9.7 Chapter Summary

• Balance and Its Systems: Balance is essential in physical activity, relying on the visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems. These systems work together to maintain posture, stability, and control during movement. Impairment in any one can lead to instability and increased injury risk.
• Controlled Breathing and Activity Type: Breathing patterns affect performance, energy use, and stability. Patterns differ by activity: rhythmic for endurance, controlled bursts for interval or explosive exercises, and paced inhaling/exhaling for strength training. Conscious breath control enhances performance and prevents fatigue or dizziness.
• Form, Safety, and Lower Body Exercises: Proper technique is critical for exercises like squats, lunges, and calf raises. Maintaining a neutral spine, engaging core muscles, and moving with control are emphasized to avoid injury. Variations and equipment like resistance bands or weights help adapt exercises to different fitness levels.
• Machine-Based Exercises: Exercises like the leg press, leg extension, and hamstring curl isolate or challenge key muscle groups safely. Proper seat adjustments, range of motion control, and avoiding momentum ensure effective and injury-free training.
• Isolated vs. Compound Movements: Isolated exercises target a single muscle group (e.g., leg extensions), useful for rehab or precision training. Compound exercises (e.g., squats, lunges) engage multiple joints and muscles, which is ideal for building overall strength, function, and coordination.
• Modifications for Individual Needs: Modifications are essential, not a weakness. They help accommodate injuries, mobility limits, or different goals (e.g., strength vs. endurance). Exercises can be modified by adjusting weight, ROM, tempo, contact points, equipment, or posture to ensure safe, effective workouts for every individual.

OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT. [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
Prompt: Please summarize the following content into six key takeaways.

• Balance: The ability to maintain your centre of mass (COM) over your base of support (BOS), whether stationary or in motion.
• Centre of Mass (COM): The point in the body where mass is evenly distributed; maintaining it over the base of support is essential for balance.
• Compound Exercise: Engages multiple joints and muscle groups (e.g., squats); ideal for strength, coordination, and functional movement.
• Contact Points: Parts of the body in contact with a supporting surface; changing them can affect balance and difficulty.
• Endurance Activity: Long-duration activities like running or swimming require sustained oxygen intake and a regulated heart rate.
• Explosive Activity: Short, high-intensity movements like sprinting or powerlifting that may use breath-holding techniques for core stability.
• Intra-abdominal Pressure: Pressure generated in the abdominal cavity during exertion; helps stabilize the core during heavy lifts.
• Isolated Exercise: Targets a single joint and muscle group (e.g., leg extension); useful for rehab, imbalances, or aesthetic goals.
• Neutral Spine: A spinal position maintaining the natural curves of the neck, upper back, and lower back; critical for safe exercise form.
• Modification: Any change to an exercise’s form, range, intensity, or equipment to match individual ability, goal, or condition.
• Proprioceptive System: This includes muscles, joints, tendons, and skin; it provides sensory feedback to the brain about body position and movement.
• Repetition/Set-Based Activity: Strength training exercises with defined reps and sets; breathing patterns are regulated based on movement difficulty.
• Stability: The ability to resist movement and maintain control of a joint or body section.
• Tempo: The speed at which an exercise is performed, impacting intensity and control.
• Vestibular System: Located in the inner ear; detects head movement, orientation, and acceleration to help maintain posture and visual stability.
• Visual System: Composed of the eyes, optic nerves, and visual cortex; helps interpret surroundings and body position in space.

OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT. [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
Prompt: List the key terms and their definitions in the content provided.