Adherence to basic exercise principlesis important for developing an effective program. These basic principles of exercise must be followed:
Regularity;
To achieve a training effect, a person should strive to exercise each of the first four fitness components at least three times a week.Regularity is also important in resting,sleeping, and following a good diet.
Progression;
The intensity (how hard) and/orduration of exercisemust gradually increase to improve the level of fitness.
Balance;
To be effective, a program should include activities that address all the fitness components
Variety;
Providing a variety of activities reduces boredom and increases motivation and progress.
Specificity;
Training must be geared toward specific goals.
Recovery;
A hard day of training for a given component of fitness should be followed by an easier training day or rest day for that component and/or muscle group(s) to help permit recovery.
Overload;
The work load of each exercise session must exceed the normal demands placed on the body in order to bring about a training effect.