The 8 Training Principles are research-based guidelines that can help you accelerate your training progress and optimize your results. Knowing how to apply these principles gives you an educated foundation on which to make informed decisions about the design of your fitness or sports training program. The principles can also help you evaluate the merits of fitness equipment and personal training services.
All principles complement each other. For best results, they should be applied together during each phase of training.
1. Principle of specificity it suggests that your body will make adjustments according to the type of training you do and the very muscles you exercise. How you train determines what you get.
This principle guides you in designing your physical training program. If your goal is to improve your overall fitness level, we recommend a comprehensive program that builds both endurance and overall body strength. If you want to build the size of your biceps, you need to increase the weight loads on bicep curls and related exercises.
2. The overload principle It implies that you must continually increase training loads as your body adapts over time. As your body develops and adjusts to your existing training regimen, you must gradually and systematically increase your workload for continuous improvement.
A generally accepted guideline for weight training is to increase resistance by no more than 10% per week. You can also use percentages of your estimated maximum or peak performance level and exercise within a target training zone of around 60-85% of maximum. As your peak performance improves, so will your training loads.
3. The recovery principle active that you should rest enough between workouts to recover. The amount of rest you need depends on your training schedule, fitness level, diet, and other factors.
Generally, if you do a total bodyweight workout three days a week, rest at least 48 hours between sessions. You can do cardio more often and on successive days of the week.
Over time, too little recovery can lead to signs of overtraining. Excessively long periods of recovery time can cause a detraining effect.
4. The principle of reversibility refers to the loss of fitness that occurs after you stop training. Over time, he will return to his pre-training condition. The biological principle of use and disuse underlies this principle. Simply stated, If you don’t use it, you lose it.
While adequate recovery time is essential, taking extended breaks produces detraining effects that can be noticed within a few weeks. Significant levels of fitness are lost over longer periods. Only about 10% of strength is lost 8 weeks after training stops, but 30-40% of endurance is lost in the same time period.
The Reversibility Principle does not apply to abilities. The effects of stopping the practice of motor skills, such as weight training exercises and sports skills, are very different. The coordination appears to be stored in long-term motor memory and remains nearly perfect for decades. A skill once learned is never forgotten.
5. The principle of variation It means you have to constantly change aspects of your workouts. Training variations should always occur within ranges that are aligned with training directions and goals. Varying exercises, sets, reps, intensity, volume, and duration, for example, prevents boredom and promotes more consistent improvement over time. A well-planned and phased training program offers a built-in variety of workouts and also prevents overtraining.
6. The principle of transfer suggests that training activities can improve the performance of other skills with common elements, such as sports skills, work tasks or other exercises. For example, performing explosive squats can improve vertical jump due to their common movement qualities. But the deadlift would not transfer well to marathon swimming due to its very different qualities of movement.
7. The principle of individualization suggests that physical training programs should be adjusted for personal differences, such as abilities, skills, gender, experience, motivation, past injuries, and physical condition. While general principles and best practices are good guides, each person’s unique qualities should be part of the exercise equation. There is not one size training program.
8. The principle of balance it is a broad concept that operates at different levels of healthy living. It suggests that you should maintain the right mix of exercise, diet, and healthy behaviors. Losing your balance can cause a variety of conditions (eg, anemia, obesity) that affect health and fitness. In short, it suggests all things in moderation.
If you go to extreme lengths to lose weight or improve your fitness too quickly, your body will soon respond. You may experience symptoms of overtraining until you find a healthy training balance that works for you.
For physical training, balance also applies to muscles. If the opposing muscles (eg, hamstrings and quadriceps in the upper legs) are not strengthened in the proper proportions, injuries can occur. Muscle imbalances also contribute to tendinitis and postural deviations.
Keep these 8 training principles in mind when designing and carrying out your physical training program. They can help you make wise exercise decisions so you can reach your goals faster with less effort.