Many of the commonly held beliefs relating to exercise are poorly substantiated and some are completely fictional. Here we explore some of the realities of exercise physiology, and try to highlight the best ways to achieve certain exercise objectives and hopefully dispel some of the myths. Let us start by separating exercise programmes into two distinct groups, resistance based and aerobic based. Resistance based exercise Resistance training is designed to improve either muscle strength or size. The muscle cells are purposely damaged through a process of overloading, the body reacts instinctively to repair the damaged cells so they can cope with any future overload, increasing their size and strength in the process.
Muscular fitness is a combination of strength, endurance and flexibility.
Resistance training occurs over a short time frame and does not necessarily improve endurance capacity or for that matter flexibility. There may even be a decrease in endurance capacity because as the muscle cells grow the fluid between the cells, essential to oxygen transportation, is reduced. There is also evidence to show that resistance training can cause an increase in blood pressure. Aerobic based exercise Aerobic training relates to the processes by which the body generates the energy to perform work. The principal fuels used to produce energy are the body's stores of fat, carbohydrate or protein.