Pollock, who was an exercise physiologist at the University of Florida, commented on the new guidelines in a press release from the University of Florida. Franklin is the director of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program and Exercise Laboratories at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, and a professor of physiology at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. He says the group's report underwent extensive review before it was approved by the ACSM Board of Trustees. One of the newest messages in the exercise recommendations is that exercise has an additive effect, says Franklin, who is also an editorial board member of The Physician and Sportsmedicine. The new guidelines stress being active in daily living.
People can get many of the health benefits of exercise without being in a formal exercise setting.
The exercise recommendations also clarify the dose of exercise needed to improve aerobic fitness, Franklin says. It's a function of heart rate reserve. Franklin says other advantages include increased accuracy in the prescribed target heart rate and relative exercise intensity, and calculation of net caloric expenditure. The lower number applies to unfit individuals. A number of studies show that one set of 8 to 15 repetitions provides nearly the same strength and endurance increases as three sets, according to Franklin.