Fitness Principles I

Ok class, last week we learned about the 5 different principles of fitness:

Frequency

Intensity

Duration

Modality

Progression

I provided guidelines on frequency and duration in my blog last week, so let's start talking about intensity.

Intensity can me measured in a couple of ways.

HR: Heart rate monitoring (with metabolic data that is accurate and up to date)

RPE: Rate of Perceived Exertion (subjective feeling rated on a 1-10 scale)

When you are first starting out with exercise, an RPE scale is a valuable tool that a trainer can use to make sure you are working hard enough for benefit, but not so stressful that there is a diminished return situation.

As you grow and evolve with your fitness, a heart rate monitor and exercise testing become much more valuable and necessary in order to continue to improve performance.

How hard you are working during a given workout is directly tied to duration and frequency, progression and modality. If you are not sure how hard to work, my suggestion is err on the side of caution and progress accordingly...remember...

Your body responds to consistency over time, not one single super hard workout.

Confused? Good, start asking questions, I am here to help!