Golden rules of Exercising

Before you get started on any exercise or fitness programme, be it at home or at the gym you should remember a few guidelines that will go a long way to help you achieve your goals. You could call them your first principles or your checklist or what you will. Just remember if you don't follow these, your programme is bound to fall flat. And you don't want that to happen, do you? So let's get started:

Before you begin:

• IDENTIFY YOUR SPECIFIC GOAL Before you begin any programme, it is important that you zero in on your specific goal. Are you already fit and want to stay that way? Do you have a good set of muscles body but land up panting at the end of a flight of stairs? Are you as muscular as Hercules but lack the elasticity of a gymnast? Do your resemble an urn in any way and want to lose weight? Be aware of what you want to achieve and work zealously towards that. Only then will you be able to see the results in that perspective. Also, set targets that are realistic, achievable and within reach. Patience is one attribute that you will have to learn.


• EVALUATE YOUR PRESENT LEVELS OF FITNESS Take a close and objective look at what you can achieve in the different spheres of fitness. You could do this with the help of an assessment or the Fitness Quotient test. Also take the Fitness Primer to rule out any ailments you might have, which will then require a modified programme.


• CHART YOUR COURSE Keep a progress chart so that the results become tangible differences you can compare. Set realistic and achievable goals that you can tick off, once you have reached the milestones. For instance, if losing weight is one of your goal, try to reach 1-2 kg weight loss per fortnight which will give you more satisfaction than aiming for 10 kgs for the whole month. That way, your goals are more in sight.


• TIMING Set a specific time period you want to allot to your program and where you'd like to fit it in. If you are a morning person, then working out with the sunrise may be your cup of tea! But if you are in a shift job, you might have to keep changing your schedule according to the free time you have on your hands. The fact remains that whether you workout in the morning or at night, is better than none. Also, remember to exercise vis-а-vis your own medical conditions. For instance, if you are asthmatic, the very early morning or late evening hours in a polluted place may trigger an attack. And as a rule, try not to exercise close too bedtime because it may leave you too hyped to sleep.


• WITH WHOM Next, you have to figure out whether you like working out alone or in a group, at home or in a gym or club. If you have a low level of motivation, then exercising with friends or like-minded people will keep you going and ensure high levels of commitment. However, if you are a solitary bird, you may prefer the confines of your house.


• THE COST FACTOR Exercise can be expensive. Evaluate how much money you are willing to spend to reach your goal. For some, having a home gym compliments their style and adds to their status. But if you're always on a tightrope, and fitness is a very strong word in your dictionary then you'll have to look for alternatives.

Once begun:

You need to keep in mind certain rules before you physically get started.

• CORRECT POSTURE Always perform your exercise with right posture techniques so as not to lay stress on any of your joints and to avoid injury. Your neck should be in line with your spine, you should be sitting with your back straight and your abdominal muscles in tight, and while standing, your knees should be slightly bent not locked.


• WARM -UP Make sure a warm-up routine precedes your actual workout to avoid any muscular pulls and tears. A warm-up should last for about 5-10 minutes and should include stretching each muscle for about 5-8 seconds. An aerobic warm-up gradually raises the heart rate and a warm-up before a strength workout will prepare the body for the strenuous activity that is to follow.


• THE BREATHING PATTERN: THE EX-EX PRINCIPLE Whenever you exert a muscle, you have to remember to exhale. While performing any contraction, release your breath and inhale after completing the repetition. Do not hold on to your breath as it could be dangerous. In an aerobic routine, try and take deep breaths throughout your workout.


• FAST vs SLOW Aerobic workouts should be done at moderate to high pace (depending on your goal) and muscle work in a slow and controlled manner, for maximum benefit and safety.


• TONING vs BUILDING Exercise depending on what your goal is. If you are in the gym for just a toned slender look, then you should be doing the exercises with a higher number of repetitions and lighter weights. But if muscle bulk or hypertrophy is the name of your game, then go for heavier weights and less repetitions but making sure you start off form the lower rung and work your way upwards. Just remember, the higher the intensity of the workout, the longer should be the recovery time between two sessions.


• LARGE vs SMALL MUSCLES If you workout both large and small muscles in the same session, make sure that you work the larger muscle groups before concentrating on small muscles like biceps and calves because these assist in the larger muscle exercises and you don't want them to tire out too soon.


• RANGE OF MOTION When you perform your exercises, make sure you remember to complete the entire movement. This will ensure that the complete muscles are activated.


• BALANCE YOUR WORKOUT Work on achieving a balance both in terms of a stronger heart and set of lungs as well as strong and flexible muscles. Also, aim to workout the whole body equally so that one group of muscles is stronger than the other, making the weaker muscle prone to injury. Work the back as much as the front, the top as much as the lower half, the outsides of the body as much as towards the center. The best modus operandi is to strike a balance between all categories, so as to achieve fitness in it's totality.


• VARY YOUR EXERCISE AND EQUIPMENT Your body has an amazing capacity to adapt, so bring on different exercises to help it respond and progress in an upward gradient. Varying the type of equipment will also ensure better results. For example, on one day you might like to use dumbbells, (chest flyes) the next time around a barbell (bench press) and the next time around do a compound exercise (push up) for the whole group of muscles you are targeting. This way you can trick your body into responding to the maximum.


• COOL DOWN It is of utmost importance that you allot about five minutes to cool down your body, stretching your muscles before leaving. A cool down routine gradually brings down the heart rate and stretching the muscles assist in getting them back to their original length besides making them more flexible. A good stretch can also help reduce post-exercise soreness.

Stick to these golden rules and you will be able to extract the maximum from your fitness programme.