1 Exercise prescription fundamentals

You are probably already familiar with the term prescription in a medical context (i.e. a doctor might prescribe a medication). Exercise prescription is the term used to describe the exercise programme that an instructor gives to a participant (i.e. the exercise they prescribe). When prescribing aerobic exercise there are two key areas to consider – the principles of training and ‘FITT’ (frequency, intensity, time and type of exercise). We will look at each of these factors in turn.