FITT Principle

Frequency
How often you do exercise?
How often should you be exercising?
-Guidelines:
 cardiorespitory training – minimum of 3 sessions
per week
ideally 5-6 sessions per week

 resistance training – minimum 3 days per week

(all body parts each session)
- up to 6 days per week
(focusing on 1-2 body parts)
Intensity
 At what percentage of your MHR are you
working?

 How hard are you pushing yourself while

you are working out?

 The amount of effort you are putting into

your workout.
-Guidelines:
 cardiorespitory training –
using your heart rate is
one of the best ways to gage your intensity

 resistance training– workload is the best indicator

of intensity and this workload has three
components
 1. amount of weight lifted
 2. number of repetitions
 3. length of time to complete workout
Time
 How long are your workouts?
-Guidelines:
 cardiorespitory –
lower level of fitness should
maintain target HR for 20-30 minutes
- can increase that to 45-60 minutes

– no longer than 45-60 minutes

 resistance training
and can be as short as 20-30 minutes

-need to make sure that you are not overworking

and leaving enough time for recovery
Type
 What kind of exercise are you doing?

 Cardiorespitory training-
 -Aerobic (in the presence of oxygen - any activity that is
performed at a low to moderate intensity for more than 90
seconds, allowing oxygen to release energy through
metabolism, is usually called an aerobic activity)*
 -improves your cardiovascular system
 -should be continuous in nature
 -should use large muscle groups
 Running, walking, cycling, swimming, aerobics classes
Resistance training -
 Anaerobic (in the absence of oxygen... and any
activity that is performed at a medium to high
intensity for less than 2 minutes, where energy is
derived without oxygen, is usually called an
anaerobic activity)*
 -stressing the neuromuscular system
 -weights
 -resistance bands
 -circuit training
* Physical fitness is a compromise of
cardiorespiratory endurance, strength, flexibility,
power, speed, coordination, agility, balance,
accuracy and toughness.

*denotes definitions taken from

http://www.1speedtraining.com/aerobic-anaerobic-
training.html website

**CDC recommends:
Children and adolescents should do 60 minutes
(1 hour) or more of physical activity each day.
Sports Training Principles
Sport specific training has a more in-
depth set of principles that should be
applied:
-specificity
-overload
-adaptation
-progression
-reversibility
-variation
*taken from: www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/fitt-principle.html
*for more information: “Sport Training Principles” (1997) Frank Dick