Lessons From A Diary 3: Rev It Up!
Although it’s not the most important part of a weight-loss programme, a well-designed training plan will have a very big impact on the success or otherwise of that programme. As part of the Bootcamp in Ennis, all clients report to me on their training outside of class, and this information allows me to see where they can improve.
You may have heard of the F.I.T.T. Principle in relation to training: it stands for Frequency, Intensity, Type and Time and is basically a set of rules, or guidelines, which allow you to get the most from your training routine. Let’s have a look at each of these components and we’ll discuss some areas where I’ve found that a lot of new trainees need to up their game.
Frequency: Anybody who is serious about changing their body shape will need to train between 4 and 6 times per week, and I find it works best if you train at least every 2nd day. Most people tend to manage a few sessions during the week and then “recover” at the weekend. A great way of staying on track is to avoid 2 consecutive non-training days.
Intensity: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being half-asleep from boredom and 10 being half-dead from exhaustion, we’re aiming for an effort of 8 plus per session. If it’s anything less than that you’re either having a recovery day, which is allowed, or else you’re wasting your time.
Time: Too many new trainees spend too long “training”, yet don’t work hard enough. Rather than going for a 90 minute leisurely walk, a 20 minute interval sprint session will achieve far better results for you in terms of fitness and body composition. And also save you a lot of time.
Type: A combination of weight-training and High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T) works best when the goal is fat-loss. However, I find that it’s more important to find an activity that you actually enjoy (or, at least, don’t detest).
As long as you’re training often enough, for long enough and at the right intensity, pretty much all training programmes will help you reach your weight-loss goal.