The F.I.T.T. Principle

• The F.I.T.T. Principle describes the four basic elements of any good training plan.

  • The initials F.I.T.T. stand for:

    • Frequency

    • Intensity

    • Type

    • Time (or duration)

Frequency

• The frequency of training sessions refers to how often you participate in training, usually on a weekly basis.

  • Training frequency depends on a number of factors, including age, conditioning, and competitive aspirations.

• The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) recommends at least three sessions a week of vigorous activities as the basis for aerobic fitness, along with three sessions of strength activities per week.

  • However, this is not nearly enough activity for top-level athletes, who may engage in as many as 15 training sessions per week.

Intensity

• Cardiorespiratory Training Intensity

  • The most common way to determine the intensity range for aerobic exercise is first to calculate your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR).

    • For healthy individuals, one’s Target Heart Rate (THR) range is typically 60-90% of MHR, depending on the individual’s level of fitness. (MHR can be calculated by subtracting your age from 220.)

• Resistance Training Intensity

  • For resistance training, one of the most popular ways of determining intensity is to work to a percentage of your One-Repetition Maximum (1RM).

    • 1RM testing should only be done by a qualified strength and conditioning trainer as injuries can result if it is not done properly

Type

• The type of training a person pursues is influenced by a number of factors.

  • A combination of aerobic and anaerobic training is ideal.

    • You can train by performing specific activities directly related to your sport (e.g., ball-control drills in soccer, stick-handling in hockey, etc.).

    • You can also train by performing activities that build strength and endurance without mimicking skills (e.g., resistance training for strength, running for aerobic endurance, and plyometric activities for power).

    • The season will also affect what type of training is done, since weather conditions may not permit certain kinds of training.

Time

• It goes without saying, perhaps:

  • All training should be progressive.

    • Individuals just beginning to exercise should keep sessions short, slowly building up to sessions of longer duration.

      • Your lifestyle is also a factor.

    • Fitting exercise into a busy schedule can be difficult, but it can pay dividends in terms of overall fitness and health and it will make other aspects of life easier.

Other Training Principles

• There are five basic training principles that complement F.I.T.T.

  • These are:

    • The Principle of Progressive Overload

    • The Principle of Specificity

    • The Principle of Reversibility

    • The Principle of Diminishing Returns

    • The Principle of Individual Differences

Progressive Overload

• For physiological changes to occur, the body must be subjected to greater stresses, applied in a progressive manner, than those to which it is normally accustomed.

  • This is known as the principle of progressive overload.

• A person training for a long bike race might begin with a shorter distance until he or she is able to cycle for longer periods of time.

  • The same is true for strength training—proceed progressively.

Specificity

• In order to reach maximum outcomes, you should mimic as closely as possible the effort required in the sport or activity.

  • This is known as the principle of specificity.

• Hurdlers like Perdita Felicien must train by jumping hurdles and distance runners must train by running distances to achieve their best results.

  • In addition to whatever strength and aerobic training may be required, peak performance requires attention and effort directed to the specific activities involved in the sport.

Reversibility

• Stated another way: “Use it or lose it”! This is the principle of reversibility—namely, if you stop training for a period of time, the improvements you made will be lost or reversed.

  • Detraining is the term used to describe the process that occurs when someone stops training; for example, as a result of:

    • Injury

    • Lack of motivation

    • Other commitments that encroach on available training time.

• Most professional athletes intentionally “lie low” in the “off season” to refresh themselves for the new competition period.

Diminishing Returns

• An athlete will eventually reach a “performance plateau” at which point his or her progress in training and results tend to level off.

  • At that point, improvements become more difficult to achieve—that is, there are diminishing returns.

• A person who has had relatively little training (such as a beginning jogger) is usually able to make significant gains early on in terms of both fitness and strength.

  • Highly trained runners usually make relatively smaller gains with repeated training.

Individual Differences

• Every athlete has a unique physical and psychological makeup and responds differently to a given training protocol.

  • This is known as the principle of individual differences.

• Good coaches and trainers take this principle into account and come up with a program and fitness regimen that is ideally suited to each athlete.

  • Individuals have different needs—you cannot simply copy someone else’s fitness regimen.

Bust A Myth → “Training is Only For Athletes”

• Contrary to an often-held belief, physical training is not something that only elite athletes can engage in.

  • Any person, regardless of their age, ability, or previous experience, can adapt the basic principles of training into an exercise program that suits their particular needs.

    • If possible, work with a qualified teacher, trainer, or coach to come up with an appropriate program that takes into account your pre-fitness training level, age, gender, previous injuries or susceptibility to injury, and perhaps specific requirements within a sport.