Minimum 400 words
Written at graduate level
APA formatting
minimum 3 scholarly articles
In the Week 3 Readings, Maran Section 5 pages 226 – 251 and Strength Basics Chapter 4, pages 35 – 49 cover the components necessary for designing an effective strength training program. For this week’s forum, choose one component and answer the following questions:
1. Why is this particular component important to you when you design a program?
2. Provide us with a concrete example of how you would use that step to design a program.
3. From an academic perspective, include at least one original piece of literature that justifies your position as to the value of the element in exercise programming.
How does this article demonstrate the validity of your decision?
4. Now, focus on what you feel is the least important of those steps and answer the following question.
Which step do you feel is the least important to program design? Why?
Finally, when working with persons that are medically contraindicated for strength training, what does unequal difficulty mean and how does the concept relate to your answers above?
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction
As a medical professor in charge of creating college assignments and answers for medical college students, I am responsible for designing and conducting lectures, evaluating student performance, and providing feedback through examinations and assignments. In the context of strength training, I prioritize the components necessary for designing an effective strength training program that optimizes the benefits of exercise programming for my students. In this discussion, I will focus on one component, discuss its importance and provide a concrete example. I will also elucidate the least important step in program design and the relevance of the concept of unequal difficulty in strength training.
Importance of Warm-Up Component in Program Design
The warm-up component is an essential step in program design because it prepares the body for the ensuing physical activity, reduces the risk of injury, enhances muscular performance, and improves exercise adherence (Maran, 2010). Warm-up exercises initiate the physiological adaptation process that supplies energy to the muscles and enhances circulation, generating heat, and increasing the body’s core temperature. This process also stimulates the release of synovial fluid, reducing friction between the joints, resulting in improved joint mobility. A good warm-up also prepares the tendons, ligaments, and muscles for the workout they are about to undertake, reducing the risk of strains, sprains, or tears.
To design a program using the warm-up component, I utilize dynamic stretching exercises to increase body temperature, increase joint mobility, and muscle activation before transitioning into more demanding exercises (Maran, 2010). For example, I would instruct students to begin with a series of lunges and arm circles, then transition to high knees or jogging in place. The warm-up should be approximately 5-10 minutes of brisk, light-to-moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise.
Academic justification of the importance of the warm-up component is evident in the literature. A study by Bishop et al. (2003) found that dynamic stretching before athletic activity resulted in improved muscular performance, reduced injury rates, increased body awareness, and enhanced exercise adherence.
Least Important Step in Program Design
The least important step in program design is the use of trendy equipment or exercises that are not evidence-based. While using newer equipment, such as the Smith machine or TRX suspension training, can add variety and fun to strength training programs, they are merely tools a trainer can use (Strength Basics, 2019). The priority in strength training should be progressive resistance training, with evidence-based exercises targeting specific muscle groups of the body. While the usefulness of exercise equipment can enhance a program’s effectiveness, the focus should be on the movements, not the tools.
Unequal Difficulty in Medically Contraindicated Persons
Unequal difficulty in medically contraindicated persons means that we need to adjust our exercise intensity, repetitions, and overall dosage to address the specific medical condition. For example, if a student has a heart condition, we may need to reduce the exercise intensity, increase rest periods, reduce duration, and frequency of workout sessions. Thus, the notion of unequal difficulty in strength training is crucial for designing programs for individuals with specialized needs.
Conclusion
Overall, the warm-up component of strength training program design is essential for reducing the risk of injury, enhancing muscular performance, and improving exercise adherence. Conversely, the use of trendy equipment or exercises is the least important step in program design, and instead, we should focus on increasingly demanding evidence-based exercises targeting specific muscle groups. Finally, using unequal difficulty is a crucial concept in strength training for medically contraindicated persons to design programs that address their specific medical needs.
