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FITT – Frequency of Training Programme
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FITT – Frequency of Training Programme
Article by Jimmy Tong
FITT stands for Frequency, Intensity, Type and Time. These four principles of physical fitness and training represent the very basic for all athletes and sports enthusiasts, from recreational athletes to world class professionals. Applying these four principles in your sports programme will be the beginnings towards peak performance in sports. Let’s explore in greater depth each one of these.
FrequencyThe basic definition is how many times are your workouts going to be or how frequently do you work out or train in your sports. In order for fitness standards to improve, our body systems – muscular, respiratory, and skeletal, etc – need to be stimulated to a certain degree whereby adaptations is called for response to the changes. Once adaptations are complete, it remains to be maintained at that level for sustained peak performance in sports. Without the necessary exercise stimulus at regular interval whatever adaptations that are gained will be lost and the original status of the body systems will be restored. But I find that answering this question of frequency of training is more relevant when you set your sports programmes in context. That is what are you involved in sports for? Is it to lose weight? Do you want a healthy life style? Are you training for competitions? Are you a professional athlete earning a living through sports? We will explore the frequency of exercise for each of the following category that I have set out to guide any aspiring athlete for peak performance in sports.
Right at the very top are our professional athletes who earn top dollars by playing their sports at the highest level. It is not surprising that the first billionaire athlete, Tiger Woods, is who he is in the golfing world. Amongst all the golfers in this world, he is the hardest training athlete who works out not everyday, but twice a day, with a very heavy weight training component. To be the best, athletes will have to put in their share of hard work. There is no short cut to success. The body systems will respond to proper training when we give them time and resources to adapt to a more intensive and grueling training regime. For professional athletes, training twice or more a day is not a problem because the body has adapted to it. Recovery is faster and more frequent and intensive work outs are needed to stimulate muscle growth and adaptations. Training less will be detrimental for peak performance in sports for these elite athletes. It is the nature of the job and professionals have to work for their living in this sense.
A rung down the ladder are your amateur athletes. Part-time aspiring Olympians and competitors who need to find the time for peak performance in sports. This group of athletes is generally the most disadvantaged. Not only must they work for a living, but they must also juggle training and family life, and all this is done with very little professional resource help. Compared to professional athletes, the funding is low. There are also no readily available services like nutrition support, physiological support, medical help, etc around to assist this group of athletes. But still, this group of athletes trains just as hard as the professionals to reach their peak performance in sports. Training twice a day is not uncommon. More often than not, a once a day routine is more practical for these highly motivated sportsmen. Time and work just does not permit these athletes from accomplishing more.
After the amateur group come the serious competitors in schools and the local sports scene. These include mainly young athletes in schools and post-secondary education. This group of athletes is budding athletes who are just becoming serious in their sporting ambitions, but their body systems are still developing for them to take on too much training. For these athletes, training up to 3 to 4 times a week is the norm for their systems to improve. Anything more is actually counter productive and may cause a burn out effect.
Right at the bottom of the ladder are recreational sports enthusiasts whose main goal is mainly to keep a healthy lifestyle. For these people, twice a week exercise sessions are good enough for them to main a healthy state of being. With this form of regular exercise, the body will have the stimulus to develop and adapt to a healthy state of being. Our body systems are remarkably responsive to stimulus, and for them to maintain an active status all they need is a frequency of about twice week training.
Training Plans for Multisport Athletes: Your Essential Guide to Triathlon, Duathlon, XTERRA, Ironman, and Endurance Racing
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Gale Bernhardt’s training plans have helped tens of thousands of self-coached athletes reach their multisport goals. Every detail of how to train for a triathlon of any distance, an off-road triathlon, or a duathlon is here, including plenty of swim, bike, and run workouts to keep training fresh and breakthrough workouts to make training more rewarding. Bernhardt’s proven methods are the basis for each of the book’s 15 unique training plans, removing the hassle of creating a plan from scratc
Training Plans for Multisport Athletes: Your Essential Guide to Triathlon, Duathlon, XTERRA, Ironman, and Endurance Racing
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Sports Training question by josh.isaiah: What are some colleges with good Athletic Training/Sports Medicine Programs?
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Answer by fieldworking
There are about 597 colleges in the US that have Exercise Science and/or Sport/Fitness Administration.
Filed under: Sports Training · Tags: FITT, Frequency, Programme, Training
If you need a clear training plan, look no further,
Training Plans for Multisport Athletes is an excellent resource for anyone interested in planning a multisport fitness or training program. Bernhardt clearly outlines several different plans for different events (sprint, olympic, half and full Ironman, as well as duathlon and general fitness) and provides explanations for each workout.
Similar books include Niles’s “Time Saving Training for Multisport Athletes” and Friel’s “The Triathlete’s Training Bible,” both of which I would recommend alongside Bernhard’s work. However, there are important differences among these books. Niles is a great concise overview of the why of training in a time saving manner and gives some good examples of how to do it. His chapters are easy to read, and brief. Niles provides some workouts, but only a few week’s worth.
Friel’s book, aptly named, is a must have since it clearly explains, in appropriate depth, the components of triathlon, and how and why to train for them in certain ways. His book is thorough, yet not overwhelming. The book helps you plan your training year and get started on a program, but does not provide daily plans-you need to make those yourself.
Bernhardt’s book differs (and adds value, in my opinion) from the others because she provides workout plans that are already made: the plans are detailed to the specific day, and targeted to specific audience members, providing a ready made formula for success for a wide range of athletes, from the beginning sprint triathlete to the seasoned duathlete and Ironman competitor. She also has plans for improving sprint and olympic distance triathlon as well as duathlon performance.
This book bridges the gap between Niles and Friel–Niles gives you some example workouts, but only a few week’s worth. Friel, on the other hand, gives you the components, but you need to assemble the plan–a chore I didn’t really want to do. Bernhardt gives me what I want–a clear plan that follows the concepts Friel explains. It’s like having a coach, but only paying for the book!
This book is a definite asset in my training library. I think it is, alongside Friel’s Training Bible, required reading for anyone interested in triathlon. Friel gives you the concepts, and Berhardt gives you the plans based on those concepts. For the price, Bernhardt practically provides personal coaching distilled into a convenient travel sized package! It is easy to read, covers all the basics of training and preparation, and is fun to read. If you want plans, this book is a teriffic resource. Thanks Gale! Great book!
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|Effective Training for Triathletes at Every Level,
This excellent book offers a training plan for everyone – the novice, the Ironman (or half-ironman) competitor, the sprinter, the Olymic distance specialist, and the “I like to do triathlons in the summer, but I also play volleyball, racquetball and softball” athlete. The training plans are easy to follow and can be modified to suit one’s personal schedule. One unique feature is the treadmill workouts in the appendix. I’ve done 2 of them and have noticed an improvement in my running. These workouts are tough and great for any triathlete who has to occasionally train indoors. Best of all, they’re not boring. I used to dread my treadmill workouts, but now I actually look forward to the challenge. I also liked the section for beginners. Several friends have expressed an interest in triathlon but are not up to my level of training. Now I can recommend this book to those who want to get their feet wet (literally!) in the sport. I own several training books, and this is the one I reach for most often. I agree with the reviewer who mentioned that this book rounds out a collection including Joe Friel’s and Rick Niles’ books. I also recommend “Total Immersion” by Terry Laughlin, “The Fit Swimmer” by Marianne Brems, and “Swim, Bike Run” by Glenn Town and Todd Kearney. There aren’t too many triathlon books out there, and these are the best of those available. If you don’t own any of those books, buy “Training Plans for Multisort Athletes” first! Sidenote: I saw Ms. Bernhardt’s post about the revised training plans, so I e-mailed her with a request for the update. She got back to me in 2 days with new plans.
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