It appears from the results of the reviews that the number of repetitions completed at each station is not as important as was previously thought for an aerobic effect...

Today, the hottest topic in exercise prescription must surely be the optimal intensity required to facilitate weight loss through fat loss...

Debate has raged over the past 10 years as to the efficacy of externally loaded weights in improving strength and aerobic fitness from walking to cycling...

The reason for EPOC has not been clearly identified with potential causes being reported as reconversion of lactic acid, elevated hormone levels, protein synthesis and an increase in core temperature...

We have all experienced at some time the discomfort associated with extending beyond our aerobic comfort zone and into the lactate zone. Who can ever forget the jelly legs, hyperventilation, pounding head to name just a few symptoms...

In many general exercise programs, resistance training participants undertake a variety of prescriptions to either tone up their muscles or increase their muscle size...

What many exercisers do not realise is that additional workouts can sometimes lead to the law of diminishing returns, where anticipated responses do not occur....

In many exercise situations trainers often place great emphasis on evaluating the VO2max of clients through a series of tests such as treadmill or cycle based tests, field running or walking tests or step tests....

The stretch-shorten cycle of muscle activity is designed to produce greater muscle force and a higher rate of force development during the concentric phase of muscular contraction...

In any exercise session today clients can be seen carrying water bottles, towels, electrolyte drinks, etc in hot conditions to improve performance or speed up recovery...

As more and more people participate in exercise activities there is an increasing number with special needs. With clients now presenting with special needs the fitness trainer is faced with a new challenge...

Allied health professionals have shown concern regarding the ability of fitness trainers to diagnose exercise injuries and illnesses and then develop and supervise rehabilitation programs.

There is ongoing debate as to the most effective structure of weight training programs for functional strength gains in sedentary populations, maximal strength gains and muscular power gains for enhanced sports performance...

Many beginning clients complain of the acute muscle soreness that sometimes accompanies exercise participation. In some cases it can be so severe as to discourage them from continuing with their exercise program...

Fitness instructors are always being asked by their clients questions related to what to eat and when to eat it! More times than not, they have heard of the magical diet, food combination or eating plan that will either maximise their performance or help them lose a massive amount of weight...

For generations, fitness programs have been developed to improve sporting performances. More recently, the scientific investigation of the demands of these sports has been reported in the literature...

Training for speed has been a preoccupation for not only sprinters but also for those athletes who are involved in a number of team sports. The ability to move quickly over a short distance and evade an opponent is a necessary skill in many activities...

The weight loss industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. Given the size of this industry and the lack of regulation, there is plethora of information available that has not always been scientifically scrutinised...

For many years resistance training for children has been questioned as a legitimate form of conditioning. It has been reported that prepubescent children lack the necessary hormones to gain a significant improvement in strength...

The traditional view of ageing is to accept the inevitable decline in health and in the ability to function independently. Older adults of previous generations have accepted the fact that once past 50 years of age there would be significant decrease in their ability to perform tasks that they may have been successful with in their earlier years...

It has been reported that the muscles of the abdominal wall, including the rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus, external obliques and internal oblique, all play a major role as prime movers and stabliizers of the trunk...

When the "attacked" molecule loses its electron, it becomes a free radical itself, beginning a chain reaction...

While low intensity continuous exercise has a place in fitness programming, so to does higher intensity intermittent exercise...

Training programs have generally revolved around the principle of specificity. That is, if a client seeks to improve their running endurance, their main training mode would involve running...

It is important to realise that pregnancy is not a disease or disability. In many cultures women maintain heavy physical labour throughout their pregnancies. While it is difficult to dislodge or damage a pregnancy there are added protections for the developing foetus...

There is possibly no more contentious issue in weight loss programs than the concept that low intensity exercise causes a significant increase in fat utilization that will contribute to a significant weight loss...

Research reports that those clients who do manage to start an exercise program, 40-65% of them will give up within 3-6 months regardless of whether the exercise program is supervised or not...

The role of the multifidus and transverse abdominis has been identified as a possible cause of potential low back problems, while the role of the abdominals has been stressed less..

In children exposed to aerobic training the chronic responses responsible for improvements in VO2max have been less conclusive...