UNDERSTANDING & IMPLEMENTING THE F.I.T.T. PRINCIPLE

There’s no denying that hiring a certified personal trainer (CPT) or following a program designed by one can help you build strength, move better and feel better in your daily life.

A lot of times you get the added bonus of accountability & support in the process, too.

But not everyone wants or needs the help of a personal trainer. Maybe you grew up an athlete & decided to write your own workouts based off of your previous experience in the gym. Maybe you like to read online about all things fitness & incorporate that new knowledge into your sessions.

Either way, it can be tricky to fully grasp complex topics CPTs study in their certification process.

Things like anatomy & physiology, biomechanics & movement patterns, progressive overload strategies & other training principles.

It’s easy to get lost in the sea of information & struggle to determine what is a “need to know” & what is a “leave it to the pro” type of topic.

Today we’re going to scratch the surface of fitness topics & dive into a training principle that’s simple & helpful for everyone:

the F.I.T.T. principle.

The F.I.T.T. Principle breaks down some of the big pieces that need to be considered when creating a training program. Understanding each letter can help you put together a better program for yourself. Let’s dive in-

“F” is for FREQUENCY

Frequency, or how often you train, can differ based on the season of life you’re in, the goals you’re pursuing, your overall schedule & responsibilities, level of experience & many other factors.

It’s recommended that American adults participate in at least 2 full-body resistance training sessions & 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio (or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardio) each week.

Instinctually you might think that more workouts = better health but that’s not always the case. You likely don’t need to workout 6+ days each week in order to progress (no matter why type of goal you’re pursuing). In my experience as a coach, most individuals can improve overall strength and/or hypertrophy from incorporating 3-5 resistance training sessions alongside meeting the cardio guidelines listed above.

When considering training frequency, it’s also important to consider training volume, although “V” is not technically part of the F.I.T.T principle.

Training volume is calculated by multiplying the reps X sets or reps X sets X load of a given lift or movement pattern. Either option works fine.

Generally we want to fluctuate training volume over a set period of time; working to gradually increase or decrease volume for specific movements throughout a training block. The specifics of your training volume & changes you make to it will be highly individualized & dependent on where you are & what you want to achieve.

While it was previously though that the frequency of workouts played a role in maximizing #gainz, it’s actually been shown that training volume & intensity matter more.

“I” is for intensity

The general rule of thumb for training intensity is to shoot for an RPE 7-9 (read more about RPE here), ideally landing on an RPE 8 for most sets of most lifts.

An RPE 7-9 is hard. It should feel hard.

If you’re able to carry on a conversation with someone, look around the gym, re-rack your weights & walk away generally feeling fine… it’s too easy.

If you want to see a real life visual of this, check out the last couple of reps in 3 sets of incline presses I did recently.

I finished Set 1 feeling a bit tired but believing I could have done 3+ more reps before truly failing the lift. I decided to repeat the load used & go for 1-2 more reps in the next set. The intensity increased slightly but I still felt I was leaving too much in the tank. For my final set I added another 2 reps & ended up with my intensity level up where I wanted it to be, around an RPE 8-9.

For most goals you want to work in an RPE of 7-9, taking some sets to an RPE 10 or mechanical failure from time to time (as a strategic program would have you do) & potentially including a deload every once in awhile with an RPE goal of 5-6.

“T” IS FOR TIME

Time or duration of your session. This can vary anywhere from 10 minutes to 60+ minutes.

The amount of time spent on a single session will also be dependent on how many sessions you’re participating in each week. If you only have 20 min time slots available everyday, aiming for a well thought out 15 minute workout 5 days/week might be perfect. Or if you only want to drive to the gym twice a week, committing to longer sessions might work nicely for you.

Generally, productive & purposeful lifts/workouts can be be done in 30-50 minutes, including time for your warm-up & cool-down. However, new research shows some support for the idea that “workout snacks” (mini sessions broken up in ~15 min increments & spread throughout the day/week) may be just as beneficial as traditional workouts.

“T” IS FOR TYPE

The type of workout or activity you do will affect things like the type of progress/health benefits you gain & your level of enjoyment.

While there’s no denying the benefits that come from structured resistance training & cardiovascular activities, if you strongly dislike both of those things, it may be best not to focus you’re entire training program around them.

If you love going for walks through the woods, make that a staple in your program.

If you only like circuit-style resistance training, lean into that.

There is no “best” type of activity. Of course there are different types of activity that will elicit different benefits, but getting in some kind of movement is the first step.

Find something you enjoy & go from there.

The F.I.T.T. principle can be helpful in sorting out the basics of any workout program. It’s a great “first step” to diving deeper into purposeful programming or understanding what CPTs do a little better.

Do you have questions about this topic? Looking for feedback from a certified fitness professional regarding the workout plan you’re currently executing?

Drop a comment or send me an email & let’s chat!

Hey, I’m Kirsi!

Certified Personal Trainer & online fitness coach
I help women explore their strength & challenge themselves with simple programming & comprehensive coaching.

Interested in 1:1 coaching? Fill out your application here.

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