Beginners Fitness Program

First Nations Health Council

By Dr. Rosalin Hanna, CSCS, Physical Activity Specialist

Disclaimer
All information provided in this booklet is for informational purposes only. The exercises and activities
presented in this booklet may not be appropriate depending on your age and physical condition. FN
Health Society recommends that you consult your physician prior to engaging in any exercises or activities
presented in this booklet. FN Health Society assumes no liability for persons who undertake physical activity.
If you are between the ages of 15 and 69, it is recommended that you start by completing the Physical
Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) reproduced in the accompanying materials.

Introduction
The BC First Nations Health Council, by implementing the ten-year
Tripartite First Nations Health Plan, works with BCs 203 First Nations
communities to close the health gap with other British Columbians.
Encouraging physical activity is an important initiative of the Plan.
Getting active will change your life! Increased energy, improved moods,
and more restful sleep are some immediate results you will experience
through moderate exercise. For our ancestors there was no difference
between work and working out, but in our modern world we need to make
physical activity part of our daily routine... and that can be fun!
This beginner fitness program provides you with an easy tool to attain part
of your health goals. This program is for adults, and can be performed
in the home or at a centre.This program booklet is part of package that
includes a DVD, travel cards, and a poster that demonstrates the exercises.
Lets lead by example and build stronger and healthier Nations.

Physical Activity Readiness

Before you start a new physical activity it is important to have a health
screening performed. A good start to assess your Physical Activity
Readiness is to complete the nationally recognized Questionnaire called
the PAR-Q. When you complete the PAR-Q (on the last page of your
program booklet) note that a positive answer means you must visit your
physician and that you many need to complete a PARmed-X
www.csep.ca/english/view.asp?x=698

Exercise Parameters
FITT Principle is a basic way to develop guidelines for following your fitness
program. FITT stands for Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type. This fitness
program is a resistance training program for beginners that will develop
muscle strength, muscle endurance, muscle tone, improve range of motion,
burn calories, improve bone density, increase energy, and improve mental
and emotional wellness.

Frequency

Beginner - 2 times/week
Advanced - 3 times/week

For a beginner, start off at twice a week - every 3 to 4 days - and then
advance to three times a week every 2 to 3 days. For example Tuesday,
Thursday, and Saturday would be a good schedule. Make sure you have a
48 hour rest between work outs. Some people train every day or they may
split the work out to upper body one day and lower body and core the next
day.

Intensity
In resistance training the intensity is the work load. The work load is
determined by the sets of the exercise completed, the number of
repetitions completed in each set, and the amount of weight used.
Sets:

1 Set - Beginner

2 Sets - Advanced

When starting a resistance training program perform only one set to ensure
that the next day delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) is not too
intense. After one to two weeks, and decreasing DOMS, sets should be
increased to two.
Sets can be increased to three sets after two months of training and DOMS
is minor.

Repetitions

15 Repetitions - Beginner

Repetitions are the number of times your repeat the movement. To increase
muscle tone, muscle endurance, and muscle strength 15 repetitions are
a safe place to start. When the resistance feels light increase the weight
slowly, and stay at 15 repetitions. After 6 to 12 weeks of training repetitions
can be decrease to 12 with an increase of weight. The decrease in
repetitions improves muscle strength; however, the lower repetitions have
less impact on muscle endurance.

Resistance

Weight 1 - 5 lbs - Beginner

The number of repetitions performed, and the muscle being trained will
determine the amount of weight used for the exercise. An exercise that
trains a major muscle, for example a back exercise, will typically require
more weight than a minor muscle, such as biceps. If you perform a biceps
arm curl it would be very difficult to reach 15 repetitions with 25 pounds.
Therefore, you want to choose a weight that can be performed for 15
repetitions easily when you first start, such as 3 pounds.
Not everyone owns dumbbells which are typically made of metal and have
a safe grip. You can adapt an item in your house to be used for resistance
training. Find something that does not have any moving parts and is safe.
Weigh yourself without the object then weigh yourself with it, and subtract
the difference to calculate the weight of the item.
When using your own body weight for resistance the angle of your body
makes a difference on the gravitational pull, your body leverage, or how
much weight across the joints moving against the resistance. For example,
when performing a wall push up the resistance to extend your arms
increases the more you lower your hands towards to the floor. It is harder
to perform a push up off the floor than the wall.

Time
Total program time - Beginner 66 minutes: for 1 set, and 3 min rest
- Beginner 90 minutes: for 2 sets, and 2 min rest
- Advanced 64 minutes: for 2 sets, and 1 minute rest

Beginner - 2 3 minutes Rest Period between Sets

Advanced - 1 minute Rest Period between Sets

Warm Up and Cool Down 6- 10 minutes each

For resistance training, Time is related to the rest period between sets
of exercises. When beginning, start with a rest period of 2 - 3 minutes. It
is important to recover your breathing before the next step. As muscle
endurance improves the rest period between sets can be reduced to 1
minute. The program has 13 exercises therefore it may take almost 1 hour
to complete when 2 sets are performed for the work out when you are first
starting. The program can be split into upper body one day, and lower
body and core the next day to save time, but then the workouts should be
performed 4 to 6 days / week.
Each work out must include a cardio activity for a warm up and cool down
and stretch. The warm up should be 6 to 10 minutes of mild to moderate
continuous movement to increase muscle temperature, and prepare joints
for movement. If a cardiovascular (cardio) workout such as walking or biking
is performed after your resistance work out a cool down can follow the
cardio work out by slowing down the last 5 minutes of activity to bring the
heart rate and the breathing rate back to normal levels. A cool down must
be performed after a resistance training workout for at least 6 minutes to
bring the body back to a resting state and balance. The cool down could
be any continuous activity such as walking outdoors. Inside the house
activities any low intensity activity is good such as dancing, housework, or
slowly walking up and down the stairs.

Type
This type of fitness program is resistance training to improve muscle
strength and range of motion for the full body. The full body workout is
split into three sections: upper body, lower body and core. For the upper
and lower body the major muscles are trained before the minor muscles.

Physical Activity Readiness

Questionnaire - PAR-Q
(revised 2002)

PAR-Q & YOU

(A Questionnaire for People Aged 15 to 69)

Regular physical activity is fun and healthy, and increasingly more people are star ting to become more active every day. Being more active is very safe for most
people. However, some people should check with their doctor before they star t becoming much more physically active.
If you are planning to become much more physically active than you are now, star t by answering the seven questions in the box below. If you are between the
ages of 15 and 69, the PAR-Q will tell you if you should check with your doctor before you star t. If you are over 69 years of age, and you are not used to being
very active, check with your doctor.
Common sense is your best guide when you answer these questions. Please read the questions carefully and answer each one honestly: check YES or NO.
YES

NO

1. Has your doctor ever said that you have a hear t condition and that you should only do physical activity
recommended by a doctor?
2. Do you feel pain in your chest when you do physical activity?
3. In the past month, have you had chest pain when you were not doing physical activity?
4. Do you lose your balance because of dizziness or do you ever lose consciousness?
5. Do you have a bone or joint problem (for example, back, knee or hip) that could be made worse by a
change in your physical activity?
6. Is your doctor currently prescribing drugs (for example, water pills) for your blood pressure or heart condition?
7. Do you know of any other reason why you should not do physical activity?

If
you
answered

YES to one or more questions

Talk with your doctor by phone or in person BEFORE you star t becoming much more physically active or BEFORE you have a fitness appraisal. Tell
your doctor about the PAR-Q and which questions you answered YES.
You may be able to do any activity you want as long as you star t slowly and build up gradually. Or, you may need to restrict your activities to
those which are safe for you. Talk with your doctor about the kinds of activities you wish to par ticipate in and follow his/her advice.
Find out which community programs are safe and helpful for you.

NO to all questions
If you answered NO honestly to all PAR-Q questions, you can be reasonably sure that you can:
star t becoming much more physically active begin slowly and build up gradually. This is the
safest and easiest way to go.
take par t in a fitness appraisal this is an excellent way to determine your basic fitness so
that you can plan the best way for you to live actively. It is also highly recommended that you
have your blood pressure evaluated. If your reading is over 144/94, talk with your doctor
before you star t becoming much more physically active.

DELAY BECOMING MUCH MORE ACTIVE:

if you are not feeling well because of a temporary illness such as
a cold or a fever wait until you feel better; or
if you are or may be pregnant talk to your doctor before you
star t becoming more active.

PLEASE NOTE: If your health changes so that you then answer YES to
any of the above questions, tell your fitness or health professional.
Ask whether you should change your physical activity plan.

Informed Use of the PAR-Q: The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, Health Canada, and their agents assume no liability for persons who under take physical activity, and if in doubt after completing
this questionnaire, consult your doctor prior to physical activity.

No changes permitted. You are encouraged to photocopy the PAR-Q but only if you use the entire form.
NOTE: If the PAR-Q is being given to a person before he or she par ticipates in a physical activity program or a fitness appraisal, this section may be used for legal or administrative purposes.

"I have read, understood and completed this questionnaire. Any questions I had were answered to my full satisfaction."
NAME ________________________________________________________________________
SIGNATURE _______________________________________________________________________________

DATE______________________________________________________

SIGNATURE OF PARENT _______________________________________________________________________

or GUARDIAN (for par ticipants under the age of majority)

WITNESS ___________________________________________________

Note: This physical activity clearance is valid for a maximum of 12 months from the date it is completed and
becomes invalid if your condition changes so that you would answer YES to any of the seven questions.
Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology

Suppor ted by:

Health
Canada

Sant
Canada

continued on other side...

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T. 604.913.2080
www.fnhc.ca