Principles of Training

OVERLOAD

This training principle states that the body needs a greater stimulus than the previous one to have an effect on it and to force it to adapt again. 

The overload principle states that an exercise must become more challenging over the course of a training program in order to continue to produce results. 

In the context of strength training, this is done by adding weight to the bar. An example of a program that uses the overload principle would be one that prescribes squatting a prescribed weight for five sets for one week, moving to squatting a slightly heavier load for five sets the next week, and progressively increasing the loads each subsequent week. This is potentially effective programming but the same effect can also be accomplished by altering the volume accumulation instead of just the weight.

Volume accumulation can be defined as the number of sets plus the number of reps plus the amount of weight used. This is one of the major determining factors in hypertrophy (aka muscle growth). As long as the load (the amount of weight lifted) is above sixty-percent of your one-rep max, volume accumulation can be an effective way to get stronger.

SPECIFICITY

This principle relates to the type of training that you do. It should be specific to you and your sport. You should train the energy system which you use predominantly (i.e., don't run 5,000 meters in training if you're a sprinter!) and the fitness and skill components most important to your sport, for example, agility, balance, or muscular endurance.

Another example is to swim a lot in training then expecting your running to improve significantly. Your general fitness will improve so therefore your running may also improve, not nowhere near as much as if you focus on running instead of swimming.

PROGRESSION

The overload principle says that the intensity with which an exercise is done must be high enough above the individual's normal range for any desired physiological adaptation (muscle growth) to occur.

The only way your body physically changes and grows is if the muscles are taxed to the point where they must grow stronger to lift that weight. When the muscle fibers are taxed in this manner, it causes micro-tears in the fibers. When you rest, these repair themselves and grow back stronger than before. The overload process causes the muscle fibers to grow stronger (and sometimes bigger) in order to handle the additional weight. 

REVERSIBILITY

Overtraining is a very common problem and comes about when you don't get enough rest during your training schedule, you overdo it thinking you are making more gains by workout out more but this could actually be having an adverse effect. This should not be confused with overload which is the planned exposure to an increased workload and the right amount of rest between each session.

Without the correct amount of rest, you will suffer from overtraining. With the correct amount of increased training and the right rest, you get overload which will lead to an increase in performance.

You can also be a victim of reversibility when you don't train as often as you are used to, this is why you always hear the term 'consistency is key' floating around.

Without consistent training your body will start to lose its fitness gained in those few weeks where you were exercising 3-4 times a week, if you suddenly drop that to once or none a week then your performance and fitness starts to decline

ADAPTATION

This refers to the ability of the body to adjust to the demands imposed. 

The adaptation also explains why a newcomer to the world of weights will experience a lot of fatigue after completing their first routines, then after spending a few weeks at it becomes much stronger, and eventually is able to withstand more intense training. For a highly trained athlete, this principle refers to the weight becoming more efficient for a particular exercise, requiring a lower energy expenditure for the same effort. 

INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

Each person is unique, we are likely to respond slightly differently to the same exercise or routine and that each person (athlete) will respond differently to the same training stimulus.

The Principle of Individuality maintains that no two individuals will benefit from exercise exactly the same way physically or psychologically. 

Differences in genetics, age, sex, body size, limb length, muscle "type" distribution, training experience all contribute to the training response.