Most of us have been in the situation either where we’re struggling to start an exercise program or where we’re struggling to get an effective workout in after exercising for quite some time. How can we develop a plan that’s more effective to reach your fitness goals? Look no further than the F.I.T.T principle.

What’s the F.I.T.T Principle?

The F.I.T.T principle is a framework that helps you structure your exercise program. F.I.T.T stands for:

• Frequency

• Intensity

• Time

• Type of Exercise

Each of these four elements provides a comprehensive structure for you to create workouts that can fit, no pun intended, your fitness goals based on your fitness level. Let’s take a deeper look at each of these elements to see how the F.I.T.T principle works in action.

Frequency

The first thought that likely comes into everyone’s minds when setting up a workout plan is the frequency - how often you’ll exercise. The frequency should depend on a variety of factors, such as the type of exercise, your current fitness level, and your desired fitness goals to name just a few.

Let’s take a closer look at some basic guidance on frequency:

• When it comes to cardio: In general, cardio workouts can be scheduled more often. Depending on your fitness level and fitness goals, aim for anywhere from three to five cardio sessions a week based on the vigor of the activity and what your body can handle. If you’re aiming to lose weight, you’ll likely want to up the number of sessions closer to five to six times per week.

• When it comes to strength training: It’s recommended to incorporate some form of strength training anywhere from two to four times a week. The frequency will ultimately depend on the type of strength training you’re doing, such as training centered around weights, body weight, resistance bands, and/or machines.

• Incorporating rest days: It’s important to also give your body, heart, and muscles rest days when you’re forming your exercise plan. Aim to incorporate at least one day of rest per week at minimum to allow for sufficient time to recover.

Intensity

How hard you work and how difficult the exercise may be all comes down to intensity. Let’s dive deeper into intensity and see how you can vary it up depending on the type of workout:

• When it comes to cardio: There is a multitude of ways in which you can measure your workout intensity, some of which include:

  • Target heart rate zone with a heart monitor

  • Perceived physical exertion

  • The Talk Test

  A general recommendation would be to follow a moderate intensity approach for more steady-state cardio activities, such as going for a jog or run, and interval training for higher intensity cardio activities. It’s a great idea to also mix up the intensity of your cardio sessions to avoid overtraining and stimulate the body in different ways.

• When it comes to strength training: If you’re just starting out with a new strength training exercise program, we don’t want to make the plan too challenging. There are a variety of parameters with strength training when it comes to intensity, such as:

  • Amount of weight lifted

  • Number of repetitions and sets performed

  As a general recommendation, start out with light weights and higher repetitions with a low number of sets (e.g. 10-12 reps for 2-3 sets) if you’re just starting out and looking to build muscle stability and endurance. If you’re an experienced weightlifter who is looking to put on more muscle and build strength, you can lift heavier weights for lower repetitions and more sets (e.g. 3-6 reps for 5 sets).

Time

The next element to consider is the time and duration you’ll spend exercising each session. Health experts generally recommend that most adults should partake in at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise per week.

Let’s break the time component down further:

• When it comes to cardio: Most cardio sessions are recommended to last at least 30 minutes; however, this can be much longer depending on the type of cardio-based activity. Playing sports, for example, can take upwards of 1.5 to 2 hours.

• When it comes to strength training: Resistance training typically lasts anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour; however, this can be shorter or longer depending on the specific fitness goals and type of strength training that’s being performed.

Type of Exercise

The last part of the F.I.T.T. principle, the type of exercise you do as the component suggests, refers to the nature of exercise that is performed and is easy to manipulate in order to switch things up from time to time and avoid overtraining.

• When it comes to cardio: Cardio is pretty easy to switch things up with since anything that gets your heart rate up and improves your cardiovascular system is fair game. Some types of cardio exercises you can try out include:

  • Running

  • Cycling

  • Walking

  • Swimming

  • Dancing

  Having more than one go-to cardio activity can reduce boredom and provide variety to your exercise program!

• When it comes to strength training: Similar to cardio, there are a number of different options when it comes to strength training since any type of exercise that tones and strengthens the muscles can count. Some types of strength training exercises you can give a try include:

  • Bodyweight Exercises (e.g. pushups, pullups, situps)

  • Supersetting and Dropsetting

  • 5x5 Workouts

  • Resistance Band Workout

  • Pyramid Training

The Takeaway

Regardless of where you’re at with your fitness journey and fitness levels, you can use the F.I.T.T. principle as a guide to creating effective exercise programs. The principle will benefit your fitness journey to:

1. Reach your fitness goals

2. Bust through fitness plateaus

3. Stay consistent with your workouts

Changing any one of the four elements in the F.I.T.T principle can work wonders to your workout and how your body responds to the new workout. When you think you need some new inspiration, F.I.T.T will always be there to help guide you.

Overall, you know the limits of your body, so implement changes that are best suited to your lifestyle and based on specific recommendations from your doctor. At the end of the day, it’s your exercise program, so you can tailor it to best fit you!