Exercise Dosage

People come to see us for exercise advice regarding a number of different conditions, and we provide them with an exercise prescription, a dosage (similar to a “dosage” of medicine).

It is a recipe made up of various constituents; done so for a particular purpose, to attend to a particular concern. We will often prescribe specific sets, repetitions, rest time, frequency, intensity etc.

What do these actually mean though and why the different combinations?

We hear patients saying “I was performing the program daily; I did not rest between each set and or I decided to combine the total amount of repetitions into one set, because it was quicker”. It is not uncommon to hear that in the end, exercise was stopped altogether, because the individual simply became too sore or didn’t see the point. So what is the point?

Exercise works to stimulate structural and functional adaptations in order to gain improvements in a specific physical task.

Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is when specific exercises are provided on a regular basis to enhance function and induce a response. The stimulus is generally greater than normal and forces the body to adapt to become more efficient (that’s a good thing!!). Appropriate overload is based on manipulating frequency, intensity, duration, or a combination of these factors. Exercise dosage must be increased to obtain continual improvements. It is important to note that excessive intensity and or abrupt increases in volume increase the individual’s risk for injury to bones, joints and muscles. This is one of the most common reasons why people stop exercising altogether.

Frequency: How many times in the week exercise is performed.

Intensity: The level of exertion required when exercising (i.e. how hard / difficult the exercise is). Intensity can be made up of a number of different variables depending on the type of exercise (cardiovascular or resistance). Intensity may be based on load lifted, speed or power output, exercise heart rate or % of perceived rate of exertion.

Duration: Total length (time) of a session.

Rest/recovery: Allocated rest time (seconds / minutes) between sets and exercises. Recovery between sessions (how many days / time off)

Exercise dosage: The overall level of exposure to exercise; based on a combination of the volume and intensity of exercise.

Exercise volume: The total amount of exercise performed (i.e. how much exercise); based on a combination of the exercise duration and frequency OR weights x sets x reps.

Specificity: A principle of exercise prescription that stipulates physiological adaptations are specific to the body system/s trained with exercise.

 

Typical prescriptions:

Here, we have included some typical exercise prescription parameters for specific desired effects. Like anything, exercise needs to be highly tailored and individualised so we strongly recommend seeking professional advice and guidance on exercise prescription so that you can get the most out of your exercise sessions and reduce the chance of injury or regression.

For strength development:

• REP: 1-6
• TEMPO: max intent
• REST: > 3-5 min
• LOAD: Novice: 60-70% of 1 repetition max (1RM) / Intermediate-advanced: 70 – >/= 80% of 1RM
• FREQ: Nov: 2-3x wk / Int: 2-1x wk / Adv: 4-6x wk

For hypertrophy (muscle bulk / growth):

• REP: 8-12
• TEMPO: slow eccentric and isometrics
• REST: 1-2 min
• LOAD: Nov: 60-70% / Int: 70-80% / Adv:80-100%
• FREQ: Nov: 2-3x wk / Int: 2-1x wk / Adv: 4-6x wk

For strength endurance:

• REP: >15
• TEMPO:
• REST: 1-2 min for high reps, < 1min for 10-15 reps
• LOAD: Nov: 50-70% / Int: 50-70% / Adv: 30-80%
• FREQ: Nov: 2-3x wk / Int: 2-4x wk / Adv: 4-6x wk

For power improvement:

• REP: 1-5
• TEMPO: project into free space
• REST: 2-3 min
• LOAD: heavy loads (&gt; 80% – strength), light (30-60% – velocity)
• FREQ: Nov: 2-3x wk / Int: 2-4x wk / Adv: 4-6x wk

For speed enhancement:

• REP: 80-100 steps foot contact per session
• TEMPO: project into free space (max)
• REST: >/= 1:10 work:rest
• LOAD: BW
• PLYOMETRIC: 0.2 sec ground contact time max

If you would like some guidance on exercise prescription or have a specific goal in mind and you’re not sure where to start, please reach out to our friendly admin team and they will be able to book you in with one of our team members.