The Principal of Specificity
The principal of specificity states that to improve at an exercise (or any skill), one must perform that exercise or skill. This seems obvious, and in some senses it is. Your body will adapt to the specific demands that you place on it, and the adaptations it makse will relate directly to what is being demanded. It applies to most skills in life, exercise included! Here's how you can apply it:
First, think of what you would like fitness to do for you. Do you go hiking on the weekends with a heavy backpack? Go swimming with the kids on weekends?
Once you have an idea of what you want to be fit FOR, you can start to piece together how to train for your own goal.
Let's use the example of going backpacking on weekends. You know that you'll be carrying a 25 lb backpack for several hours, likely up and down steep inclines on paths.
To do this you'll need leg strength (for climbing with the backpack), postural strength (for holding the backpack) and cardiovascular endurance. To be even more specific you would need low-intensity cardiovascular endurance, as you will not be running with your backpack.
To determine what needs to be done in the gym simply select exercises that directly apply to each requirement: lunges for leg strength, back extensions & planks for postural strength, and walking on at an incline on a treadmill to increase cardiovascular endurance.
The process can be applied to anything:
1.) Write down exactly what you want to be better at.
2.) Break this skill or activity into components; what do you need so that you can be better?
3.) Find exercises that improve each relevant component.
If you'd like help with this process ask your local health fitness specialist!
The principal of specificity states that to improve at an exercise (or any skill), one must perform that exercise or skill. This seems obvious, and in some senses it is. Your body will adapt to the specific demands that you place on it, and the adaptations it makse will relate directly to what is being demanded. It applies to most skills in life, exercise included! Here's how you can apply it:
First, think of what you would like fitness to do for you. Do you go hiking on the weekends with a heavy backpack? Go swimming with the kids on weekends?
Once you have an idea of what you want to be fit FOR, you can start to piece together how to train for your own goal.
Let's use the example of going backpacking on weekends. You know that you'll be carrying a 25 lb backpack for several hours, likely up and down steep inclines on paths.
To do this you'll need leg strength (for climbing with the backpack), postural strength (for holding the backpack) and cardiovascular endurance. To be even more specific you would need low-intensity cardiovascular endurance, as you will not be running with your backpack.
To determine what needs to be done in the gym simply select exercises that directly apply to each requirement: lunges for leg strength, back extensions & planks for postural strength, and walking on at an incline on a treadmill to increase cardiovascular endurance.
The process can be applied to anything:
1.) Write down exactly what you want to be better at.
2.) Break this skill or activity into components; what do you need so that you can be better?
3.) Find exercises that improve each relevant component.
If you'd like help with this process ask your local health fitness specialist!
I think you mean "principle" not "principal".
ReplyDelete