Lec 2 - Fit

• Exercise training and sport sessions

  1. Start with a 10–15-min dynamic warm-up period

  2. Finish with an active cool-down period of less intense activity
• Between the training sessions, there must be enough time to recover
• Principle of Overload


  • The most basic law of exercise
  • The only way to produce fitness and health benefits is to make your body do more than it normally does
  • A system must be exercised at a level beyond which it is presently accustomed for a training eǣect to occur
  • The system being exercised will gradually adapt to the overload or training stimulus being applied, and this will go on happening as long as the training stimulus continues to be increased until the tissue can no longer adapt
  • The training stimulus applied consists of diǣerent variables such as intensity, duration, and frequency of exercise
  • It is important to give the system being exercised enough time to recover and only apply a training stimulus again when the system is no longer fatigued
• FITT Principle


  • Frequency (how often)
  • Intensity (how hard)
  • Time (duration or how long)
  • Type (What kind)
• Frequency


  • Exercise should be carried out 3-5 days a week
  • Training three times a week produces significant training eǣects
  • Training 5 days a week at a lower-intensity exercise may be more manageable for some people
  • Little additional benefit is seen with more than five training sessions a week, and the risk of injury is increased
  • Training twice a week does not produce increases in VO2max, but may produce some functional changes and is probably better than no exercise at all
  • Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise done at least 5 days a week or vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise done at least 3 days a week or a weekly combination of 3–5 days a week of moderate and vigorous-intensity exercise is recommended for most adults to achieve and maintain health/fitness benefits
• Intensity


  • Intensity can vary between light, moderate and vigorous intensity activities
  • A good rule of thumb is that a person doing moderate-intensity aerobic activity can talk, but not sing. A person doing vigorous-intensity activity cannot say more than a few words without pausing for a breath
  • Measures of perceived eǣort and aǣective valence (i.e. The pleasantness of exercise) could be used to modulate or refine the prescribed exercise intensity. e.g. Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scales, Talk Test
  • In order to train the correct energy system, you need to calculate your MAXIMUM HEART RATE (MHR) = 220-AGE
• Time (duration or how long)

  • Intensity will aǣect the time (or duration) of each training session
  • To achieve improvements in aerobic fitness, you should aim to spend at least 20 minutes per session in the target zone
  • A total of 20-60 minutes of continuous or intermittent aerobic activity a day should be performed. The activity can be divided into a minimum of lO-minute bouts throughout the day. The duration of training is dependent on intensity. Individuals starting at the lower end of the training band need to sustain exercise longer (30-60 minutes) to achieve training eǣects
• Type (What kind)


  • Refers to the sort of activity to complete eg Aerobic activities like walking, jogging, biking, swimming or dancing or strengthening activities such as exercises using exercise bands, weight machines or hand-held weights
• The FITT Principles: Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type should be used individualised to the clients needs
• Principle of Progression


  • The amount and intensity of your exercise should be increased gradually
  • After your body adapts to increased exercise intensity, your activity/exercise becomes too easy. You will need to increase the intensity again. (Do more work)
• Specificity


  • Any exercise will train a system for the particular task being carried out as the training stimulus
  • The specific type of exercise you do to determine the specific benefit you receive
• Reversibility


  The beneficial eǣects of training begin to be lost as soon as training stops. This happens in a similar time frame as it takes to train the system. "When you don't use it, you will lose it"
• Individuality


  Variation in response to a training program will occur in a population as people respond diǣerently to the same training program. This response can be explained by: the initial fitness level of the individual; their health status; and their genetic makeup. Training programs should be designed to take this into account
• Rest and Recovery


  • Rest - the time given to recovery
  • Recovery – The time required to repair damage to the body caused by training