Physical Fitness
Has the fitness boom of the 1970's and 80's run out of steam?
By Marc Leepson

Today, if national polls are to be believed, millions of Americans exercise at least three times a week, doing everything from jogging and cycling to aerobic dancing and weight training. But the image of a nation of exercise fanatics may be an illusion. Public health experts say that only about 10 percent of adult Americans exercise regularly. In essence, say the experts, the fitness boom that began. . . .

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Are the majority of America's children and youth physically unfit?

Through Quality Daily Physical Exercise, 1992. America's schoolchildren are being shortchanged. Physical education in our nation's schools is often forgotten or overlooked. It lacks adequate funding to support quality programs. As a result, studies show that the vast majority of America's children and youth are both inactive and unfit....

Steven N. Blair Division of Epidemiology, Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research From Research Quarterly For Exercise And Sport, June 1992. It has long been surprising to me that the physical education profession and public health authorities so uncritically accepted the blanket conclusion that our children and youth were not physically fit. How could teachers (especially elementary teachers), who observe children several hours a day, believe that most children are inactive? How could parents accept this conclusion? Anyone who has taught or raised children should know that they are physically active.

The Importance of Stretching and Strength

The centerpiece for any exercise regimen, experts say, should be a regular program of aerobic exercise such as walking, running, jogging, swimming, dancing, cycling or rowing. But a complete exercise program should include two other components: stretching and strength training. Stretching eases muscular tension and promotes overall flexibility. Strength training -- either simple calisthenics or weight training with free weights or machines -- helps build the muscles needed for everyday activities, for aerobic exercises and for sports.

Exercise physiologists say that nearly every adult can benefit from doing as little as 5-10 minutes of stretching and strength training two or three times a week. “I continue to feel as though [aerobics] should be the centerpiece” of all exercise programs, said Russell Pate, chairman of the Department of Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina. “But some attention to maintenance of strength and flexibility is important as well.”

Stretching: Many exercisers begin and end their aerobics routines with a few minutes spent stretching the major muscle groups: the legs, back, stomach, chest and arms. The most important things to remember during stretching, the experts say, are to stretch out slowly and steadily and not to bounce or overstrain. Many people use the system of exercises involved in yoga, an ancient Hindu discipline.

Stretching, notes Bob Anderson, who coaches professional and Olympic teams on how to loosen up properly, “is the important link between the sedentary life and the active life. It keeps the muscles supple, prepares you for movement and helps you make the daily transition from inactivity to vigorous activity without undue strain.... Stretching before and after you work out will keep you flexible and help prevent common injuries such as shin splints or Achilles' tendinitis from running, and sore shoulders and elbows from tennis.”#

Strength Training: Calisthenics -- such as push-ups and sit-ups -- will build strength. But weight training, with either barbells and dumbbells or weight machines, such as Nautilus (below) and Universal, is more efficient. Weight training, when done regularly and properly, helps exercisers gain muscle mass and strength. Weight training also can help in losing or gaining weight, shaping and toning muscles and improving posture.

The basic theory behind strength training is the overload principle: To gain strength a muscle must be worked more intensely than it usually is used. Muscle growth comes from progressive resistance: Muscles grow and gain strength when they are forced to perform proportionally heavier work. A good way to begin a weight- training program is to take a beginner's course at a health club or gym, or simply to begin doing sit-ups (for the abdominal muscles) and push-ups (for the chest, shoulder and upper arm muscles) at home. All fitness experts advise all beginners to start slowly and increase gradually. # Bob Anderson, Stretching (1982), p. 9.