Fitt principle assignment

Set SMART Goals

To set successful goals, try using the SMART system. SMART goals are specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time-oriented.

A vague goal would be “I will improve my fitness by exercising more.” A SMART goal would be as follows:

· Specific. “I will participate in a resistance-training program that targets all of the major muscle groups 3 to 5 days per week.”

· Measurable. “I will improve my fitness classification from the average classification to the above average classification.”

· Action-oriented. “I will meet with a personal trainer to learn how to safely do resistance exercises and to plan a workout for the gym and home.”

· Realistic. “I will increase the weight I can lift by 20 percent.”

· Time-oriented. “I will try my new weight program for 8 weeks, then reassess.”

WHICH PATH WOULD YOU TAKE?

Are you going to hit the gym or the couch after class?

A photograph shows an empty running race yard.

Go to Mastering Health to play Which Path Would You Take? and see where decisions like these lead you!

Use the FITT Principle

To improve your health-related physical fitness (or performance-related physical fitness), use the FITT (frequency, intensity, time, and type) 42 principle to define your exercise program. The FITT prescription ( FIGURE 12.4 ) uses the following criteria:

FIGURE 12.4 The FITT Principle Applied to Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Muscular Strength and Endurance, and Flexibility

A chart shows examples of how the F I T T principle can be used towards cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular fitness, and flexibility.

Figure 12.4 Full Alternative Text

· Frequency refers to the number of times per week you need to engage in particular exercises to achieve the desired level of physical fitness in a particular component.

· Intensity refers to how hard your workout must be to achieve the desired level of physical fitness.

· Time , or duration, refers to how many minutes or repetitions of an exercise are required at a specified intensity during any one session to attain the desired level of physical fitness for each component.

· Type refers to what kind of exercises should be performed to improve the specific component of physical fitness.

150 MINUTES of moderate physical activity a week—along with strength exercises 2 days a week—provides substantial HEALTH BENEFITS. More is even better!

The FITT Principle for Cardiorespiratory Fitness

The most effective aerobic exercises for building cardiorespiratory fitness are whole-body activities involving all the large muscle groups. The FITT prescription for cardiorespiratory fitness includes 3 to 5 days per week of vigorous, rhythmic, continuous activity at 64 to 96 percent of your estimated maximal heart rate for 20 to 60 minutes. 43

Frequency 

The frequency of your program is related to your intensity. If you choose to do moderate-intensity exercises, you should aim for a frequency of at least 5 days (frequency drops to at least 3 days per week with vigorous-intensity activities). Newcomers to exercise can still improve by doing less-intense exercise (light to moderate level) but doing it more days each week. In this case, follow the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for moderate physical activity (refer to Table 12.1 ).

Intensity 

The most commonly used methods to determine the intensity of cardiorespiratory endurance exercises are target heart rate, rating of perceived exertion, and the talk test. The exercise intensity required to improve cardiorespiratory endurance is a heart rate between 64 and 96 percent of your maximum heart rate (moderate to vigorous intensity). Before calculating your target heart rate , you must first estimate your maximal heart rate with the formula [207−0.7(age)].[207−0.7(age)]. The following example is based on a 20-year-old. Substitute your age to determine your own maximal heart rate, then multiply by 0.64 and 0.94 to determine the lower and upper limits of your target range.

1. 207−0.7(20)=maximal207−0.7(20)=maximal heart rate for a 20-year old

2. 207−14=193207−14=193 (maximal heart rate)

3. 193(0.64)=123.52193(0.64)=123.52 (lower target limit)

4. 193.5(0.94)=185.28193.5(0.94)=185.28 (upper target limit)

5. Target range=124range=124 to 186 beats per minute

To determine how close you are to your target heart rate, determine your heart rate. As technology has advanced, it has become much easier to monitor heart rate with your cell phone or activity tracker. If you do not have your phone while exercising, see FIGURE 12.5 for the procedures for taking your carotid or radial pulse. Take your heart rate while exercising, if possible, or immediately after you stop exercising, as your heart rate decreases rapidly when you stop.