Healthcare
Exercise Prescription: How the FITT Principle Builds a Personal Plan
This article is general information only. It does not take account of any individual’s health, medical history or circumstances, and it is not a substitute for advice from a general practitioner or an Accredited Exercise Physiologist. It sets out, in numbered clauses, what an exercise prescription is, what the national movement guideline for adults states, and how the four factors of the FITT principle relate to both.
1. What an exercise prescription is
An exercise prescription is a structured plan stating what exercise a person should do, how often, how hard and for how long, adjusted over time as the person’s capacity changes. Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) describes Accredited Exercise Physiologists as allied health professionals who specialise in prescribing tailored exercise programs for people with chronic conditions (media release, 2019).
The FITT principle describes the four settings of such a plan: frequency, intensity, time and type. The framework names what is set. It does not, by itself, state what the settings should be for any one person.
2. The national baseline
The Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing publishes 24-hour movement guidelines for adults aged 18 to 64. As stated on that page (accessed November 2026), the recommendations include:
- moderate to vigorous physical activity for 30 minutes or more on most days;
- muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week;
- functional activities that target mobility, balance and coordination on 3 or more days a week; and
- breaking up long periods of sitting.
The guideline is a baseline for adults in general. It is not a prescription, and it does not claim to be one. For a healthy adult it may serve as a reasonable starting point without further advice. Where a person has a health condition, an injury or takes medicine that bears on exercise, the guideline is a reference against which a professional assessment is made, not a substitute for it.
3. The FITT principle laid against the guideline
The table below is the writer’s own mapping of the guideline onto the four FITT factors. It is an analysis prepared for this article and is not a published table of the Department of Health. The third column restates the guideline as quoted above, and the fourth names, in qualified terms, what an individual assessment may change.
| Factor | What it sets | How the guideline expresses it | What an individual assessment may change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency | How often activity is done | Most days for moderate to vigorous activity; 2 or more days a week for muscle-strengthening; 3 or more days a week for functional activities | A condition, an injury or a medicine may change how often activity is appropriate |
| Intensity | How hard the activity is | Moderate to vigorous | A condition, an injury or a medicine may change the level at which activity is appropriate |
| Time | How long each session lasts | 30 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous activity | A condition, an injury or a medicine may change the length of session that is appropriate |
| Type | What kind of activity is done | Moderate to vigorous physical activity, muscle-strengthening and functional activities | A condition, an injury or a medicine may change which types are appropriate |
Two points follow from the table. The first is that the guideline gives figures for frequency and time but states intensity only in general terms (“moderate to vigorous”), so the intensity setting leaves the most room for interpretation for the person concerned. The second is that the last column carries the same qualification in every row, because any of the four factors may be altered by an individual’s circumstances and the guideline cannot say in advance which.
4. What an assessment looks at
An assessment by an appropriately qualified professional would ordinarily consider the person’s medical history, their current capacity and their goals. These inform the four settings and are reviewed as the person’s capacity changes. This article makes no claim about the results that any program produces, because the sources relied upon do not provide one.
5. Where to go
A person considering a program, particularly one with a health condition, may raise the matter with their general practitioner. An Accredited Exercise Physiologist is the professional ESSA identifies as prescribing tailored programs for chronic conditions. No provider is named or recommended here, and the choice of one remains a matter for the individual and their treating practitioner.
What applies, and to whom
The national guideline applies to adults aged 18 to 64 in general terms, and the FITT principle describes how any plan, general or personal, is constructed. A personal prescription differs from the guideline only in the settings, which are determined by assessment. This article is general information only, and the issuing authorities named below are the authoritative source on each point.
Sources: Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, “Recommendations for adults (18 to 64 years)”, 24-hour movement guidelines (https://www.health.gov.au/topics/physical-activity-and-exercise/physical-activity-and-exercise-guidelines-for-all-australians/for-adults-18-to-64-years); Exercise and Sports Science Australia, “ESSA urges Australians to speak to the right exercise professional in 2019” (https://www.essa.org.au/Public/News_Room/Media_Releases1/2019/ESSA_urges_Australians_to_speak_to_the_right_exercise_professional_in_2019.aspx)