The objective of fitness training is to cause physiological adaptations that improve performance in a specific task. Whether you are interested in improving strength, speed, or endurance, your fitness program should follow established training principles. This will allow you to gain the most physiological benefit from the time you invest in your workout sessions.
Even though you may not plan to compete in athletic events, adhering to the following training principles will help you improve and maintain your fitness level and allow you to easily perform your activities of daily living along with other pleasurable physical activities:
Even though you may not plan to compete in athletic events, adhering to the following training principles will help you improve and maintain your fitness level and allow you to easily perform your activities of daily living along with other pleasurable physical activities:
Adaptation - your body adapts to the degree of stress placed upon it. Your physical condition is not static; it reflects the specific adaptation of your body to everyday use or disuse. When extra demands are made, your body adapts by becoming stronger and when you are inactive your body becomes weaker.
Overload – to become physically conditioned your body must work harder than normal. This can be achieved by adjusting FITT (i.e., the Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type of physical activity):
This concept of progressive, individualized overload applies equally to athletes, sedentary individuals, and cardiac patients. First build up the time you spend being active, then become active more often before you engage in activities that require more effort. This gradual increase in overload will help you avoid excessive fatigue and soreness. After a workout and cool down you should have a pleasantly tired and relaxed feeling. Although some soreness and fatigue is expected, especially during the initial training period, excessive amounts that extend into the next day or cause disrupted sleep are an indication of over training. "Train don't strain" is a better approach than "no pain, no gain."
Specificity – Training programs must be specific to your individual needs and the demands of the physical activity. The most efficient way to develop fitness for your particular activity is to train the energy systems and muscles as closely as possible to that activity. "Specific exercise elicits specific adaptations creating specific training effects."
When training for a specific aerobic activity such as cycling, the overload must engage the appropriate muscles required by the activity as well as challenge the specific energy systems needed. If you are in good physical condition for one activity (e.g., cycling) the adaptations unfortunately won't transfer to another activity (e.g., swimming). Training is specific and "you get what you train for" whether it is speed, strength, or endurance for an individual activity.
Individual Differences - the response to training is unique to each person. Many factors contribute to the individual variation in training response. One of the most important factors is your relative fitness level at the start of a training program. Everyone will not respond to the same amount of training in the same manner. When fitness programs are planned to meet the individual needs and capacities of the participants, training benefits are optimized.
Diminishing Returns - If you are poorly conditioned when you begin a training program, your fitness level will improve rapidly. As you become more physically fit the amount of improvement lessens as you approach your genetic potential. Thus, more training is needed to see additional gains as your fitness level increases and the rate of improvement will diminish as you become more physically conditioned. If you are not training for athletic competition, your workouts can eventually focus on fitness level maintenance.
Variance - Regularly varying exercises or activities will help you maintain your interest in fitness training. Limiting repetitive workouts allows your body to recover and avoid becoming overstressed. Although it is important to keep the specificity principle in mind and focus on training for the specific demands needed for a specific type of activity, adding a variety of activities can keep your training program fresh. Including variety can be as good as a rest and rest is an important and yet often overlooked component of conditioning programs.
Reversibility- It's true that you either "use it or lose it." If you stop training, your fitness level will decline usually faster than it was gained. Strength training causes your muscles to get larger (hypertrophy) and stopping, or detraining, causes your muscles to get smaller (atrophy). After just two weeks of not exercising, significant reductions in working capacity can be measured and almost all of your fitness program training improvements are lost within several months of inactivity. As an extreme example, the body experiences approximately a 1% decrease in physiological function each day of confined bed rest. The benefits of exercise are transient and reversible which is the saddest principle of training! Instead of experiencing cycles of detraining and retraining, it’s important to make exercise a regular and enjoyable part of your routine to keep active for a lifetime of fitness.
Be Well,
Mary
P.S. Please ignore the text box below; your comments are always welcome here.
Overload – to become physically conditioned your body must work harder than normal. This can be achieved by adjusting FITT (i.e., the Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type of physical activity):
- Frequency - number of sessions per week
- Intensity - difficulty level (e.g., speed, resistance)
- Time - session duration
- Type - exercise or activity suited to your fitness goal
This concept of progressive, individualized overload applies equally to athletes, sedentary individuals, and cardiac patients. First build up the time you spend being active, then become active more often before you engage in activities that require more effort. This gradual increase in overload will help you avoid excessive fatigue and soreness. After a workout and cool down you should have a pleasantly tired and relaxed feeling. Although some soreness and fatigue is expected, especially during the initial training period, excessive amounts that extend into the next day or cause disrupted sleep are an indication of over training. "Train don't strain" is a better approach than "no pain, no gain."
Specificity – Training programs must be specific to your individual needs and the demands of the physical activity. The most efficient way to develop fitness for your particular activity is to train the energy systems and muscles as closely as possible to that activity. "Specific exercise elicits specific adaptations creating specific training effects."
When training for a specific aerobic activity such as cycling, the overload must engage the appropriate muscles required by the activity as well as challenge the specific energy systems needed. If you are in good physical condition for one activity (e.g., cycling) the adaptations unfortunately won't transfer to another activity (e.g., swimming). Training is specific and "you get what you train for" whether it is speed, strength, or endurance for an individual activity.
Individual Differences - the response to training is unique to each person. Many factors contribute to the individual variation in training response. One of the most important factors is your relative fitness level at the start of a training program. Everyone will not respond to the same amount of training in the same manner. When fitness programs are planned to meet the individual needs and capacities of the participants, training benefits are optimized.
Diminishing Returns - If you are poorly conditioned when you begin a training program, your fitness level will improve rapidly. As you become more physically fit the amount of improvement lessens as you approach your genetic potential. Thus, more training is needed to see additional gains as your fitness level increases and the rate of improvement will diminish as you become more physically conditioned. If you are not training for athletic competition, your workouts can eventually focus on fitness level maintenance.
Variance - Regularly varying exercises or activities will help you maintain your interest in fitness training. Limiting repetitive workouts allows your body to recover and avoid becoming overstressed. Although it is important to keep the specificity principle in mind and focus on training for the specific demands needed for a specific type of activity, adding a variety of activities can keep your training program fresh. Including variety can be as good as a rest and rest is an important and yet often overlooked component of conditioning programs.
Reversibility- It's true that you either "use it or lose it." If you stop training, your fitness level will decline usually faster than it was gained. Strength training causes your muscles to get larger (hypertrophy) and stopping, or detraining, causes your muscles to get smaller (atrophy). After just two weeks of not exercising, significant reductions in working capacity can be measured and almost all of your fitness program training improvements are lost within several months of inactivity. As an extreme example, the body experiences approximately a 1% decrease in physiological function each day of confined bed rest. The benefits of exercise are transient and reversible which is the saddest principle of training! Instead of experiencing cycles of detraining and retraining, it’s important to make exercise a regular and enjoyable part of your routine to keep active for a lifetime of fitness.
Be Well,
Mary
P.S. Please ignore the text box below; your comments are always welcome here.
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