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REVIEW article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1553846
Customizing intense interval exercise training prescription using the "Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type of exercise" (FITT) principle
Provisionally accepted
Pinelopi S. Stavrinou 1
Todd Anthony Astorino 2
Christoforos D. Giannaki 1
George Aphamis 1
Gregory C. Bogdanis 3*- 1 Department of Life Sciences, School of Life and Health Sciences, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus
- 2 Department of Kinesiology, CSU-San Marcos, San Marcos, California, United States
- 3 Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Athens, Greece
Intense interval exercise training induces various physiological and metabolic adaptations related to performance and health. For designing a program, the F.I.T.T. principle, referring to frequency, intensity, time, and type of exercise, can be used to manipulate the level of physiological stress in the body, leading to various adaptations. Modifying these four parameters results in a wide range of interval protocols that are safe and effective for different populations including athletes and individuals with chronic diseases.In this review, we present how the manipulation of the F.I.T.T. components can alter the acute and chronic cardiorespiratory, metabolic, perceptual, and affective responses and adaptations to intense interval exercise training. From this evidence, it appears that the duration of the exercise bout and recovery interval are critical parameters for the manipulation of almost all acute responses, enabling periodization of intense interval exercise training, and promoting optimal adaptations and exercise adherence. In addition, a considerable level of adaptations may be achieved with training frequencies as low as once or twice per week and with lower than maximal intensities, adding to the feasibility of this exercise mode. Overall, by varying these parameters, the design of an intense interval exercise training program can be tailored according to the needs and abilities of each individual, and an optimized training prescription may be achieved.
Keywords: High intensity interval training, sprint interval training, Frequency, cardiorespiratory fitness, Heart Rate, Blood lactate concentration, metabolic, Perceptual responses
Received: 31 Dec 2024; Accepted: 24 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Stavrinou, Astorino, Giannaki, Aphamis and Bogdanis. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Gregory C. Bogdanis, Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, 172 37, Athens, Greece
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