Program Plan Design – FITT Principle Using the FITT principle as a guideline, design a basic cardiovascular and weight program plan. Be sure to specify a training goal and include exercises that workout the entire body. Frequency of Exercise For general fitness the ACSM recommends 2–3 days per week for weight training. Allow muscles at least 1 day of rest between workouts. Intensity of Exercise: Amount of Resistance The amount of weight lifted determines the way the body will adapt and how quickly it will adapt. To build strength rapidly, lift weights as heavy as 80% of your maximum capacity. For endurance, choose 40–60% of your maximum. Rather than continually assessing maximum capacity, base weight on the number of repetitions you can perform. Time of Exercise: Repetitions and Sets To improve fitness, you must perform enough repetitions to fatigue your muscles. A heavy weight and a low number of repetitions (1–5) build strength. A light weight and a high number of repetitions (15–20) build endurance. For general fitness, do 8–12 repetitions of each exercise. For older and more frail people (50–60 years of age and above), 10–15 repetitions with a lighter weight is appropriate. Type or Mode of Exercise A complete weight training program works all the major muscle groups, including neck, upper back, shoulders, arms, chest, abdomen, lower back, thighs, buttocks, and calves. Usually, 8–10 different exercises are required in order to work all major muscle groups. A balanced program includes exercises for both agonist and antagonist muscle groups. Exercise the large-muscle groups first and then small-muscle groups. Chapter 11 provides examples of workouts using the FITT principle but you may also visit the following website.
Reflection: I was very unfamiliar with creating my own workout routine. After reading the section about FITT, which stands for Frequency of Exercise, Intensity of Exercise, Time of Exercise: Repetitions and Sets, and Type or Mode of Exercise, I realized that it was quite easy to make one. I first had to figure out which cardiovascular exercise I wanted to start off with. I decided to go with a speed walk/run and mountain climbers because they seemed like the easiest things to do at home without needing equipment. Then I had to figure out what weight workouts to do. It was quite hard at first, but then I realized that I have done some for my weight lifting class a semester ago. I listed: Dumbbell front raise, bench press, leg press, and hip thrust. I listed those because they all use weights that could be accessed for free on school campuses. This assignment was somewhat easy to finish, but was confusing at first due to me not having experience creating my own workout plan. It is great to know that I could make a work out plan and not struggle with it in the future.