t do anymore. The flexed-arm hang whereby you hang on a bar until the designated stopping time or until you are to fatigued to continue hanging. Muscular endurance is seen in activities requiring repetitive movements, such as high-repetition weightlifting, running and swimming. Other activities such as rock climbing where the muscle contraction is held for a period of time, also demonstrate endurance. Can you think of other activities or sports?
Muscular endurance requires some level of muscular strength however, endurance levels are measured at a lower amount of force or weight over a period of time.
Aerobic Capacity or Cardiovascular Fitness: the capacity of the cardiovascular system (heart, lungs and vessels) to efficiently supply oxygenated blood to working muscles, as well as the muscles to use the oxygen delivered by the blood supply as a source of energy for movement. While any and all exercise can help to strengthen your heart, aerobic activity in particular improves cardiovascular efficiency, endurance and strength. Recommendations for aerobic activity includes doing some type of repetitive activity that keeps your heart rate at 60-70% of its maximum for 30-60 minutes three or four times a week.Cardiovascular fitness is developed during aerobic activities such as: Running/jogging, swimming, dancing. What are some other activities or sports?
Body Composition: measures the percentage of fat, muscle, water and bone found in the human body. The FitnessGram looks at either the BMI (Body Max Index) which is a standard height to weight ratio or the Body Fat percentage which measures the ratio of fat to muscle tissue in the body. If you have higher muscle mass the body fat percentage will give you a better measurement of your body composition because muscle weighs more than fat.
Stretching
Flexibility is an important component of Fitness. To improve flexibility we will incorporate stretching into our daily routine. Do you remember 3 reasons why we stretch? There are two types of stretching we will focus on. What are they? To improve ROM /Flexibility, To reduce risk of injury, and to prepare for heavier activity.
While we stretch it is important to remember to breath. Focus on abdominal breathing throughout the stretch. By increasing yourbreathing during your stretching you relax your nervous system, reduce stress, increase our lung capacity, and increase energy. Breathing helps to get oxygen into the blood cells while carbon dioxide is removed from the blood and expelled into the air.
In class we will do Power Stretching or Yoga. This type of stretching incorporates muscular endurance with flexibility. There are many benefits to this type of stretching:
- Increased flexibility
- Increased muscle strength and tone
- Improved respiration, energy and vitality
- The maintenance of a balanced metabolism
- Weight reduction
- Cardio and circulatory health
- Improved athletic performance
- Protection from injury
No matter which type of stretching you do, Dynamic, Static, or Power Stretching, breathing through your stretch is essential.
We are going to create a series of stretches to improve our muscular endurance. I have listed the areas of the body that you are focusing on in each stretch. What are the names of the muscles?
Examples:
Plank:
- Increases strength in the arms, shoulders, wrists, spine, abdominals
Cobra:
- Decreases lower back stiffness, enlarges the chest, increases strength in the arms and shoulders
Upward Dog:
- Decreases lower back stiffness, enlarges the chest, increases strength in the arms and shoulders, quads, and glutes
Downward Dog:
- Increases strength in the upper arms, opens the back, neck, chest, hips, shoulders, and stretches hamstrings, gastrocnemius.
Runner's Pose or High Lunge:
- Stretches the groins, strengthens the legs and arms
Crescent:
- Strengthens your legs, back, shoulders, arms; Improves stamina, balance, and agility
Warrior 1:
- Increases strength in the legs, back, shoulders, arms, chest, neck, and abdominals. Improves stamina, balance, and agility
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Files below include information we have or will covere in class. If you have any questions please contact me for clarification.