Exercise Prescription
An exercise prescription is a key component to a client/athlete’s success. A trainer’s ability to create a program and systematically update that program can be simplified prior to the commencement of an activity by meeting client/athletes to become fully aware of their situations, personal goals, limitations, time frame, and starting base-line of fitness and health. With this information, the trainer can prescribe a program that addresses client/athletes’ needs, improves their abilities, motivates them, and creates a fun atmosphere.
The program should be progressive, starting slow and working up to maximum effort. The program should incorporate warm up, cool down, and stretching components. It should include nutritional information and provide a combination of resistance training and cardiovascular activities. The program should address the mode (equipment and exercises), intensity (degree of effort), duration (time), and frequency (number of times completed in a specific period) of exercise. The intensity of a program should be based upon client/athletes’ goals. It must utilize a target heart rate range, which can be derived from a percentage of their maximum heart rate.
When training, there must be progression and variety to combat boredom and plateaus. To get maximum benefits, progression should add a little change each session to one of the variables, such as the frequency, intensity, or mode. The resistance training program should be a balanced, full-body program dedicated to increasing muscular strength, balanced strength, and full range of motion.
The overall program should bring together client/athletes’ goals and abilities by training the musculoskeletal system and the cardiovascular system, by focusing on the progression of exercises, by adding stimuli to stress their overall fitness levels, and by working within their abilities and maintaining a safe environment.