A four-part series of fitness articles to condition your body for this season's activities

Whether you ski, swim, play basketball or bike, a good overall conditioning program will enable you to have a safer, stronger and more enjoyable sports season.

A sound conditioning program should include cardiovascular endurance training, strength training, interval training (anaerobic), agility activities and of course stretching. When developing your conditioning program however, remember to adapt it to your fitness level. Therefore, it is important for sedentary, unconditioned individuals to consult their primary care physician prior to engaging in any exercise program and to start with cardiovascular conditioning and stretching for the first 8-12 weeks of training. Participation in strength training, interval training, and agility activities that follow - without a proper cardiovascular endurance base - could lead to an individual injuring him or herself.

It is important to make a realistic assessment of your own fitness level first when considering the following training activities. If you feel that your existing cardiovascular conditioning is moderate or above, then weight training will probably be a safe and effective addition to your program. Only after a strength conditioning program of 6-8 weeks is achieved should you consider starting the anaerobic interval training and agility activities (these are sport specific to skiers).

Developing the Cardiovascular Endurance Component

Despite the fact that some of our activities do not require high levels of aerobic endurance, it is important to develop this energy system for many reasons:

1. It will help you maintain ideal weight
2. It will increase your basal metabolic rate ( increase calorie burning )
3. It will strengthen you heart, lungs, and vascular system, helping to lower your risk of heart disease.

The keys to a cardiovascular conditioning program are noted in the FITT principle:

Frequency (How often?)

Intensity (How hard?)

Type (What kind of exercise?)

Aerobic exercise (with oxygen): An activity is considered aerobic if it:
          - Uses the large muscle groups (i.e. legs )
          - Is rhythmic in nature
          - Is sustained for a prolonged period of time

Time (How long?)

A minimum of 20-60 minutes

Popular activities that will develop this component include walking, cycling, jogging, swimming, rowing, Stairmaster, cross-country skiing and aerobic classes. No one activity is better or worse than another, so choose the one(s) you enjoy the best.

Developing the Stretching Component

A regular stretching program incorporated into your already existing workout, may help reduce the risk of injury, relieve muscle tension, maintain or improve range of motion in the joints and improve overall body awareness.

Tips to remember when performing your stretches:

• Never stretch cold muscles ( always warm-up prior to stretching )
• Keep proper body alignment
• Stretch slowly and avoid bouncing
• Stretch only to the point of tension, if the stretch is painful relax a little bit
• Hold your stretch for at least 10-30 seconds
• You should bend your knees slightly for all standing stretches
• When available use walls for support
• Always breathe normally and never hold your breath