Using F.I.T.T. too your ADVANTAGE! Be Creative and shock your body!

Using F.I.T.T. too your ADVANTAGE! Be Creative and shock your body!

Nobody like to do the same workout routine day after day after day. It gets old fast and leads to mental burnout pretty quick. Not only is it mentally draining, but being rigid in a strict routine can set you up for failure, as life is never the same everyday. By using the F.I.T.T factors (frequency, intensity, time, type) you can be creative in your training routine, keeping it mentally stimulating while also providing flexibility for those times that cut your workout session short. This week we will go over F. and I. while next week will include T. T. Use this knowledge too your advantage and watch your body respond!

Frequency
This variable can be adjusted to compliment a progressive integrated training program. By starting with just a few times a week, you can increase your training frequency (i.e. from 3 days a week to 5 or 6 days a week) to promote accelerated results without overtraining.

When certain life events get in the way of your workout routine, you can decrease the frequency while increasing other variables in the F.I.T.T factor (i.e. intensity and/or time). Say you have a project at work that is holding you in the office later than usual. You can decrease your training frequency from 5 days a week to 2 or 3 while increasing the intensity of your workout.

Intensity
Intensity refers to the level of demand an activity places on the body. This is usually measured by heart rate and/or VO2 max. By keeping track of your Target Heart Rate, you can easily modify this variable to fit your desired fitness goal. Knowing your training intensity is key to avoiding overtraining, mental burnout and decreasing your risk of injury.

This variable can be altered when you are in a time crunch and want to maximize your results. If you typically have time for a 2 hour workout session in the gym but something has come up and you now only have an hour, you can train with less time at a higher intensity. This will yield similar results.

Check out the rest next week!