FITT Principles 1

FITT Principles

Kaitlyne Johnson

Purdue University Global

EF 310-01

March 3, 2020
 Assessments
FITT Principles 2
Part 1: Self Exercise Prescription

SUN MON TUES WED TH FRI SAT

UR
S
Aerobic 60 30 20 minute Rest 20 30 Rest
Activity minut second incline treadmill minu seco
e low sprint/60 walk; moderate te nd
Week 1: 5 intens second intensity incli bike
Sets of sprints ity rest ne sprin
on Mon/Fri. walk tread t/60
outdo mill seco
Week 2: 6 ors walk nd
Sets of sprints ; rest
on Mon/Fri. mod
Add 5 minutes erate
to walk inten
Tues/Thurs sity

Week 3: 7
Sets of sprints
on Mon/Fri.
Add 5 minutes
to walk
Tues/Thurs

Week 4: 8
Sets of sprints
on Mon/Fri.
Add 5 minutes
to walk
Tues/Thurs
Muscle Rest BB Single-leg glute Lat pull- Rest Arno Leg press
Strengtheni bicep bridge down ld
curls press Leg extensions
ng Step-ups DB chest
DB press Cabl Deadlift
Week 1: 4 sets spider Sumo squats e
of 15 reps for curls Pull ups front Box squats
each exercise BB hip thrust raise
2 arm BB row, s Bulgarian split squat
Week 2: 4 sets cable DB walking underhand
of 12 reps, hammer lunges grip Milit Lying leg curls
increase curls ary
weight BB stiff leg DB pullover press Static lunges
Lying deadlifts
Week 3: 4 sets leg Chest press BB
of 15 reps, raises machine skull
same weight crus
as last week Alt DB hers
hammer
Week 4: 4 sets curls Benc
of 12 reps, h
increase Cable dips
weight bicep
curls Reve
rse
Cable cable
crunches fly
Flexibility Full Rest Rest Pigeon pose, Rest Rest OH tricep stretch,
body 4 min/side 4 min/side
 FITT Principles 3

ABBREVIATIONS:
DB= dumbbell; BB= barbell; ALT= alternating; OH= overhead

Self-Assessment Summary

I am a 27-year-old mother, student, and medical laboratory technician. I am 5 feet 6 inches, 140

pounds, and am currently about 20% body fat. I have been working hard to lose the weight gained

during pregnancy and have lost all 60 pounds, but am currently working to lose about 5% more body

fat. In the past, I felt my best when my body composition sat around 14-16% body fat; so, my goal is

to get back to that composition. In order to do this I track my macronutrients very closely, as well as,

perform weight training and cardiovascular exercise regularly. I have been working to include more

flexibility training lately also, for injury prevention and stress reduction. Utilizing the FITT principles

I was able to design a program to assist me in my goal of fat loss.

The above chart illustrates the detailed plan including aerobic activity, muscle strengthening,

and flexibility training. For each type of workout I utilized the FITT principles to ensure they were

effective workouts. Frequency: I will be performing 5 days of aerobic activity each week for this

training program. Intensity: the aerobic workouts vary in intensity: Sunday is a long low intensity

walk, Monday and Friday are high intensity intervals, and Tuesday and Thursday are moderate

intensity steady state walks. Time: because time and intensity are inversely related, the low intensity

walks are longer in duration, while the high intensity workouts are short in duration. Type: each

aerobic workout is specifically aerobic in nature to improve cardiovascular health. As one can see, by

using the FITT principles I was able to ensure that the aerobic plan created will be effective and

appropriate.

The most recent training plan that I was executing was lower in frequency, so for the next four

weeks I decided to increase the frequency of days per week. I prefer to workout more frequently as it
 FITT Principles 4

seems to help my mood and productivity, so I changed the split from a full body workout three times

per week to a body part split five days per week. Intensity: all of the muscles strengthening workouts

are moderate intensity. Time: because I have a busy life, I chose to keep each workout session short.

When looking at time spent per workout it is important to keep the frequency in mind. Because I am

working out five days per week, it is important that each session itself is relatively short in duration.

Type: each muscle-strengthening workout consists of specific lifting exercises to assist in burning fat.

The FITT principles helped to design this portion of the plan by serving as a guideline to ensure all

aspects were included.

The last portion of the workout plan is the flexibility training. Frequency: two days per week I

will perform a few stretches after working out and Sundays will include a full 30-minute yoga session

using an application on my phone called “Down Dog”. These poses are not specified in the chart due

to the fact that the application will give the stretches based on the criteria I input for the given day.

Intensity: all of the stretches are used to increase flexibility and assist in recovery from aerobic and

weight lifting exercises; therefore, all flexibility training included is low intensity. Time: the shorter

sessions will be about 20 minutes and Sundays will include a longer 30-minute yoga session. Type: the

flexibility-training plan includes a variety of exercises to ensure a total body stretch. These stretches

will help to prevent injuries, assist in recovery, and promote relaxation. Frequency, intensity, time and

type are all outlined within the flexibility-training plan.

In conclusion, the FITT principles provided an easy to follow guide to assist in creating an

effective training plan. Each principle was applied to each type of training—aerobic, muscle

strengthening, and flexibility. I am confident that following this training plan will assist me in reaching

my body composition goals.

 FITT Principles 5

Part 2: Client Exercise Prescription

SUN MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT

Aerobic 30 minute Circuit, 3 sets of Rest Circuit, 3 20 minute Circuit, 3 sets Rest
low 10, 60 second rest sets of 10, moderate of 10, 60
Each week (after week intensity between sets: 60 second intensity second rest
1) add 5 minutes to Sun walk -Standing neutral rest walk between sets:
and Thurs walks and add grip DB shoulder between (faster -KB swing
1 set to each press sets: pace than -Lunge jumps
conditioning circuit -Reverse lunges -mountain Sunday’s -Push ups
-burpees climbers walk)
-squat
jumps
-OH ball
slams
Muscle Rest DB Chest press Rest BB bent Rest BB backsquat Rest
Strengthening row
BB floor press Static DB
Week 1: 4 sets of 8 reps, Machine lunges
60 seconds rest between Seated DB chest
sets shoulder press supported Leg extension
row, neutral
Week 2: 4 sets of 10 grip Romanian
reps, same weight as last Superset (x4): deadlift
week, 60 seconds rest pushups + DB Superset
between sets lateral raises (x4): Leg press
Lat pull-
Dual OH DB down+ Lying
Week 3: 4 sets of 8 reps, tricep extension chest hamstring
increase weight, 60 supported culrs
seconds rest between Tricep rope rear delt fly
sets extension
DB
Week 4: 4 sets of 10 Hammer
reps, same weight as last Swiss ball crunch curls
week, 60 seconds rest
between sets BB bicep
curls

Flexibility Seated Rest OH tricep Rest Lunge hip Rest Rest

forward stretch, 3 flexor
Increase the hold for fold, 3 min/side stretch, 3
each stretch by 1 minute minutes min/side
per week Figure
Hip flexor four hip Lying
stretch, 3 stretch, 3 pectoral
FITT Principles 6

min/side min/side stretch, 3

Piriformis min/side
stretch, 3 Butterfly
min/side stretch, 3 Side bend
min stretch, 3
min/side
ABBREVIATIONS:
DB= dumbbell; BB= barbell; ALT= alternating; OH= overhead; KB= Kettlebell

Client Assessment Summary

Carl is a 21-year-old junior in college. He stands 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighs 180

pounds, and is currently 24% body fat. After completing a fitness assessment, it is evident that

Carl could use some guidance and purpose within his workouts. He is very busy with school, but

enjoys spending his free time playing video games and participating in intermural sports. Carl is

not currently concerned with his physical fitness or weight, but mentions he would like to add

mass to his upper body. Although, he claims to not be worried about his fitness level, he

mentions he would like to be in better condition to earn more playing time on his intermural

teams. Given Carl’s current fitness level, lifestyle, and personal goals I was able to develop a

plan that I believe will both fit Carl’s lifestyle and achieve his goals.

Using the FITT principles I developed a plan for all aspects of Carl’s fitness—aerobic,

muscle strengthening, and flexibility. When participating in the fitness assessment he ran 1.6

miles in 12 minutes for the run test. Given Carl’s age, this result is considered average. His VO2

max was estimated to be 46.3 based on these results (ExRx, n.d.). From these results I

determined what would be the best structure for his aerobic activity. As the chart depicts above,

Carl will perform two days of steady state cardio—one low intensity and one moderate intensity.

His other aerobic workouts are to be done at the end of each muscle strengthening workouts.

These conditioning circuits are high intensity and fast paced. This will benefit him in two ways

—increase his speed and aerobic capacity and they are short circuits, which will help him since
FITT Principles 7

he is a busy student. In order to keep progressing he is expected to add 5 minutes to each steady

state walk each week for four weeks and add one additional set to each circuit each week. Each

FITT principle was utilized when designing Carl’s aerobic workout plan. Frequency—he will

perform aerobic activity 5 days each week; Intensity—he has one low intensity aerobic workout,

one moderate intensity aerobic workout, and three high intensity aerobic workouts; time—each

workout varies in time spent doing the activity based on the intensity level; type—each

prescribed aerobic workout is aerobic in nature and aimed to improve his cardiovascular fitness.

At the end of the four weeks we will reassess Carl to make any additional adjustments as needed.

The next portion of the fitness assessment that Carl participated in was the Bench Press

Test and the Push Up Test. For the Bench Press Test Carl performed 18 repetitions, which is

considered fair for his age cohort (ExRx, n.d.). He performed 19 push-ups for the Push Up Test,

which is considered poor for his age (ExRx, n.d.). Taking these scores into consideration, as well

as his lifestyle, I started Carl off with a 3 day per week full body workout plan. The workout is

split into the following: push (chest, shoulders, and triceps), pull (back and biceps), and legs

(posterior and anterior). I chose to design his program this way because his time is limited and he

is fairly new to regularly lifting weights. I believe that having a set and organized plan will give

him the results he is looking for. Notes are provided to instruct him of the sets and repetitions he

will perform for the week, as well as, the amount of rest to take between each set. As the chart

above illustrates: week one he will perform 4 sets of 8, week two he will keep the weight from

the previous week and perform 4 sets of 10, week three he will increase the weight from the

previous week and perform 4 sets of 8, and on week four he will increase the weight again and

perform 4 sets of 10. By alternating the weights and repetitions we will force the body to keep

adapting; thus, adding strength and mass over time. Each FITT principle was utilized when
FITT Principles 8

designing Carl’s workout plan. Frequency—Carl will perform muscle strengthening workouts

three days per week, focusing on each muscle group once per week; intensity—each workout is

moderate intensity and progressively increases in intensity each week; time—each muscle

strengthening workout is designed to be completed in a short time given Carl’s school schedule;

type—each exercise is designed to add muscle mass given Carl’s goal. As with the aerobic

workouts, we will check in again with Carl at the end of the four weeks to reassess his progress.

The last portion of the fitness assessment Carl completed was the flexibility test. To test

his flexibility Carl performed the Sit and Reach Test. Carl was able to reach 15 inches on this

test, which is considered to be average for his age (ExRx, n.d.). Carl’s plan includes three days of

flexibility training. As shown in the chart, most flexibility exercises chosen were focused on the

lower body and hips. This was deliberately done because he spends a lot of time sitting. He is a

student, so he sits in lectures all day; but in his free time he enjoys to sit and play video games. It

is important that we focus on keeping his flexibility due to his sedentary lifestyle. By

incorporating flexibility training, we will reduce the risk of injury. Each FITT principle was used

when designing Carl’s flexibility training. Frequency—Carl will conduct flexibility training

three times each week; intensity—each stretch is low intensity; time—the above chart illustrates

the amount of time spent in each stretch; and type—the type of stretch is organized and laid out

to specifically assist Carl’s sedentary lifestyle. Flexibility training will be assessed at the end of

the four weeks to adjust as needed.

In conclusion, by using the FITT principles I was easily able to design an appropriate

program to assist Carl in reaching his goals. Carl will perform aerobic, muscle strengthening, and

flexibility training 3 to 5 days each week. The workout program designed is made to meet him at

his current fitness level. The program is also tailored to his busy lifestyle and workouts are
FITT Principles 9

relatively short to ensure he has time to balance his schoolwork. I believe that by following a laid

out plan Carl will be able to adhere and see great results.
FITT Principles 10

References

ExRx. (n.d.). 12 Minute Run. Retrieved from https://exrx.net/Calculators/MinuteRun

ExRx. (n.d.). Push Up Test. Retrieved from https://exrx.net/Calculators/PushUps

ExRx. (n.d.). Sit and Reach Flexibility Test. Retrieved from

https://www.exrx.net/Calculators/SitReach

ExRx. (n.d.). YMCA Bench Press. Retrieved from https://exrx.net/Calculators/YBenchPress