Maureen is training for a backpacking trip. Which of the following training plans follows the FITT

principle?

Swim three days a week, keeping the same pace and distance.

Walk three days a week, gradually adding distance and hills.

Ride a bike three days a week, using the same route.

Kayak on the weekends for the same amount of time.

The answer is "Walk three days a week, gradually adding distance and hills."

Explanation:

The FITT Principle guides a person in becoming a fitter version of himself by following a particular frequency, intensity, time and type of exercise in order to achieve his goals.

Frequency - this refers to how often a person should do an exercise. For example, 5 times a week of intense core workout.

Intensity - this refers to the person's vigour or strength in doing the workout. This depends whether the person is doing a high-intensity or a low-intensity exercise.

Time - this refers to the length of a person's exercise. This will largely depend on every individual's fitness level.

Type of Exercise - this refers to the exercise that a person should incorporate in his training in order to avoid injuries of using the same muscles over and over again.

Among the choices above, it is only the second choice (Walk three days a week, gradually adding distance and hills) that follows the FITT principle. Walking shouldn't be kept at the same pace and distance for many weeks, since it results to boredom and overuse injuries. This will also lead to a plateau when it comes to people who are trying to lose weight because the body has already well-adjusted to the exercise and cannot be challenged anymore.

Gradually increasing the distance and hills will allow the person to be more challenged and will also increase his desire to workout (because he is seeing results).