 Physical activity performed regularly will result in physiological, anatomical, biochemical and psychological changes.  FITT principle can be used to design and then evaluate the efficiency of training programs: F = Frequency of performance (also called density) I = Intensity of the performance (can include load and velocity) T = Time (or duration) spent performing (can also include distance and number of reps, that is volume) T = Type of training (usually specific to systems being trained)

F  FREQUENCY: 3-4 times/wk for at least 6 weeks I  INTENSITY: 60-80% of MHR T  TIME: minimum of minutes T  TYPE: continuous aerobic activity involving large muscle groups

In each step of FITT the demands required of the individual can be easily modified. This may be necessary to:  Suit people with different needs. Eg. An elite endurance athlete may need higher frequency of sessions and more time spent training each session, in comparison to a middle aged individual training to compete in a community fun run  Reflect different phases of preparation. Eg pre-season, competition phase or post season. A pre-season program may involve a high frequency of sessions with a longer duration to help build an aerobic fitness base. These sessions may be reduced during competition and focus more on other factors eg. Skills or team strategies

 Continue progressively overloading the individual as they become accustomed to the workload. This can be achieved by increasing the frequency or duration of sessions, but it is generally considered more effective to increase intensity. Q: Design an aerobic training session based on the FITT principle

 A number of physiological responses occur when aerobic activity begins and they remain significant while the aerobic activity continues.  The greater the intensity of exercise, the more pronounced the responses are likely to be.  The physiological responses largely occur so that the individual can:  Take in more oxygen  Deliver oxygen to working muscles more effectively for use in producing energy  More effectively remove carbon dioxide, lactic acid and other waste products

HEART RATE (HR):  HR is the number of beats per minute  Average resting HR = 72bpm but can be as low as bpm in champion endurance athletes. Low resting HR is indicative of highly efficient CV system.  During exercise HR rises to increase delivery of oxygen to working muscles and removal of carbon dioxide wastes  HR rises sharply then reaches a steady state.  There is a slight anticipatory rise in HR prior to performance – most likely linked to increased adrenalin secretion

VENTILATION RATE:  amount of air breathed in (or out) in a given time frame. Most common measure is over one minute and this is called minute ventilation. For most people this is around 6 litres.  Rest ventilation rate = about 12 breaths per minutes  During exercise ventilation rate and depth rises to increase the amount of oxygen available for delivery and to remove carbon dioxide more quickly  There is a slight anticipatory rise in ventilation rate prior to performance – most likely linked to increased adrenalin secretion

STROKE VOLUME (SV):  volume of blood pumped from left ventricle in one beat  rises during training to increase amount of oxygenated blood delivered to working muscles  Difference between fit and unfit people. Sedentary SV = mL/beat, a well trained athlete will reach 160mL/beat. This = a large increase in availability of oxygenated blood to the working muscles = superior performance

CARDIAC OUTPUT (Q):  Cardiac output is Stroke Volume SV x Heart Rate HR and can be represented as an equation: Q = SV x HR  During exercise Cardiac Output increases significantly when SV and HR rise to increase delivery of oxygenated blood to working muscles and removal of carbon dioxide and other wastes  Untrained athletes Q increases with exercise to around L/min, highly trained endurance athletes = 35-40L/min

LACTATE LEVELS:  during intense training lactate levels (or lactic acid levels) increase  lactic acid is a by product of the lactic acid system and b/c of this lactate levels in the blood will rise where intense exercise dictates energy production will happen more quickly (therefore anaerobically)