The 

Overload Principle is considered the most important concept in exercise. In

simple terms, it means that your body will adapt to the demand you impose on it.
For example, when you lift a heavy weight you haven’t lifted before, or you
complete a hard cardio workout that puts new demands on your heart and lungs,
physiological changes will take place that will allow you to do this more easily next
time. Because the body is so adaptable, the demands we put on it
must gradually and progressively increase over time in order to achieve long-term
fitness gains. These demands must be applied slowly, because too much too fast
causes the body to react negatively to excessive stress. 

The Specificity Principle is, quite simply, that the exercise you do should be

specific to your goals. For example, if your goal is simply health and weight
management, focus on total body strength, cardio and a healthy diet. If you are a
runner wanting to improve your race times, include speed workouts in your
training. If you’re a cyclist training for a 100-mile ride, focus on building up longer
distance training rides at an endurance pace.

The Rest and Recovery Principle is critical to achieving gains in fitness. The body
simply cannot tolerate too much stress, and over time will instead “shut down” in
order to protect itself. This results in overtraining syndrome, burnout, excess
fatigue, and a weakened immune system. Exercising every day is perfectly fine –
just not the same exercise at the same intensity. Especially with strength training,
it’s important to allow at least a day between sessions to allow muscles to repair
and rebuild. However, working different muscle groups on different days (what’s
called a “split routine”) will allow for this recovery period for one muscle group
while working another. Low intensity cardio can be done every day, but rest
between intense sessions. Rest and recovery are important for your mental state
too!
1 – Principle of PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
 Combination of 2 mini principles: Overload & Progression.
 Overload: to improve fitness and strength, the load/demand on the body must be
greater than what the body is accustomed to.
 The load/stress must be outside your comfort zone. In other words, you have to put
some effort and push your body.
 The body will respond to the load by physiologically adapting to it.
 Progression: gradually increasing the load and the stress on the body.
 Progressive overload principle can be achieved by changing the F.I.T.T. parameters:
o F.I.T.T. = Frequency, Intensity, Time of training (duration), Type (mode) of
training
o Progressive overload can be achieved by increasing frequency, intensity,
timing, and modifying the type of exercise.
 Safe progression of overload is key to achieving positive results from your exercise
program.

2 – Principle of INDIVIDUALIZATION
 Exercise should be very specific to every individual since every person is different.
 Programs should be designed by taking into account every person’s unique
characteristics such as physical abilities, potentials, psychology, body type, age,
gender, physical strength, athletic background, daily stress factors, health and
nutrition factors, etc.

3 – Principle of REGULARITY
 Exercise must be done at regular intervals and be consistent.
 Consistency allows the body to adapt more efficiently and quickly.
 Ideally exercise should be done 3-5 times per week.

4 – Principle of SPECIFICITY
 Exercise should be designed based on your specific goals and needs.
 Also known as the SAID principle (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands).
 Specific exercise elicits specific adaptations to create specific training effects.
 In other words, your body adapts to the specific demands on it; therefore, exercises
should be designed to be as close as possible to the specific goals and resemble
specific sport movements.
  For example if your goal is long distance running, then your program should include
distance running; on the other hand, if your goal is bodybuilding, then your
program should include heavy resistance training.

5 – Principle of REVERSIBILITY
 Use it or lose it.
 The effects of training and body’s adaptations are reversed if training sessions are
too far apart or if there is a long break in exercise.
 Exercising consistently is key to maintaining fitness.
 As your body becomes fitter, you do not have to exercise as much to maintain the
same level of fitness.

6 – Principle of VARIATION & ADAPTATION

 Over time, your body will completely adapt to a specific exercise routine to a point
where your body will reach training plateau.
 To limit reaching training plateau, exercise must be varied and modified.
 Variation in exercise also helps increase motivation and compliance, and helps
decrease risk of injuries by over-training.

7 – Principle of REST & RECOVERY

 During exercise, physiological breakdown of tissues occurs and metabolic wastes
accumulate.
 The body repairs itself and removes wastes when you rest, eat, and sleep.
 Rest & recovery between exercise sets and sessions are as important as the exercise
program itself.
 Not allowing your body to rest and recover properly will lead to decreased
performance, injuries, and fatigue.
 Optimal rest and recovery time is 24-48 hours post training
 Rest and recovery can also be achieved by alternating more strenuous training days
with easier training days, or alternating muscle groups from day 1 to day 2.

8 – Principle of PERIODIZATION
 This principle relates to the long-term plan or goal of an individual.
 It refers to the changes or variations in the training program that are implemented
over the course of a specific period of time, such as a year.
 It is the systematic planning of specific training goals or a specific sport.
 The aim is to achieve optimal improvements in athlete performance at the right
time, while minimizing injury and burnout.
 Periodization breaks training into days, weeks, and months. In some sports,
periodization categorizes training into pre-season, in-season, and post-season.