Posted by: Scott Pruett
on Aug 13, 2010
Tagged in: Untagged
The F.I.T.T. Principle
Frequency: Intensity: Time: Type. If you want to progress beyond a plateau and actually reach your fitness goal, you must change your exercise routine in at least one of these four ways.
Let’s talk about getting serious, meeting your goals, and breaking through barriers. That’s what an exercise plateau is, after all – a barrier. It’s a barrier that lies between you now and the you of your dreams. We’ve all experienced them... some point in our life when all the training in the world wasn’t enough to get results, whether that result was a quicker marathon time or a more pleasing reflection in the mirror. I’ve even seen more than one aerobics instructor that was a bit on the chubby side. How could this happen, and what can we do to overcome it?
Our bodies are masters of adaptation. Apply certain kinds of stress on a regular basis and it becomes routine. It doesn’t matter if that stress is on the treadmill, the bench press, or from our boss, our bodies make the necessary adjustments to just about any task that is repeated often. Over time, we see harder muscles when pushing the same weight, we breath less heavy while jogging, we even stop burning as many calories while doing an aerobics class.
This process happens because our bodies are seeking homeostasis [The ability or tendency of an organism or cell to maintain internal equilibrium by adjusting its physiological processes]. In simpler terms, our bodies are constantly trying to balance the task with the ability; it wants to find its own “happy place.” That’s one of the main reasons we go through long periods in life with just a few extra pounds... not really gaining, but certainly not losing either. And this stagnation continues in spite of occasional diets, and random periods of increased exercise. Such is a body in homeostasis.
The path out of this quagmire is relatively simple, but it does require effort. That’s why small amounts of change are not enough to pull your body out of its happy place. Even if that place is already really good, your escape route off the plateau is mapped out by the F.I.T.T. Principle. So, let’s go over each item one at a time.
FREQUENCY: No, it’s not a radio signal. It’s the number of times you do an exercise. That can mean more times per set, more sets per workout, more workouts per week, etc. It might sometimes be helpful to do fewer of something if for example you are wearing out body parts by doing too much. Think of the numbers involved in toning versus bulking (and if you don’t know what I mean, please ask a nearby trainer). The idea is to wake up your muscles – get them to adapt to the new stress being thrown at them.
INTENSITY: Remember the guy who always screams on the bench press? He understands the benefit of intensity. I don’t suggest you take up screaming; in fact, if you are a screamer I suggest you put that qi (energy) to better use. But we can use this example to think about our own intensity during a workout. Intensity is a deep topic, but let’s focus on this aspect: too many people make poor use of their time while at the gym. You’ve seen them, but are you also one of them? My strategy is a stopwatch. Every 60 to 90 seconds I’m right back at it, knocking out the next set. Sometimes, it’s even faster, but I don’t recommend it. The point is, you are there to accomplish a goal. Why stroll toward it when you should be sprinting?
TIME: Simply put, how much time do you spend doing an exercise? You can easily see how time overlaps with frequency and intensity, but let’s use the specific example of running to distinguish this aspect of the F.I.T.T. Principle. If someone is comfortable running for 30 minutes on the treadmill, then they decide to run a marathon in a few months, they must increase the time they spend running. If the following year, they want to compete in the 100m dash at the company picnic, they’ll sprint a lot faster if they back off the long distances for a while. Each goal has a specific strategy and consulting a professional on how to get there might save you a great deal of time.
TYPE: So, what kind of exercise do you like? Chances are your favorite exercises are the ones your body is comfortable doing. Your muscles do their work, you drink some water, take a break, it’s all good... because your body is still in its happy place! The best you can hope for is to maintain what you have now. To force your muscles to adapt, you must challenge them. Pick something hard, something that you’ve never done. Get some good instruction on how to use good form (do this with all your exercises if you aren’t positive), and I guarantee you’ll get your muscles’ attention. After some time, maybe you’ll start getting other people’s attention, too.
The great thing about the F.I.T.T. Principle is that you can create these challenges for your body by changing only one category at a time. And yes, for even quicker results, you can change two or more. The idea is to constantly force your body to adapt to the changes you are throwing at it. Even after you get the hang of this strategy, remember, your body is trying hard to find another happy place. It wants balance and equilibrium. You have to keep giving it variety in order to keep moving toward your goals. I hope you reach them; and when you do, your body will make that its new happy place.
