Unit 8 Assignment

Jacob Campbell

Purdue University Global

 Following the FITT principles is important in designing a workout routine that is

structured and easily followed. Laying out all exercises necessary to meet recommendations of

aerobic, muscle strengthening, and flexibility workouts will motivate individuals to reach their

goals. The FITT principles are based on Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type of exercises.

Frequency is how often you plan on working out. Intensity is the level of difficulty of each

workout. Time measures how long you spend during each workout session, and Type

differentiates what exercises you are doing (Waehner, 2020).

I currently do not follow a structured workout regimen, so creating a FITT-based

program should prove beneficial. For my aerobic exercises, I will have a Frequency of 2 days per

week, Intensity of moderate to vigorous, Time of 30 minutes each day, and Type varying

between walking and biking. The days I focus on aerobic activities will be Monday and

Thursday. If I happen to be working these days, I will surpass my aerobic activity goals when I

walk to and from work, which is about 10 minutes each way, and while I am at work, since I

spend the whole day standing and walking around. If I do not work those days, I will either go

for a walk around the neighborhood or go for a bike ride. For my muscle strengthening exercises,

I will have a Frequency of 2 days per week, Intensity of vigorous, Time of 30 minutes per day,

and Type mostly being pushups. I do not have a gym membership, nor do I own dumbbells, so I

will do most of my strength training in the form of pushups on Tuesdays and Fridays. In order to

get the best results through pushups alone, I will do my maximum amount of pushups 3 times,

with a two-minute break occurring between each set, meaning I will do pushups until I can’t,

then I will rest for 120 seconds, then repeat five times total. For my flexibility exercises, I will

have a Frequency of 2 times per week, Intensity of moderate, Time of 30 minutes each day, and

Type including different stretches to increase flexibility in different areas of my body. For these
exercises, I will focus on stretches that target different areas of the body, including my back,

legs, and shoulders among other areas. The flexibility workout routine I found and will try to

follow includes these 10 stretches to increase flexibility: cat-cow stretch, back extension stretch,

bridge stretch, side angle stretch, extended puppy stretch, side lunge stretch, seated hamstring

stretch, hurdler hamstring stretch, seated straddle, and the seated spinal twist. The way I am

structuring my week is 2 days focusing on aerobic activity, 2 days focusing on muscle

strengthening, 2 days focusing on flexibility, and 1 day for rest and recovery. Starting off with

only 30 minutes per day will allow me to work my way up to where I can safely handle longer

workouts and harder intensities.

Carl could really benefit from a structured workout routine. He has all the necessary

equipment at his fingertips in the form of the school’s gym. The first thing I noticed was that

Carl says he doesn’t like walking across campus to the gym, however the gym being on the

opposite side of campus from him is extremely beneficial. He can use this as a workout

opportunity. I would recommend Carl run to the gym, get his lifting in, and then run home. This

means he won’t have to use the cardio machines at the gym and can instead see his friends in the

weight room, which should motivate him into going to the gym more often. Carl is a student,

which means he thinks he doesn’t have much free time, but if he can limit his time spent on the

internet, he can use that time to work on toning his body for his trip to Cancun. In terms of the

FITT principles, Carl’s aerobic activity should have a Frequency of 3 days a week, Intensity of

moderate to vigorous, Time of 30-60 minutes, and Type of running. If he runs to and from the

gym three days a week to lift, he will achieve his aerobic activity recommendations just by

running across campus. For his muscle strengthening, the Frequency should be 3 days per week,

Intensity of vigorous, Time of 30 minutes, and Type of lifting weights. He wants to “bulk up” in
time for his spring break trip, so he needs to focus on fewer reps with heavier weights. He should

be lifting weights that he can only lift 2 or 3 reps at a time and do 5 sets with that weight. For his

flexibility exercises, he should have a Frequency of 3 times per week, an Intensity of moderate,

Time of 30 minutes, and Type that includes different stretches. This is important for Carl

because he is going to be lifting heavier weights, which means it is extra important for him to do

the proper stretching when he is not lifting. He should lift on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday,

and then do flexibility training on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, with Sunday being a rest

day. With this workout routine, Carl should be able to maintain his health while adding some

muscle as well.

A properly designed FITT regimen is a great way to start a routine and to motivate

yourself into following it consistently. Maintaining the Frequency of working out is important to

stay on top of exercising. Increasing the Intensity as you progress is also important to ensure you

are continually putting on more muscle and improving your health. Gradually increasing the

Time of each exercise will help you in lasting through prolonged workouts. Varying the Type of

exercise is important as it allows you to focus on different parts of your body (Waehner, 2020).

Following the FITT principle when designing a workout routine is key to ensuring you

consistently progress through the ranks of fitness.

 References

Waehner, P. (2020, February 20). How Can I Use the F.I.T.T. Principle for Effective Workouts?

Retrieved January 12, 2021, from https://www.verywellfit.com/f-i-t-t-principle-what-you-

need-for-great-workouts-1231593