Some people exercise for strength. Others exercise for endurance and stamina. Many believe that physical fitness should be a combination of both.
The body is made up of two types of muscle; skeletal muscle and cardiac, or heart muscles. The skeletal muscles are strengthened through resistance training, usually lifting weights. It is not possible to lift weights for long enough to strengthen a cardiac muscle. Physical endurance is built up through cardiovascular, or aerobic exercise, consistently raising the heart rate.
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If you already established an exercise routine before your pregnancy, talk to your doctor about modifying it so that it is tailored for your pregnancy. If you did not exercise before becoming pregnant, you should probably limit your exercise to swimming or walking, although you should discuss these options with your doctor.
The following chart, created by the US Department of Health Services, displays your target and maximum heart rate to sustain aerobic activity three times each week.
Talk to your doctor about creating an exercise program designed for you. You should consider using a treadmill, exercise bike or swimming.
Skeletal muscles can only be strengthened by resistance training, a method of increasing the effort of the muscle while exercising its full range of motion. There are three classes of resistance training; isotonic, isometric and isokinetic.
Isotonic exercise involves shortening the muscle while increasing tension on the muscles. An example of isotonic exercise is weight lifting, specifically bicep curls.
Isometric exercise consists of placing the muscle in tension, without changing the length of the muscle. If you push hard against a wall or remain in the elevated position in a sequence of push-ups you will be experiencing isometric exercise.
Isokinetic exercise entails constant motion of the muscle. A good example of isokinetic exercise is swimming.
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