Chapter 4 – Fitness Principles
Learning Objectives
- Describe the origins of exercise
- Define physical activity and exercise
- Discuss principles of adaptation to stress
- Provide guidelines for creating a successful fitness program
- Identify safety concerns
Terminology
- Physical activity – any activity that requires skeletal muscle and requires energy aimed at improving health.
- Exercise – a subset of physical activity that is planned and structured aimed at improving fitness.
- Health related components of fitness – types of activities dedicated to improving physical fitness categorized as cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition.
- Skills related components of fitness – types of activities dedicated to improving physical skills categorized as speed, agility, coordination, balance, power, and reaction time.
- Principles of adaptations to stress – guidelines related to managing the application of stress during physical activity/exercise.
- Overload Principle – a principle of adaptation to stress suggesting the amount of stress applied during exercise must exceed a threshold level to stimulate adaptation.
- Volume – the term used to describe “how much” stress is being applied by combining the duration and frequency of exercise.
- Progression principle – a principle relating to how much additional stress that can safely be introduced to gradually improve fitness without risking injury or overuse.
- Specificity – the principle of stress suggesting activities should be closely centered around the primary outcome goal, i.e. train the way you want to adapt.
- Reversibility – the principle that adaptations to stress can be lost over time if training is modified or stopped.
- Principle of rest and recovery – the concept that adaptation not only requires overload but also requires rest to avoid overstressing the body.
- Periodization – a method of organizing workouts into blocks or periods. These cycles consist of work/stress periods and rest periods.
- Overtraining syndrome – a condition of chronic stress from physical activity affecting the physical and psychological states of an individual or athlete.
- Detraining – the act of no longer training at all or decreasing the amount of training.
Chapter attribution to
“Health and Fitness for Life” by Dawn Markell and Diane Peterson and “Introduction to Exercise Science for Fitness Professionals” by Amanda Shelton for the Training Volume chapter. Updating for a Canadian/North American context authored by Lynn Kabaroff
