This text is intended for patients and individuals seeking healthy recommendations.
for the preparation of strength training and the return to sport after a prolonged period of physical inactivity or recovery from illness.
However, it should not be considered medical advice. Physical activity is part of the prevention of many conditions, which in many cases should be consulted with a physician and based on a regular clinical diagnosis. Unless there are restrictive indications for supervised rehabilitation, as may be the case with post-surgical conditions or advanced stages of a disease, the desire to move or to “get back under the bar” is a vocation that simply should not be repressed.
In this article, I provide an exercise plan in interactive PDF format with videos to facilitate it. I dedicate it to people who face barriers to taking up an activity, but wish to train according to healthy physical activity recommendations. In addition, I address it to patients with no contraindications to independent recreational exercise, who have little gym experience and who, for many personal reasons, cannot afford to work with a trainer or simply want to get stronger and feel more confident.
I also recommend it to my physical therapy and sports colleagues who are looking for basic information on therapeutic exercise and programming, or who may want to share a link to this site with their patients or clients.
General Recommendations
Physical activity is a pharmacological agent that cannot be purchased at the pharmacy.
This is not an empty slogan, because the idea of treating movement as medicine, offering a cascade of psychoactive and health-promoting benefits, is in line with current medical knowledge. It not only influences the efficiency of our movements, but also the efficiency with which we think, remember and regulate our emotions. Exercise, however, cannot be swallowed like a pill sitting in front of the TV. It has to be done, and preferably in a challenging way, not always pleasant, but one that allows us to transform weaknesses into strengths.
Training, like medicine, requires (among many other things probably known only to specialists) proper dosage, repeatability, specificity and progression. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise and 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise per week. These instructions are intended to reduce the scale of immobility, including sitting for hours at a time, which is one of those circumstances in which… death can come prematurely.
A common indication is also a 60-minute strength training workout, which is recommended to be performed at least twice a week. The preventive nature of these treatments can be based on body weight work, weight lifting methods or resistance training on machines, and can be expanded to include cross-fitness efforts. If the exerciser exhibits periodic fatigue with shortness of breath, this type of training further improves the metabolic profile and stimulates the immune system.
It is also important to choose exercises that ensure progress in learning motor skills and avoid fear of movement, falls and injury. The presence of movement challenges that develop a range of skills and improve a variety of abilities, i.e., walking, lifting, reaching, landing, and jumping, will certainly fit more in the context of life. Balance exercises, cognitive challenges and elements of sports games can be an interesting complement to strict exercise protocols (in the gym), which will give the activity a fun dimension. The important thing is to make the training engaging regardless of age: after all, entertainment has no expiration date!
Training Program
I present a program designed to get you moving according to the above recommendations and prepare you for more intense forms of exercise in the near future. In it I offer intensified exercises, performed primarily using the body with a small but demanding load of many fundamental positions. I have selected their variations so that they do not require specialized instruction, so they are safe to perform without the supervision of a trainer.
The demonstration of the exercises involves playing a video. Clicking on the name of the exercise opens a window with the video, which you just have to imitate. The equipment includes only two dumbbells of 5 kg each, a small step, which can be replaced by a chair, a small piece of wall and a body. Before you start, it is worth finding a moment and click through the sheet to familiarize yourself with the names, videos and progression patterns of the exercises.
Link to download the PDF of the interactive videos here.
A session lasts between 45 and 60 minutes. The appropriate frequency is 2 to 3 workouts per week. The table includes simple exercises, repeated with identical repetitions, and main exercises, whose dosage changes from one session to another within the vertical columns labeled with the numbers I-VIII (8 workouts in total). Exercise sets are denoted by S, and repetitions by x. Intensity refers to a subjective feeling scale, described by the numbers 1-10. The last variable is the rest time (rest time, tr), which is sometimes strictly defined or, in selected methods, self-regulated (SR).
The pace of the exercise is slow. It allows a gradual habituation to the positions and in many cases is dominated by a safe method which consists in holding the final positions, for example for a few seconds (HOLD). This fixation is also done without holding the breath, which facilitates the work of the thorax and the muscles responsible for posture and breathing.
It will take about 3-4 weeks to complete the entire program. The effects will be measured in terms of ease of movement, increased physical strength and habituation (adaptation) to what has been worked on. This may also manifest itself in a “hunger” for new challenges and an increased need to progress. Perhaps also a conviction to buy a gym membership, join a favorite group class or get back into sports.
Possible Risks
The above program is “ready-made”, which by definition means that it will not be suitable for everyone. In addition, the exercise suggestions I have chosen may be too difficult to perform for people with coordination problems and poor kinesthetic sense. They may also be unsuitable for elderly and older patients, and for anyone at risk of losing stability and falling.
Read more
Bull FC et al. World Health Organization 2020 Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine (2020) FREE ACCESS.
Anderson E et al. Physical Activity, Exercise and Chronic Diseases: A Brief Review. Sports Medicine and Health Science (2019) FREE ACCESS.
Jurdana M. Physical Activity and Cancer Risk. Current Knowledge and Possible Biological Mechanisms. Radiology and Oncology (2021) FREE ACCESS.
Enriching the debate
Respond to the ideas raised in this text by writing to pawelkrotki@optimosportclinic.com
