Are you in Canada? Click here to proceed to the HK Canada website.

For all other locations, click here to continue to the HK US website.

Human Kinetics Logo

Purchase Courses or Access Digital Products

If you are looking to purchase online videos, online courses or to access previously purchased digital products please press continue.

Mare Nostrum Logo

Purchase Print Products or Ebooks

Human Kinetics print books and Ebooks are now distributed by Mare Nostrum, throughout the UK, Europe, Africa and Middle East, delivered to you from their warehouse. Please visit our new UK website to purchase Human Kinetics printed or eBooks.

Feedback Icon Feedback Get $15 Off
Skip to content
  • Call Us

    800.747.4457

  • Hours

    Mon-Fri 7am - 5pm CST

  • Contact Us

    Get in touch with our team

  • FAQs

    Frequently asked questions

Human Kinetics
Search Log in Cart
Menu
  • Browse By Subject
    • Browse By Subject
    • A-F
      • Active Aging
      • Anatomy
      • Aquatics
      • Athletic Training and Therapy
      • Biomechanics
      • Coaching and Officiating
      • Dance
      • Fitness and Health
    • G-P
      • Health Care in Exercise and Sport
      • Health Education
      • Kinesiology/Exercise and Sport Science
      • Motor Behavior
      • Nutrition and Healthy Eating
      • Physical Education
      • Physical Therapy/Physiotherapy
      • Physiology of Sport and Exercise
      • Psychology of Sport and Exercise
    • Q-Z
      • Recreation and Leisure
      • Sport Management and Sport Business
      • Sports and Activities
      • Strength Training and Conditioning
      • Stretching, Flexibility, and Recovery
  • K-12 / Higher Education
    • K-12 / Higher Education
    • K-12
      • State Adoptions
      • Find a K-12 Sales Rep
      • K-12 Review/Desk Copy Request
    • Higher Education
      • Adopting a Textbook
      • Find a Higher Education Sales Rep
      • Higher Education Review/Desk Copy Request
      • Custom Textbooks
      • Instructor Ancillaries
  • Professional Education
    • Professional Education
    • Continuing Education Center
    • PE Central Professional Development
    • Teacher Professional Development
    • Coach Education
  • Student Resources
    • Student Resources
    • Accessing Online Materials
    • Browse HKPropel Access
    • K-12 Online Resources
  • Discover More
    • Discover More
    • Newsletters
    • Scholarly Journals
    • Blogs
      • Excerpts
      • Active at Home
      • Buying Guides
      • Dance
      • Learning with HK
      • Physical Education and Health
      • Strength, Conditioning, and Fitness
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
    • My Account
  1. Home
  2. Excerpts
  3. How exercise changes your body
  • Fitness & Health
  • Sport & Exercise Science
  • Physical Education
  • Strength & Conditioning
  • Sports Medicine
  • Sport Management
  • Dance

How exercise changes your body

This is an excerpt from Smarter Workouts by Pete McCall.

Exercise is much more than working up a sweat; when done properly it can change the function and structure of the human body. Mobility training can improve movement efficiency and strengthen the fascia and elastic connective tissues, helping them to be more resistant to injury. In addition to enhancing aesthetic appearance, strength training and metabolic conditioning can be used to improve the ability to convert food to energy, change hormone levels, and increase muscle force output, all of which are critical for performing your favorite pastimes or essential activities of daily living. Using exercise to achieve these and other desired results relies on a number of different variables, including sex, age, resistance-training experience, genetics, sleep, nutrition, hydration, and emotional and physical stressors. Each of these influences how your physiological systems adapt to exercise in general or resistance training specifically; for example, too much stress at work or a lack of sleep may significantly reduce your ability to grow muscle.

An exercise is a movement, and movement is a skill that requires practice to master. It may be tempting to change exercises frequently; however, maintaining some consistency with the same exercises over a period of six to eight weeks can help improve coordination and movement skill as well as muscular strength. Efficient movement patterns require synergistic coordination between all systems of the human body. Exercise programs that emphasize using movement patterns use a number of muscles at the same time, which can make the workouts more metabolically challenging, helping you burn more calories, which is essential for maintaining a healthy body weight.

To create and sustain the energy for dynamic, multidirectional movement patterns, the different components of the body need to develop the ability to function as a single system controlled by the CNS. Compared to the limitations of traditional muscle isolation exercises, using only one piece of equipment to challenge the body to move in all directions can result in a more creative, engaging, effective, and fun workout experience. Multijoint movements such as squats to shoulder presses with dumbbells, lifts with a medicine ball, or kettlebell swings are all examples of exercises that involve large amounts of muscle tissue and, in turn, challenge the heart to pump blood to keep the muscles fueled, which can provide a number of health-promoting benefits.

More Excerpts From Smarter Workouts

SHOP


    HK INSIDER

    Get the latest insights with regular newsletters, plus periodic product information and special insider offers.

    JOIN NOW


    Latest Posts

    • Outdoor recreation and adventure activities lead to positive health outcomes for children
    • Schools offer a wide variety of adventure programs for children
    • Using sport to change society
    • Despite progress, equity remains a pressing challenge for women in sport
    • What today’s athletes expect from coaches
    • Barriers to youth participation in physical activity and sport
    Back to top

    About Our Products

    • Catalogs
    • Special Offers
    • Newsletters
    • Report Piracy

    Services

    • Review/Desk Copies
    • Customer Service
    • Accessibility
    • Business to Business

    About Us

    • About Human Kinetics
    • About Lotus Books
    • Career Opportunities
    • Become an Author

    Contact Us

    1607 N. Market Street
    Champaign, IL 61820

    p: 800-747-4457 / f: 217-351-1549

    CustomerSupport@hkusa.com

    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Payment methods accepted
    • American Express
    • Apple Pay
    • Diners Club
    • Discover
    • Google Pay
    • Mastercard
    • Visa

    © 2025 Human Kinetics.
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Product Safety
    • Safe Harbor Policy
    • Returns Policy
    • Shipping Policy
    • Continuing Education
    Human Kinetics Virtual Assistant