LESSON 3:

PRINCIPLES
OF EXERCISE
INTRODUCTION

Physical Education is the part of the school curriculum that instructs the students in body
movements, sports games, and other physical activities (Tulio, Doris D., 2009). It helps build up physical
fitness by allowing students to increase their endurance, strength, and flexibility.

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

 Discuss the different principles of exercise in planning and designing exercise programs.
 Compare the various principles of exercise

LESSON DEVELOPMENT

What is the difference between physical activity and

exercise?
Physical activity refers to the contraction of skeletal muscle that produces bodily movement and
requires energy. Exercise is a physical activity that is planned and is performed with the goal of
attaining or maintaining physical fitness. Physical fitness is a set of traits that allows an individual to
perform physical activity.

PRINCIPLES OF EXERCISE
For most adults, an exercise program including aerobic, resistance, flexibility,
and neuromotor exercise training is indispensable to improving and maintaining physical fitness and
health. An exercise training program ideally is designed to meet individual health and physical fitness
goals within the context of individual health status, function, and the respective physical and social
environment. Physical activity and fitness are associated with a lower prevalence of chronic diseases,
such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

During the past few years, there has been a growing trend and interest in recreational activities
and sports. As scientific knowledge and understanding of the importance of exercise on the human
body are expanding, more and more people are engaging in sports and activities. The goals of exercise
are widely different among individuals. Whether the goal is to lose weight or enhance performance at a
specific sport, there are 8 exercise PRINCIPLES that should be followed to reach the goal.

1. Principle of PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
2. Principle of INDIVIDUALIZATION
3. Principle of REGULARITY
4. Principle of SPECIFICITY
5. Principle of REVERSIBILITY
6. Principle of VARIATION & ADAPTATION
7. Principle of REST & RECOVERY
8. Principle of PERIODIZATION

1 . Principle of PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD

 Combination of 2 mini principles: Overload & Progression.
 LESSON 3:
PRINCIPLES
OF EXERCISE
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:
F.I.T.T. = Frequency, Intensity, Time of training (duration), Type (mode) of training
 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 characteristic such
as physical abilities, potentials, psychology, body type, age, gender, physical strength, athletic
background, daily stress factors, health and nutrition factors, etc.
 Everyone is different and responds differently to training. Some people are able to handle
higher volumes of training while others may respond better to higher intensities. This is based
on a combination of factors like genetic ability, the predominance of muscle fiber types, other
factors in your life, chronological or athletic age, and mental state.

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.
 LESSON 3:
PRINCIPLES
OF EXERCISE
 As your body becomes fitter, you do not have to exercise as much to maintain the same level of
fitness.
 Adaptations which occur through exercise are reversible, so when training is stopped for
prolonged periods the adaptations from previous exercise will be lost.

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 the training plateau, exercise must be varied and modified.
 Variation in exercise also helps increase motivation and compliance and helps decrease the risk
of injuries by over-training.

7 – Principle of REST & RECOVERY

 During exercise, the 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.