Fitness: The FITT Principle - A beginner's guide

Many people often ask me what the “best” method for achieving workoutgoals should be. Since there are MANY ways of working out, different goals, different body types, different schedules, and different interests, the answer to that question would vary drastically from person to person. So, I want to share with you a principle that should help you to answer that question for yourself and to help you design your own workout program.

It is called the FITT principle.

“The FITT Principle applies to any type of resistance training, whether it is for limit strength, speed-strength, anaerobic strength or aerobic strength. It is especially suited to 'beginners’ efforts because it spells out exactly what they should do to get started. Applying the FITT Principle will ensure that your training is reasonably effective.”

Frequency : How often should you exercise each week? Twice for maintenance, 3 times for beginners, 5 times for serious fitness enthusiasts and up to 14 or more times for elite athletes.

Intensity : How hard should you exercise: If training 2 or 3 times weekly, train with high intensity; if training 5 or more times weekly, you should split your workouts between certain muscle groups, vary the exercises performed, vary the amount of weight/reps between sessions, and make sure you have enough rest between workouts to prevent overtraining.

Time : How long should you exercise each session?

• For weight training, 45 minutes to 1 hour is usually sufficient, but it depends on what your goals are.

• For cardio workouts, usually 30 to 45 minutes is sufficient, but the heart rate needs to remain within the training zone to have any benefit. To find your training zone, use this formula: Subtract your age from 220. Your exercise heart rate needs to be between 65% and 85% of whatever that number is. To find your exercise heart rate, periodically check your pulse for 6 seconds, and then add a 0 to the end of that number. That will tell you what your exercise heart rate is. If it’s below 65%, then you need to pick up the pace. If it’s above 85%, then you need to take it down a little.

Type : What exercises should you do? Beginners training 2 or 3 times weekly should choose an array of exercises and exercise methods to reverse the processes of disuse in all major muscle groups and bodily systems; Athletes do likewise, but only during their off-season. Pre- and In-season training must be highly specific to the tasks/skills of their respective sports.

Fitness: The Complete Guide, p. 6.12)