Erasmus plus - Stretching and Strengthening at Work interact

Stretching and Strengthening at Work

General recommendations

The summary of effective program for developing muscular fitness is enlisted below:

 Each major muscle group (e.g. trunk, legs, arms) should be exercised on 2-3 days per week  No specific duration of exercise has been identified for effectiveness  Very-light-to-light intensity may be beneficial for improving strength in sedentary individuals  8-12 repetitions are recommended to improve muscular strength in most adults  15-20 repetitions are recommended to improve muscular endurance  2-4 sets are recommended for most adults to improve muscular fitness  Rest intervals of 2-3 min between each set of repetitions are effective  A rest of ≥ 48 h between sessions for any single muscle group is recommended  A gradual progression is recommended The following exercises are enlisted as specific routines that are focused to improve muscular strength and endurance for specific body segments, including trunk, arms and legs. All exercises depicted require no additional equipment or extra room, are appropriate to various work environments and easy to learn and perform at both work and at home. Breathing We are often unaware of our breathing. However, a breath or breathing is the basic life process connecting our mind with our body. While exercising, breathing should be as natural as possible, spontaneous and continuous, without holding a breath. It is best to start with a few deep breaths and exhales, and then adjust your breathing to naturally follow the movement of your body while performing exercises at your workplace. While doing the exercises it is necessary to emphasize breathing in and out, with deep inhales and slow releasing exhales. Deep and continuous breathing, can improve the levels of effectiveness of the exercises at the workplace, it also enhances concentration and even reduces the pain in the low- back muscles (Gobbo and co-workers , 2019). It is recommended that before you begin exercising at the workplace, you take a few moments to breathe deeply in and out in order to prepare the body for the following activity. The same should be applied at the end of the exercising session, in order to relax the whole body and eliminate possible consequences of the stress. A general recommendation, while exercising is to inhale through the nose, right before the eccentric (muscle-lengthening) part of the motion. Exhale during the concentric (muscle-shortening) part of the motion completely through your mouth. Take the squat exercise for example: you should inhale just before you begin to lower down, and exhale as you extend your legs back to the starting position. Or the push-ups: inhale, bend your elbows to lower your body down to the ground, and exhale as you rise back up.

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