Today, more people work in offices, have longer work hours, use better technology and automation, and are required to move less on a daily basis. This new environment produces more sedentary people, and leads to dysfunction and increased incidents of injury including chronic disease, low-back pain, knee injuries, and other musculoskeletal injuries. In working with today's typical client, who is likely to be deconditioned, the fitness professional must use special consideration when designing fitness programs. It is important to note that deconditioned does not simply mean a person is out of breath when climbing a flight of stairs or that they are overweight. It is a state in which a person may have muscle imbalances, decreased flexibility, or a lack of core and joint stability. All of these conditions can greatly affect the ability of the human body to produce proper movement and can eventually lead to injury. An integrated approach should be used to create safe programs that consider functional capacity for each individual person.

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HOW MUCH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS ENOUGH?

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WEEKLY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REQUIREMENTS FOR FITNESS:

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• The weekly recommendation for resistance training is at least 2 or more days per week with exercises for all the major muscle groups (minimum of 1 set of 8-12 repetitions for each muscle group).​ 

• Guidelines also recommend at least 150 minutes (30 min per day, 5 days a week) of moderate-intensity cardiorespiratory exercise, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity, or a combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity exercise per week. 

• Flexibility and neuromotor (balance, agility, coordination) are also recommended at least twice per week.

• The key phrase to note is "at least" with more benefits being realized with more activity.

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WHAT IS INTEGRATED TRAINING?

Integrated training is a concept that incorporates all forms of training in an integrated fashion as part of a progressive system. These forms of training include

• Flexibility training

• Cardiorespiratory training

• Core training

• Balance training

• Plyometric (reactive) training

• Resistance training.

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WHAT IS THE OPT MODEL?

The Optimum Performance Training (OPT) model was conceptualized as a training program for a society that has more structural imbalances and susceptibility to injury than ever before. It is a process of programming that systematically progresses any client to any goal. The OPT model is built on a foundation of principles that progressively and systematically allows any client to achieve optimal levels of physiologic, physical and performance adaptations including:

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PHYSICAL BENEFITS

• Decreased body fat

• Increased lean body mass (muscle)

• Increased tissue tensile strength (tendons, ligaments, muscles)

PERFORMANCE BENEFITS

• Strength

• Power

• Endurance

• Flexibility

• Speed

• Agility

• Balance

 

PHYSIOLOGICAL BENEFITS

• Improved cardiorespiratory efficiency

• Enhanced beneficial endocrine (hormone) and serum lipid (cholesterol) adaptations

• Increased metabolic efficiency (metabolism)

• Increased tissue tensile strength

• Increased bone density

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The OPT model is based on the scientific rationale of human movement science. Each stage has a designated purpose that provides the client with a systematic approach for progressing toward his or her individual goals, as well as addressing his or her specific needs.