General Exercise Condensed Course

Introduction

The full General Exercise Course is rather lengthy, and that is by design as I made it evidence-based and it takes time to discuss large amounts of evidence. However, I realize many people will not have a desire to read through the full course. Thus, I have made this shortened version. If you do not have time (or the desire) to read the full course, or if you have read it once and want a quick recap, or if you are trying to determine which portions to read in more detail, consider reading through this shorter version. Then you can refer to the full course at any point in time for clarification and further discussion of any key concepts as well as additional insights that are provided.

  • Overview of movement:
    • Initially when you want to move your brain generates signals.
    • These signal travel through your central nervous system and then through your peripheral system to reach your muscles.
    • One motor unit describes a motor neuron (of the peripheral nervous system) and the muscle fibers it innervates.
    • When a motor unit is activated all of the associated muscle fibers contract.
    • Muscle fibers contract by undergoing cross bridge formation; this shortens the fibers as they generate tension.
    • Thus, when muscles activate they pull the tendons they are attached to closer together. As tendons attach to bones, this generates movement.
    • These skeletal muscle contractions require ATP as a source of energy.
  • Factors influencing force production:
    • As you need to generate more force, more motor units will fire. Typically the smallest motor units activate prior to the larger ones.
    • Additionally, motor units will fire more quickly to increase force production.
    • Muscles have a “length-tension” relationship; when they are too stretched or too shortened they cannot generate maximal force.
    • Muscles have a “force-velocity” relationship; when they contract more slowly this allows greater cross bridge formation, and this generates more force.
    • The muscle fiber pennation angle (the angle of the muscle fiber relative to its tendon) can impact the force it generates.
    • Muscle fibers can predominantly be type I or type II; type II fibers usually generate greater force but cannot sustain the contraction as long as a type I fiber.
  • Strength training adaptions:
    • Neural adaptions:
      • increased motor unit recruitment and synchronization
      • decreased corticospinal & intracortical inhibition (allowing greater contractions of the relevant muscles)
      • decreased motor unit recruitment thresholds
    • Connective tissue adaptations:
      • Remodeling of bones, tendons, and their junctions to aid strength production and energy transfer.
    • Biochemical changes:
      • Mitochondrial efficiency can increase.
      • The fiber types can shift to match the demands imposed by the training stimulus.
    • Structural changes:
      • Strength training increases muscle protein synthesis and muscles experience hypertrophy (they get larger) over time.
      • The pennation angle can change to generate more force per contraction.
      • Muscle fascicles (bundles of fibers) can become slightly longer and alter the length-tension relationship.
  • The role of ATP:
    • ATP is the source of energy that fuels skeletal muscle contractions.
    • A small amount of ATP resides within cells at baseline and can be recycled for ~7 seconds by phosphocreatine.
    • Anaerobic ATP production via glycolysis within skeletal muscle fibers increases very quickly to fuel exercise for the subsequent ~60-90 seconds.
    • While anaerobic mechanisms provide the majority of ATP initially, aerobic mechanisms increase and contribute the majority of ATP beyond ~1 minute.
  • Sources of ATP:
    • Over longer periods at higher intensities glycogen provides most of the glucose for glycolysis to generate ATP.
    • With prolonged endurance events fatty acid beta-oxidation plays a larger role in producing ATP.
    • During longer exercise sessions gluconeogenesis in the liver and the absorption of any nutrients (primarily glucose) that are consumed during the session provide more fuel for ATP generation.
  • The role of oxygen:
    • Oxygen is required for mitochondria to generate ATP with aerobic mechanisms.
    • Oxygen delivery to skeletal muscle depends on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
    • In particular, the ability of the heart to pump blood effectively is one of the primary determining factors for supplying oxygen to muscles as quickly as possible.
  • Aerobic training adaptations:
    • Alterations to increase ATP production:
      • Several genes & pathways upregulate (ie, PGC-1α, citrate synthase, and p53) to increase mitochondrial content and efficiency.
      • Pathways involved in beta-oxidation, the Kreb’s cycle, and lactate clearance also upregulate and become more prominent.
      • Glucose transporter expression in skeletal muscles increases; this improves insulin sensitivity and increases energy utilization.
    • Alterations to increase oxygen delivery to muscles:
      • Skeletal muscle capillary density increases over weeks-to-months to allow greater blood flow to muscles. Arterial diameter also can increase.
      • Blood and plasma volume increases within weeks.
      • The heart itself may enlarge in a positive and healthy way:
        • Left ventricular end-diastolic volume increases (increasing the amount of blood the heart can pump with each heart beat).
        • Ventricular wall thickness increases
        • The resting heart rate slows while heart rate variability can increase.
  • The 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend:
    • age 3-5 years: be physically active throughout the day
    • age 6-17 years: perform 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily
      • perform VPA at least 3 days a week
      • perform muscle-strengthening and bone-strengthening physical activity at least 3 days a week
    • adults: aim for 150-300 minutes of MPA or 75-150 minutes of VPA spread throughout the week
      • moving more & sitting less throughout the day is beneficial if VPA is <30-40 minutes daily and MPA is <60-75 minutes daily
      • include muscle-strengthening activity of moderate or greater intensity involving all major muscle groups at least 2 days weekly
    • older adults: should follow the guidelines for adults
      • should also perform multi-component physical activity that includes balance training as well as aerobic & muscle-strengthening activities
    • pregnancy & postpartum: should perform at least 150 minutes of MPA weekly, preferably spread throughout the week
      • for individuals who normally perform VPA they can continue VPA
      • should consult with their healthcare provider about how anything should be changed
      • should avoid exercises that involve lying on their back after the 1st trimester of pregnancy as this can restrict blood flow to the uterus & fetus
      • should also avoid contact/collision sports & activities with a high risk of falling or abdominal trauma such as soccer/basketball/horseback riding/downhill skiing
    • for anyone unable to follow the guidelines due to health conditions, do as much as you safely can
    • MPA:
      • absolute measurement: activity generating >3.0 but <6.0 metabolic equivalents of task (METs)
      • relative measurement: activity considered to be 5-6/10 on a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale, in general you can talk but not sing
    • VPA:
      • absolute measurement: activity generating >6.0 METs
      • relative measurement: activity considered to be 7-8/10 RPE, in general you cannot say more than a few words without becoming short of breath
    • click here for the MET levels of various activities for adults
    • click here for the MET levels of various activities for children
  • TIP: There is no minimum length of an exercise session that is necessary to incur benefits. Thus, you can perform “exercise snacks” throughout the day including 1-5 minutes of higher-intensity exercise and this will count towards the guidelines while also breaking up sedentary behavior.
  • The 2020 World Health Organization guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior
    • These guidelines (for younger and older ages) are compiled in this link.
    • These are largely based on the above guidelines, though these discuss a few distinct health conditions in more detail and emphasize that greater benefits are generally obtained by exceeding the recommendations.
    • The only major difference compared to the guidelines listed above is for children and adolescents where they suggest averaging 60 minutes of MVPA daily as opposed to reaching 60 minutes every day.
  • Most of the benefit from increasing step count occurs once you reach the 7,000 step/day threshold.
  • 2021 physical activity guidelines for obesity in adults
    • they recommend 150-200 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise weekly for weight loss
    • they recommend 200-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise weekly for weight maintenance after weight loss
    • resistance training is preferred for muscular fitness and preservation of lean body mass during weight loss
  • Health benefits of exercise meeting (or exceeding) the guidelines:
    • Youth populations: aids body composition, bone health, cardiovascular and cardiometabolic risk factors, mental health, and possibly cognition
    • Elderly populations: aids skeletal muscle hypertrophy, attenuates the effects of aging, helps prevent falls and associated injuries, may slow cognitive decline
    • Pregnant populations: decreases the risk of various pregnancy and delivery complications, such as gestational diabetes and excess gestational weight gain
    • General populations: helps prevent and treat several chronic diseases, improves body composition, aids mental health, improves physical functioning
  • There do not seem to be significant health risks from exercising well beyond these guidelines.
  • CAUTION: If at any point you start developing undesirable symptoms (ie, chest pain), stop exercising and see your healthcare provider. If you are higher risk with a history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, renal disease, cirrhosis, or other significant health complications, consider discussing with your healthcare provider about any limitations prior to beginning to exercise more vigorously.
  • CAUTION: If at any point you feel you are developing an addiction to exercise or negative mental health effects due to your exercising habits, I encourage you to stop exercising until you can consult with your healthcare provider.
  • I include a glossary at the end of this lesson that briefly explains all of the various relevant terms.
  • I will list the terms here; if any are unclear to you then simply look at the glossary already provided in that lesson. You can read the full lesson for greater explanations if desired.
  • Terms:
    • Repetition, set, eccentric/negative, concentric/positive, isometric, tempo, range of motion
    • Agonist, antagonist, stabilizer
    • Ballistic, plyometric, stretch-shortening cycle (stretch reflex), variable resistance
    • one-repetition maximum (1RM), %1RM, intensity, load
    • failure, technical failure, as many reps as possible (AMRAP)
    • autoregulation, reps in reserve (RIR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE)
    • velocity-based training
    • strength curve
    • drop set, superset, circuit training, inter-set rest period, work capacity
    • frequency, volume, full body routine, split routine
    • linear progression, microcycle, mesocycle, macrocycle, periodization, linear periodization, reverse linear periodization, undulating periodization, block periodization
    • progressive overload, SAID principle (specific adaptation to imposed demand)
    • delayed onset muscular soreness (DOMS), recovery, deload
  • Near the end of Lesson 5 I include an infographic that summarizes the main findings, I will include that here.

  • Linear progression, where you add weight or reps in successive sessions, is a good progression strategy when starting training as it allows physiologic adaptations and teaches you to push yourself harder as you approach limitations with your strength.
  • Soreness typically subsides after 72 hours and as you train more consistently this becomes less of an issue; after 3 weeks of consistent training you will likely not experience very much soreness if you remain consistent.
  • There are various autoregulation approaches that allow you to lift more or less weight/reps based on how you feel on a given day; this is more appropriate to utilize after you are no longer able to make steady progress with linear progression.
    • Daily adjustable progressive resistive exercise – this protocol is fairly rigid but may be a good approach for people who have difficulty employing RPE and RIR with autoregulation.
    • Flexible nonlinear periodization – this approach is better for individuals who struggle with motivation as it will allow you to select what workout to perform based on how you feel in a given day.
    • Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) – this is more popular and allows you to adjust the weight and/or reps you perform to a certain level of required effort. This helps account for performance variability on a day-to-day basis.
    • Repetitions in reserve (RIR) – this can be utilized similarly to RPE, here you perform sets until you get to a point where you can only perform X more reps; you set X at a certain number (this is the RIR) and then stop the set when you reach this point. Daily performance variability will dictate how many reps you perform prior to reaching a specific RIR.
    • Velocity-based training – here you objectively quantify repetition speed and use this to determine when to stop a set; this uses advanced equipment and is thus not practical for most individuals.
  • Periodization:
    • There is variable terminology but this is typically used to describe variation over time, usually with the goal of potentiating performance gains in some future period of time.
      • Linear periodization entails increasing the intensity and decreasing the volume over time.
      • Reverse linear periodization is the opposite of linear perodization.
      • Undulating periodization entails varying volume and intensity on a daily or weekly basis.
      • Block periodization entails focusing on specific fitness attributes for ~4-12 weeks and then transitioning to a different area of focus while attempting to maintain some of the newfound fitness attributes from the prior block.
    • It’s not clear that there is any benefit to using periodization approaches for general health and fitness compared to using a non-periodization strategy with sufficient baseline variability.
  • There are 3 primary physiologic determinants of endurance training performance:
    • VO2 max – the maximum amount of oxygen you can utilized per unit time.
    • Running economy – the amount of oxygen you need to utilize to maintain a submaximal velocity.
    • Lactate threshold(s) – the exercise intensities where lactate levels begin to rise more quickly.
  • Aerobic intensity can be defined by various physiologic markers but these are either difficult to measure or are imprecise (meaning that these markers will occur at different levels of intensity for different individuals).
  • Using your heart rate may be the most practical method though it still may not be accurate.
    • There are different formulas to calculate your maximum heart rate (HRmax) and no strong indication that one is uniformly better than the others, so you can use:
      • HRmax =  220-age
    • You can calculate your heart rate reserve (HRR) as:
      • HRR = HRmax – resting heart rate
  • Training intensity zones can be divided in different ways, one classification includes:
    • Zone 1 implies low intensity (<80% HRmax, 65-75% VO2 max, below the first lactate threshold)
    • Zone 2 implies moderate intensity (80-90% HRmax, 75-85% VO2 max, between the first and second lactate threshold)
    • Zone 3 implies high intensity (>90% HRmax, >85% VO2 max, above the third lactate threshold)
  • You can train in a continuous fashion (using the same pace throughout a session) or with intervals.
  • Higher intensity intervals can be classified in different ways, one system includes:
    • long-interval HIIT (LI-HIIT): 2-4 minute intervals typically at 85-95% HRmax and <VO2 max
    • medium-interval HIIT (MI-HIIT): 0.5-2 minute intervals typically at 85-95% HRmax and <VO2 max
    • short-interval HIIT (SI-HIIT): <30 second intervals typically at 85-95% HRmax and <VO2 max
    • sprint-interval training (SIT): 10-30 second intervals typically at ≥95% HRmax and >VO2 max
    • repeated-sprint training (RST): ≤10 second intervals at ≥95% HRmax and >VO2 max
  • When training for competitions, there are different ways to spend your time training based on the zones listed above:
    • traditional pyramidal approach: ~80% in zone 1, 10-15% in zone 2, 5-10% in zone 3
    • polarized approach: ~80% in zone 1, very little in zone 2, ~20% in zone 3
    • threshold training: majority in zone 1, >20% in zone 2 (around race pace), a variable amount in zone 3
    • As the physiologic implication of being in the zones may vary between different people, some advocate for dividing training time based on the percentage of theorized race pace:
      • zone 1: <95% of your goal race pace
      • zone 2: 95-105% of your goal race pace
      • zone 3: >105% of your goal race pace
    • As this course is focused on general health I do not discuss training for specific competitions further.
  • Interval and continuous training for health:
    • Interval training in a variety of formats improves cardiorespiratory fitness in multiple different populations regardless of baseline fitness status.
      • As few as two sprint intervals and HIIT sessions <20 minutes can be effective.
    • HIIT produces similar and at times superior health benefits relative to moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). This holds true across a wide variety of populations and health metrics. Both short and long intervals seem effective and several analyses found benefits with well under 30 minutes per session.
    • MICT generates some physiologic adaptations distinct from HIIT and HIIT is generally not done more than 3 days weekly in studies; it is likely optimal to include both MICT and HIIT for overall health long-term.
  • Concurrent training:
    • This describes training programs that include aerobic and resistance training simultaneously.
    • Resistance and aerobic training can negatively impact each other on an acute basis.
      • It may be best to rest at least 24 hours after resistance training and at least several hours after aerobic training prior to performing the other modality.
      • When incorporating both resistance training and aerobic training in the same session, performing resistance training first seems beneficial.
    • Overall it is clear that incorporating strength training can improve endurance performance.
      • Heavy strength training 2-3 times per week is most beneficial but benefits can be maintained by strength training once weekly.
    •  Significant amounts of aerobic training, particularly at higher intensities, interferes with strength gains. This seems less impactful when performing sprint-interval training or repeated sprint training and when separating HIIT from resistance training sessions that use similar muscle groups.
  • Safety considerations:
    • Many studies, even in those including primarily elderly participants and people with cardiovascular disease, find a variety of exercise interventions including HIIT are safe, assuming the participants undergo an exercise stress test and ECG prior to beginning the intervention.
    • TIP: If you have any concerns about increasing your exercise intensity I recommend checking with your healthcare provider if for no other reason than to alleviate anxiety. Importantly, start with relatively low intensity and build up the volume prior to increasing the intensity assuming you are tolerating the exercise well.
    • Guidance from the American College of Sports Medicine regarding when to screen individuals with various medical conditions prior to beginning an exercise intervention are available in this PDF (particularly Figure 2).
    • When increasing exercise workload over time, many advocate increasing your training volume no more than 10% per week though there are not any strong lines of evidence supporting this recommendation.
  • These lessons demonstrate the relevant anatomy of different muscle groups and various exercises that can target them.
    • The YouTube videos I provide that discuss the anatomy will help show you the function of the various muscle groups which makes it easier to conceptualize how to train them effectively.
  • I include detailed descriptions of exercise technique as well as various tips and safety concerns.
    • Lesson 9 primarily discusses the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
    • Lesson 10 primarily discusses the back and biceps.
    • Lesson 11 primarily discusses the glutes and thighs.
    • Lesson 12 primarily discusses the abdominals, forearms, hands, and lower legs.
  • You can look at the table of contents for any of those lessons to see which exercises are included and read as little or as much about them and the relevant anatomy as you see fit.
  • In this lesson I discuss various exercises with and without additional equipment (ie, resistance bands) that can be performed in a home setting.
  • I also include example workout programs that can be done in a home setting.
  • I additionally discuss many different progression schemes or other methods you can use to alter your workout program over time if you find that following similar set and rep prescriptions longitudinally is unappealing for any reason. These include:
    • linear progression
    • RPE/RIR approach
    • RPE/RIR with a goal rep range
    • Rep goal approach
    • Strength-based approach
    • Density training
    • Volume ramping
    • Volume ramping with weight adjustment
    • Periodization approaches
    • Decreasing rest periods
    • Adjusting repetition tempo
    • The 3/7 method
    • Drop sets, rest-pause reps, and myo-reps
    • Cluster sets
  • I lastly discuss how you can use some of these alternate progression schemes to modify the home workout programs I provide, if desired.
  • In this lesson I provide and discuss several training programs that can be done in a gym setting. These include various simple and more complex full body routines divided between 2-4 days weekly as well as various split routines divided between 4-6 days weekly.
  • I then discuss considerations for how to alter your training program when progress stalls based on whether you are a beginner or a more advanced with respect to strength training and general fitness.
  • You can look through this lesson as you see fit if you would like examples of workout programs that meet the general guidelines discussed earlier in the course.
  • How to maintain progress if you have to cut back on training time:
    • Aerobic training – you can generally decrease volume and/or frequency as long as you keep the intensity high.
    • Resistance training – you can decrease frequency as long as you keep your volume and intensity high. You may be able to increase the intensity (ie, train closer to failure) and also cut back on training volume.
  • What to do if you are injured:
    • If the injury seems serious you should likely see a healthcare provider.
    • If the injury does not seem overly serious:
      • You may want to take NSAIDs (if they are safe for you to take) to help prevent increased swelling and pain.
      • You can additionally use ice.
      • You should start working on range of motion as soon as possible. The pain may get worse the first 24 hours but then if there is no improvement in your symptoms by 72-96 hours you may want to see a healthcare provider.
  • Special considerations for pediatric populations:
    • Children who are old enough to follow directions in organized sport (usually age 6-7 years) can start resistance training.
    • Early sports specialization should be avoided; including variety is beneficial for long-term development.
    • There seems to be a higher risk of injury if:
      • youth participate in more hours of sports practice per week than their number of years in age
        • Regardless of age youth should not participate in more than 16 hours of weekly training volume.
      • if the ratio of organized sports to free play is >2:1
      • when youth train >8 months in a year for a single sport
    • I provide general resistance training programming guidance for children and adolescents.
    • I also discuss considerations for participating in longer endurance events.
  • Special considerations for elderly populations:
    • I discuss general considerations for safety as well as alterations you can make for various medical conditions to increase comfort and effectiveness.
    • I provide general resistance training programming guidance for elderly individuals with and without frailty.
  • Special considerations for pregnant populations:
    • I discuss various absolute and relative contraindications for exercise in pregnancy.
    • I discuss how to exercise safely at different stages of pregnancy.
    • I discuss how much exercise to perform for health benefits during pregnancy.
  • Nutrition and hydration when exercising regularly:
    • If your caloric intake is too low you may suffer from low energy availability and then relative energy deficiency in sport, which can contribute to several potentially harmful health conditions.
    • You can likely avoid this by keeping your energy availability (energy intake – exercise energy expenditure) at least 30 calories per kilogram of fat free mass per day. Aiming for closer to 45 may be safer and more optimal for performance, though if you are actively losing weight you may need to approach 30.
    • I go through various guidance regarding peri-workout nutrition, full daily nutrition, and fluid replacement when attempting to optimize exercise performance as well as general health.
  • Warming-up and cooling-down:
    • Warming-up:
      • A general warm-up to increase your core body temperature in a cooler environment is worthwhile.
      • Stretching is not necessary; if you would like to do this you should preferably keep static stretches at <30 seconds.
      • For aerobic training gradually increase the intensity to your desired pace.
      • For resistance training include multiple warm-up sets where you gradually increase the weight to your desired working set weight.
    • Cooling-down:
      • For aerobic training continuing your activity at a low intensity for a couple of minutes may help decrease the risk of blood pooling in your lower extremities and subsequent fainting.
      • For resistance training there is no need to include any cooling down activity.
  • Athletic/conditioning/mobility exercises:
    • I describe several additional exercises that fit into these categories and did not fit in well with Lessons 9-12 (and thus were not included in those lessons).
  • Individual variability in response to exercise programs:
    • I discuss some of the literature showing how people can respond differently to similar exercise programs.
    • Importantly, many people who do not get good results with one program do tend to get good results with a different program, so changing your programming parameters (and at times simply increasing your training volume) can work well.

Conclusion

I hope this was informative! Please refer to the full course for further information if desired.

Scroll to Top