Principles of Getting Fit

Posted on June 26, 2008

There are certain principles of training that we have to follow in order to get into better shape. How we follow these principles determines how fast, or if, our bodies respond to the training we are doing.

One of the most important principles to remember is the overload principle. This means putting a greater load on the body system (by system I mean the aerobic, anaerobic, strength, flexibility, etc. systems that we train) we are training than that system is used to. Whether it is cardio, strength training, or stretching, the load must be greater than the system is used to or no gains will be made.

When the overload is removed from a system, the training effects will start to go away. This is called the law of reversibility. Basically, we need to use it or we will lose it. I am sure we all have felt this law in action at some point in our lives. We ease off our training programs and maybe even stop our training and then after a week or two, we try to do what we used to and our bodies can’t do it anymore. The overload was removed and the training gains were lost.

There are a few principles that help determine how much of an overload we put on our bodies and body systems:

  • Frequency – this is how many training sessions are done each week. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends a frequency of 3-5 days per week for cardio training. Those working out at a lower intensity may need 5 days to get all the health benefits of their training while those working out at a higher intensity may only need 3-4 days to get the benefits.
  • Duration – this is the time of the workload. ACSM recommends 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity, and 60 minutes or more may be necessary for weight loss and weight control.1
  • Intensity – this is how difficult the workload is. This can be manipulated in a number of ways. For example, during cardio training, a person running at 85% of their heart rate maximum is at a higher intensity than someone running at 70% HRmax. During strength training, intensity can be manipulated by the number of reps or by the resistance (weight). For cardio, ACSM recommends somewhere between 64-94% of maximum heart rate as a good intensity. Brisk walking is, for some people, an intense enough activity to provide a training effect. 2

These are proven training principles that will help get all of us into better shape. Don’t stress so much over all the details of these principles. Just get moving for at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week. If you are doing that your body will become more fit, and then you can increase the duration of your workout, or the intensity by walking/running faster.

  1. Mitchell H. Whaley, ed., ACSM’s Guideline for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 7th ed (Baltimore: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2007), 147-48. [↩]
  2. Ibid., 140-41. [↩]

Other Posts You Might Like:

 Subscribe

Don't forget to shop for gear at LittleTriathlete

» Filed Under Exercise, Strength Training

Comments

  • http://kipandcarolyn.blogspot.com Carolyn Holderness

    Reading this reminded me of the days when I was a student and I would walk to school up those (seemingly endless!) stairs. It became a little bit easier each day throughout the semester. But once I graduated and therefore stopped going up those stairs, I lost what I had agined. I tried it again several months later and I could hardly breathe. Interesting!

  • http://kipandcarolyn.blogspot.com Carolyn Holderness

    *I meant to type “gained” and not “agined”