ba basic fitness part 1

8/14/2019 BA Basic Fitness Part 1

1/7

W

elcome to theofficial British

Army fitnessprogramme.This exclusive

six-part seriesof booklets has been developed bythe Army Physical Training Corpsto offer you a comprehensive guideto getting fit, based on the actualexercises and activities the Army usesto train soldiers. Each day, a differentaspect of training will be covered indetail, including running, upper and

lower body strengthening and evenimprovised Army training. But today

we start with the routines that everyworkout should include: a warm-up,cool-down and stretch.

PLEASE NOTECheck with your doctor before

beginning this or any strenuous

exercise regime.

Oal Am tness poamme Wam-p & lelt

These gentle movements are all performed while stationary, and theirpurpose is to mobilise all the major joints of your body. Try to do each

movement described 4-6 times, with each arm or leg where relevant

Stae 1:molt eeses

NEckStanding tall, drop your headdirectly to the left and right sidesalternately. Now turn it to the leftand right. Next, gently take yourhead backwards, then drop yourchin to your chest. Finally, rotateyour head from the left to the right,and then back from right to left.

ShOuLdErSBring your shoulders up to yourears, and then roll t hem backwardsand down. Now repeat themovement but in reverse, bringingyour shoulders forward this time.

how towam

pThe warm-up outlined over thenext five pages is designed to raiseyour body temperature, heart rateand breathing rate, to mobiliseyour joints and wake up theneuromuscular (nerve to muscle)pathways to prime your body forthe specific activity it is about toundertake. In military training,the warm-up is usually limited toaround 10 minutes, and is brokendown into the following stages:

1. MObiLiTy ExErciSESGentle movements to get yourjoints moving more freely.

. PuLSE-rAiSiNgAcTiviTyBeginning the process of raisingyour heart rate through gentle,progressive aerobic activity.

. SPEcific MObiLiTyExErciSESThe make-up of this stage isdetermined by the movementsand muscle groups you will beusing in your chosen activity, once

the warm-up is completed, and ismore dynamic than the exercisesperformed in stage 1.

4. fiNAL PuLSE-rAiSErThis last segment raises yourheart rate, breathing rate andbody temperature further, so thatyou are fully geared up for youractivity.

Now find out how to perform eachof these stages effectively frompages 3 to 7.


2/7

didyOukNOW?The purpose of a warm-up issimply to prepare your body,

mentally and physically, foractivity. An effective warm-upwill improve your subsequentperformance and reduce therisk of injury.

4 Oal Am tness poamme Wam-p & lelt

TruNkStanding with feet hip-width apart,bring your arms to your waist andgently rotate your torso to the leftand right, keeping the hips centred(pictured below). Now drop yourhands to your sides, and slide eachhand in turn down the outside ofyour thighs, bending the trunk toeach side alternately. Again, keep

your hips centred (shown left).

hiPSStand with your legs a little widerthan hip-distance apart and make abig circle with your hips (picturedbelow). Do this in both directions.Now lift one knee up to the frontand rotate your leg out to the side,before placing that foot back onthe floor (not shown). Repeat withyour other leg.

kNEESStanding tall, alternately bringeach knee up to your chest. Next,take your feet up behind you to thebottom. Keep this movement slowand controlled throughout.

ANkLESWith one foot raised slightly offthe floor, point and flex your

toes, then circle that ankle inboth directions. Now repeat bothexercises with the other foot.


3/7


Stae :plseasnattThis initial pulse-raiseruses large muscle groupsin repetitive movementsto get your heart beatingfaster and to raise your bodytemperature. It can be doneindoors for example, simplymarching on the spot oroutside by walking forwards,then gradually building upto a gentle jog over a3-4 minute period.

Stae :spemoltThe content of this warm-upsegment depends on whether

you are about to go for a run,work out with weights or takepart in a kickboxing class. The

exercises involved should takeyour joints through a similar rangeand direction of movement as theactivity. For example, to warm upyour trunk for a core conditioningworkout, you might mobilise thearea by arching and rounding theback from an all-fours position.

NOTE You will find suggested

mobility exercises within eachof the coming booklets, gearedtowards the activities they feature.

Stae 4:nal plseaseIn this final warm-up stage, youfurther raise your heart rate andbody temperature by working at aprogressively faster pace. Ideally,this should be the activity you areabout to perform for example,if you are going for a run, your finalpulse-raising activity should be

jogging, with the pace graduallybuilding up to your usual exerciseintensity. Avoid a time lag betweenyour warm-up and your mainactivity otherwise many ofthe benefits will be lost.

At the end of every exercise

session, it is important not to cometo a sudden halt. Once your sessionis over, slow down gradually.The purpose of a cool-down isto return your body to its pre-exercise state like a warm-up inreverse. If you do stop suddenly,the heart continues to pump largeamounts of blood to the body,but the absence of activity meansthis blood can pool in the limbs,making you feel faint or dizzy.Stopping too suddenly also slowsthe removal of waste productsfrom the body, hampering yourrecovery process and increasingthe likelihood of sore muscles thenext day, or the day after.

All you need to do is spend 3-5minutes at the end of your workoutreducing yourpace, allowingyour heartrate andbreathingto returntonormal.Your bodytemperature willremain elevated fora limited period,making the post-cool-down periodthe perfect time

to perform somestretching.

Read aboutstretching on thefollowing pages ...

coolnown

PTi TiPAfter a hard session, consumea carbohydrate-based foodor beverage withinhalf an hour. Thishelps maximisereplenishment of your

muscles energystores. Dont waituntil after youvestretched andshowered to refuel.

didyOukNOW?The Army no longer uses staticstretching within its warm-ups.Although not consideredharmful, research has shown nobenefit in injury prevention orperformance from static warm-up stretches. Dynamic methods,such as those shown here,better prepare the body formost forms of military training.If you really feel the need to

stretch prior to exercise, do nothold the stretches for longerthan 5 seconds, because this canswitch off the muscles andinhibit performance.


4/7

Stretching straight after thecool-down section of your workouthelps your muscles relax andreturn to their resting length.This is important because themuscles have a tendency toshorten if they are not stretchedafter the constant contractionsinvolved in exercise and overtime, this can restrict yourmobility.

It is, however, worth noting that

a brief post-workout stretch isnot sufficient to improve yourflexibility it will only assist inmaintaining your current rangeof movement. Acknowledgingthat flexibility is just as much acomponent of overall fitness asstrength or stamina, the Armynow incorporates regular stand-alone flexibility sessions into itsmilitary physical training on restor recovery days.

Good flexibility results from achieving optimal

length in the muscles and connective tissuessurrounding a joint, so that movement is as freeas possible. This is important in enhancingperformance and for your general health, andit may also play a role in preventing injury

Stetn anlelt


hOW TOSTrETchcOrrEcTLyOnly stretch muscles that arethoroughly warmStay relaxed and breathefreely

Slowly lengthen the muscletowards the limit of yourpain-free range. It should be asensation of slight discomfort,not painConcentrate on correctbody alignment. Know whatmuscle or muscle group you arestretchingDo not jerk or bounce keepyour movements slow andcontrolledHold the stretch for 10-15seconds. You should feel itgive or relax a little. If you do,you can extend a little furtherinto the stretch and hold for afurther 10-15 secondsRepeat each stretch at leasttwice

NEckStand tall and bend your headdirectly to the side, to stretch outthe side of your neck. To increasethe stretch, take the opposite handover your head and gently pull thehead further to the side.

chESTClasp your hands behind yourback and gently pull your armsaway from the back, keeping themas straight as possible and yourshoulders down, as shown.

uppe o stetes

bAck ANd ShOuLdErSStand with your feet hip-widthapart and your knees slightlybent. Link your hands together infront of you. Push away throughthe shoulders and upper back,rounding your back into a C-shape.


5/7

10 Oal Am tness poamme Wam-p & lelt 11

ShOuLdErSTrETchESStand tall with your feet hip-distance apart. Take your right armacross the body, grasping it justabove the elbow with the crook ofyour left arm and gently pullingit to the chest (bottom picture).Dont hunch your shoulders up.Now swap sides.

To stretch the front and middleof your shoulders, go on to allfours, sit back on your haunchesand then bend your torso forward,extending your arms out on thefloor in front of you (below).

TricEPS STrETch

Extend your right arm above yourhead and then bend the elbow,dropping the forearm behind yourhead. Now gently push the elbowback and down with your left hand.Swap sides.

fOrEArM ANd WriSTSTrETchExtend both arms out in frontof you, turning your left handupwards and using your right togently press the fingers down andback towards the body. Feel astretch along the underside of yourarm and wrist. Then swap sides.


6/7

Tn stetes: a an as


SidE STrETchStand with your feet hip-distanceapart and, keeping the hips central,take your torso directly to one side,sliding that hand down the outside

of your leg. To increase the stretch,bring the opposite arm up besideyour ear. Now swap sides.

Lowe o

cALf STrETchESTake a big step (about 1m) forwardwith your left leg while keepingyour right leg straight. Bend the leftknee and press your hips forward,keeping the right heel pressed intothe floor. Ensure the right toes arepointing directly forwards.

Now bring your back leg closer tothe front one and bend both knees(not shown), to stretch the lowerpart of your back calf. Swap sidesand repeat both stretches.

QuAdricEPS STrETchStanding tall, grab your right footwith your right hand, bending theleg and taking the foot behind youup to your bottom. Keep your legsaligned and dont arch the back or tip

the pelvis forwards as you press thefoot to the bottom.

LOWEr bAck STrETchLie on the floor and bring yourknees into your chest, graspinghold of your shins. Lift yourhead to your knees to increasethe stretch.

MOdifiEd cObrA

Lie face down on the floor and raiseyourself up on to your forearms,elbows directly below shoulders,forearms pointing forwards. Pressyour hipbones into the floor andallow your back to extend, lookingforwards and not up or down.


7/7


hAMSTriNgS Stand tall and extend one leg outin front of you, foot on the floor,keeping the other knee bent andresting your hands on the bentlegs thigh. Keep your back straightand abdominals gently contracted.Swap sides.

grOiN STrETchES Sit on the floor and bring the solesof your feet together (top picture).Gently press down on the innerthighs with your elbows. Then,extend your legs out straight to thesides, taking them as far apart as iscomfortable and keeping your back

straight (bottom picture).

PTi TiPIf you can, put aside some timeto go through a comprehensiveflexibility workout once ortwice a week, based on thestretches shown here. Holdeach stretch for 20-30 seconds(longer than in a post-workout stretch) andrepeat 3-4 times.Flexibility gains comegradually and willdecline if thisstretching isnot regularlymaintained.

gLuTEAL/hiP STrETch

Lie on your back with your kneesbent and feet raised. Put your rightfoot over your left thigh and linkyour hands behind the left thigh,to gently pull the legs towards yourtorso and stretch out the right hip.Swap sides.

hiP fLExOrSAdopt a lunge position and takeyour back knee to the floor,laces facing down. Keep thetorso upright and lean into thefront leg until you feel a stretchalong the front of your hip.Make sure the front knee doesnot extend beyond the ankle,as this puts excessive stress onthe joint. Swap sides.

didyOukNOW?Our flexibility declines with age collagen fibres within theconnective tissue thicken andget stiffer, while soft tissuebecomes more dehydrated,decreasing joint lubrication andcausing creakiness. Regularlytaking joints through theirfull range of movement and

stretching helps attenuate this.

ba basic fitness part 1

Documents