After years of experience in fitness, sometimes we fitness professionals forget to address the fundamentals for designing a successful fitness program. M.F.D.I. is a fundamental I learned in my freshman year studying Exercise Physiology at Manhattan College. M.F.D.I. is typically found in the first chapter of any fitness or training book. M.F.D.I. is one of the primary foundations for fitness.
What is M.F.D.I.?
Mode
Frequency
Duration
Intensity
In a recent blog I addressed the issue of wasted time in the gym. More or less, I addressed what we should not do to waste valuable gym time.
So how about if I give you a basic guideline to help you structure your time in the gym and make it as productive as possible?
Here we go..
MODE:
Pick your training apparatus, tools or method.
If you want to work on your cardiovascular conditioning your MODE choices may be treadmill, bike, rowing machine, aerobic classes, going for a run, swimming, boxing, tennis etc.
For resistance training your MODE choices may be calisthenics, bands, weights, machines, kettlebells, medicine balls, ropes, etc.
FREQUENCY:
How often will you use your chosen Mode(s) for training? A training session is technically referred to as a “bout”. How many training bouts per week will you perform? 1, 3, 5, 6, 7? How many bouts per day? The answer entirely depends on your goal. Football teams will do triple-sessions, 5 days per week in August prior to the season. Marathon runners train 6 and sometimes 7 days per week, even multiple runs per day to prepare for a race. Olympic Lifters train 3 days per week. A safe guideline for people who are new to the gym is 3 bouts per week until they acclimate to a regular training regime.
DURATION:
Duration refers to the length of each “bout” of exercise. We recommend beginners start out at 30-minute bouts. Depending on an individuals training goals, bouts can be as short as 15 minutes and last as long as 8 hours or even more for the clinically insane.
INTENSITY:
Once again, training INTENSITY is determined by an individual’s training goals. INTENSITY is entirely perceptive. What may seem intense to one person may be perceived as moderate to another. Our vital factors give us the feedback we use to determine our own levels of intensity – breathing, heart rate, sweat, dizziness, muscle pain, etc. It would be great if we could quantify INTENSITY to provide everyone with the same scale but that’s not possible. We could do a hill run together and you may perceive the hill run as being very intense. Someone else comes along and runs that same hill with a 50-pound backpack and oversized rubber boots. As they sprint pass us, you may say, “WOW – that’s intense!” To which they calmly reply, “This is nothing. I normally sprint with a plastic bag on my head and scissors in my hand!” Then we can say, “Run away! They’re insane!”
When starting with beginners, I emphasize CONSISTENCY over INTENSITY. Too much intensity is the primary reason most people burn-out so quickly after a month of New Years Resolutions in the gym. Beginners should always focus on a consistent habit of moderate exercise until the habit is locked into their schedule over an extended period of time. I’d rather see a person walk everyday for 3-months consistently rather than do treadmill sprints on January 2nd, 3rd and 4th and recover from January 5th to December 31st.
M.F.D.I. are the building blocks for designing a successful training program.
SUCK IT UP and use them!
Beginner Workout Routine | Lake Oswego Local Personal Trainer | Portland Oregon Physical Fitness Trainer | Fitness Routines