6.7 Training Principles

“The idea that in order to see progress, you must continue to challenge yourself by increasing the frequency, duration, or intensity of your training.”

Imagine you want to gain lower-body strength, so you decide to start squatting with a 10 kg kettlebell. At first, it feels challenging, but after a few weeks, the same weight starts to feel easier. To keep improving, you have decided to increase your weight to 15 kg. Once again, after a few weeks, the 15 kg weight starts to feel easier. This principle is known as progressive overload. It refers to the gradual increase of stress placed on the body during training. Stress can be increased through a number of methods, including but not limited to increased weight, repetitions, or sets of exercise. As the body adapts to these challenges, continued improvement requires the introduction of new demands. Without this progression, physical development will eventually plateau.

“The idea that you need to do specific exercises to improve a specific aspect of your fitness.”

The principle of specificity describes how the body adapts to the type of training it performs. To improve the performance of a particular activity, training must mimic the demands of that activity. This means that the training should closely reflect the movements, muscles, and energy systems involved. For example, someone aiming to improve their running ability should focus primarily on running-based workouts. This principle does not neglect that training should include a variety of exercises and avoid overtraining. However, it does support the idea that if you are trying to gain muscular strength, for instance, engaging in strength training will benefit you more than other activities.

“The idea that if you stop exercising (or stop a particular activity), you lose the effects of training.”

Sometimes referred to as detraining, reversibility refers to the decline in physical fitness or ability that occurs when training is reduced or stopped altogether. Reversibility can occur because of injury or overuse, forcing an individual to scale back or take a leave from training; a lack of motivation due to a change in priorities or interest; or other commitments impeding the current training regimen or schedule.

For instance, most professional athletes operate on an “on-season” and “off-season” schedule where the on-season is spent adhering to a strict training regimen, and the off-season is spent resting, refreshing, or potentially maintaining a lower level of physical fitness. During the off-season, such athletes would experience reversibility in that some of their training benefits are lost until they return to their on-season regimen.

“The idea that an athlete will eventually reach a plateau in performance where progress in training begins to level off and further improvements become harder to achieve.”

When an individual first starts working out or starts working in an area or skill they haven’t prioritized before, they often see noticeable improvements in a relatively short period of time. This may present as more strength, better endurance, weight loss or gain, or visible changes in muscle tone. Over time, improvements will become smaller and harder to achieve.

This is the principle of diminishing returns that describes how an individual new to an activity or exercise will see substantial improvements during the first few weeks or months of participation. However, once an individual becomes more trained, improvements will be smaller and harder to achieve. This is because humans cannot train and expect indefinite improvement- eventually, we will reach a performance plateau. For example, a beginner weightlifter may be able to increase their weight by 2 to 3 kg every 2 weeks due to noticeable changes in strength. However, once they become more trained, they may only be able to increase their weight by 0.5 to 1 kg every 4 weeks because they are working closer to their performance plateau.

“The idea that each person is unique and there is no one-size-fits-all best way to train.”

All individuals are unique in their exercise programming needs. Personal, environmental, and behavioural factors should be considered and assessed when planning to engage in a physical fitness training regimen (American College of Sports Medicine, 2013). Consider an individual attempting to become more physically fit, engaging in an activity that they do not enjoy, that is not easily accessible to them and does not align with their home life as a parent of young children. Do you think this program is going to work well for them? Absolutely not.

Physical activity, while something everyone should participate in every day, will not look the same for every individual, and there is nothing wrong with that. If you do not like to run, a weekly swimming group might be a better fit than joining a local running club. If you find yourself bored walking on a treadmill, make use of hiking trails or paths in your area. And if you do not want to or cannot commit to deliberate exercise in a gym, class or on your own, find ways to incorporate physical activity into your daily life. For example, biking to work instead of driving; playing with your kids at the park instead of watching them from a bench; or completing yard work yourself rather than hiring help. Physical activity does not have to be boring or part of the day you dread. It can be something you enjoy and look forward to every day, whether you enjoy the endorphins you get from physically moving, you appreciate the company you have while working out, or use physical activity as downtime and listen to an audiobook.