Last month, some of you were shocked to discover that your exercise regime may not have been the best way to achieve the results you desire. So you’ve hopefully now learnt that the higher the intensity of your exercise, the greater the changes your body will undergo. What I’ll focus on this issue are some of the key principles for training and the exercises that will best get your body into shape. I’ll also show some examples of cardio sessions designed to be the most effective for increasing cardiovascular fitness. Principles for training are used to prescribe
exercise to individuals, with many programmes designed and managed using the FITT principles. 

(F) Frequency refers to the number of times you engage in exercise a week. For example, people beginning a structured exercise programme should have a frequency of 2-3 sessions per week. Because when you’re untrained, the repair and recovery process takes longer. As you become fitter, recovery is faster, at which time training on most days will be more beneficial. 

(I) Intensity refers to how hard the exercise is. This could be the weight lifted, level of resistance on the cross-trainer, treadmill speed/
incline or the speed of movement during resistance training. Now just to clear one thing up… ladies, you will not develop large, masculine muscles if you use relatively heavy weights. That’s all to do with hormone levels. In fact, heavier weights are better for you, as you’ll not only become stronger to push the boys around, you’ll also increase your bone mineral density and reduce your chances of developing osteoporosis.
(T) Time refers to the duration you spend at a given intensity of exercise. The greater the time at a high intensity, the greater adaptations you undergo. However, if you are just starting to engage in high-intensity exercise, small steps are recommended. For example, try running
faster between two lampposts, then walk as a recovery between the next two. 

(T) Type refers to the many different ways and modes of exercise that you can do. There are many components to a fitness programme, including muscular, endurance and strength, power, aerobic and anaerobic types of training. For example, many gym-based programmes focus on aerobic conditioning on a treadmill or bike as well as muscular endurance and strength using resistance. So what resistance training exercises are best for weight loss? For those of you who have spent time
in a gym, you would have witnessed a large variety of exercises being displayed – some good, some not so good. The key exercises involve those that engage as much muscle mass and move as many joints as possible. Lower-body exercises such as squats, lunges, step-ups and any other movements such as jumping are all fantastic for the bum, thighs and backs of legs. Moving single joints, such as hamstring curls or knee extensions, are not ideal for using a lot of energy and engaging as many muscles as possible. Multi-joint exercises are also more functional for
the body, ensuring your core is engaged at all times. Upper-body exercises include the good old press up, seated row, shoulder press and pull-ups. There are many variations of these exercises that can be tailored to suit your needs – even if you’re not at the gym. A combination of pull-ups, squats, lunges and press ups covers most of the major muscle groups. And they can all be performed around the home
with a bit of imagination. Be careful not to progress to exercises that you
are unfamiliar with or haven’t been taught how to perform correctly. If in doubt, seek the advice and expertise of a personal trainer. We are trained health professionals that prescribe exercise to all individuals in the safe and correct manner. Interval training is the latest way to achieve large increases in your cardiovascular fitness in half the time of traditional, long, boring exercise sessions. For example, instead of 45 minutes on a treadmill at 8km/hr, try increasing the speed to 10-13km/hr and holding that speed for 1-4 minutes. Once you’ve finished the interval, decrease your pace down to a comfortable walking speed and allow yourself to
recover for the same length of time as the interval. This is called active recovery. Ideally, you want to spend up to four minutes at the higher intensity. However, if you’re just beginning your new programme, then 30-60 seconds is great. Aim for 10 minutes of high intensity exercise in total during your first session. This could be 5 × 2-minute intervals or 10 × 1-minute intervals. Next month, I’ll look at how to design an exercise programme for yourself to keep you on target with your weight-loss goals.
Next month, I’ll look at how to design an exercise programme for yourself to keep you on target with your weight-loss goals. Happy exercising!