The F.I.T.T. Principle for an Effective Workout
What Is F.I.T.T.?
F - Frequency
I - Intensity
T - Time
T - Type
= F.I.T.T
Understanding the F.I.T.T. principle helps you create a workout plan that will be more effective in reaching your fitness goals. F.I.T.T. stands for frequency, intensity, time, and type of exercise. These are the four elements you need to think about to create workouts that fit your goals and fitness level. Learn how the F.I.T.T. principle works.
Frequency
The first thing to set up with your workout plan is frequency—how often you will exercise. Your frequency often depends on a variety of factors including the type of workout you're doing, how hard you're working, your fitness level, and your exercise goals.
In general, the exercise guidelines set out by the American College of Sports Medicine give you a place to start when figuring out how often to work out for both cardio and strength training.
Cardio Workouts
Cardio workouts are usually scheduled more often. Depending on your goal, guidelines recommend moderate exercise five or more days a week or intense cardio three days a week to improve your health.
If you want to lose weight, you'll want to work up to more frequent workouts, often up to six or more days a week.
Strength Training
The recommended frequency for strength training is two to three non-consecutive days a week. You should have at least one to two days between sessions.
Your frequency, however, will often depend on the workouts you're doing, because you want to work your muscles at least two times a week. If you do a split routine, like upper body one day and lower body the next, your workouts will be more frequent than total body workouts.
Intensity
Intensity has to do with how hard you work during exercise. How you can change the intensity depends on the type of workout you're doing.
