7 PRINCIPLES OF

EXERCISE
◦ Principle of Individuality
◦ Specificity
◦ Overload
◦ Progression
◦ Adaptation
◦ Recovery
◦ Reversibility
Principle of Individuality
- The Principle of Individuality maintains that no two individuals will benefit from
exercise exactly the same way physically or psychologically. Differences in genetics,
age, experience, body size, and health status can all affect the outcomes of a
workout.
 Principle of Specificity
◦ The principle of specificity derives from the observation that the 
adaptation of the body or change in physical fitness is specific to the
type of training undertaken
Principle of Overload
◦ The second important principle, means that to improve any aspect of
physical fitness the individual must continually increase the demands
placed on the appropriate body systems.
Principle of Progression
◦ The principle of progression is a training principle used to create a personal training
program to improve physical fitness, skill and performance. The principle implies that
for athletes to improve their fitness levels, they must continually increase the physical
demands to reach an optimum level of overload.
Principle of Adaptation
◦ The principle of adaptation refers to the process of the body getting accustomed to a particular
exercise or training program through repeated exposure. As the body adapts to the stress of the
new exercise or training program, the program becomes easier to perform and explains why
beginning exercisers are often sore after starting a new routine, but, after doing the same
exercise for weeks and months at the same intensity, the exerciser experiences little, if any,
muscle soreness. 
Principle of Recovery
◦ The principle of rest and recovery (or principle of recuperation)
suggests that rest and recovery from the stress of exercise must take
place in proportionate amounts to avoid too much stress.
Principle of Reversibility
◦ The reversibility principle is a concept that states when
you stop working out, you lose the effects of training