The Principle of Specificity

How You Train is What You Get

The Principle of Specificity holds that your body will make specific changes according to the type of training program that you perform. These adaptations will occur in the very same muscles and systems that you exercise. 1,2

Simply, if you perform heavy bicep curls, your biceps will get stronger and larger, but your abdominals will not. Whatever exercise you do, your body will adapt accordingly.

This even applies to different environmental conditions. For example, if you run distance at high altitude, within a few weeks your body make physical changes to adjust to the the thinner atmosphere.

The Principle of Specificity suggests that when you train with weights your body's natural mechanisms automatically respond to make your muscles stronger (e.g., by building proteins that contract).

Muscles will also increase in size (called hypertrophy), but not as much for women as for men due to the lack of testosterone in women. 2,3 See Gender Differences

The Specificity Principle is most evident in the body types of elite track and field athletes who are at the extremes of the strength-endurance events. Throwers have much larger and stronger bodies than distance runners, who tend to be much smaller and more slender.

While the Principle of Specificity explains the effect that strength training exercises produce inside the muscles, specificity of learning is a different concept. It concerns coordination between muscles, or skill learning.

The notion of specificity of skill learning does not apply to training in the exactly same way as the Principle of Specificity studied in exercise physiology. 4,5

Examples of How to Apply the Principle of Specificity to Weight Training

1. If your training goal is general fitness with a focus on improving posture, emphasize strengthening the extensor muscles in the upper back and shoulders (see arm exercises) while increasing flexibility in the front of the shoulders and chest. Be sure to get specific direction from a physical therapist or qualified health professional.

2. If your training goal is to improve rebounding in basketball, emphasize explosive exercises, such as power cleans and speed squats to increase your vertical jump.

3. If your training goal is improving stability for downhill running in cross country, add strengthening exercises for joint stability in the lower body, such as squats, lunges, or other weight bearing exercises.

Remember, these principles complement each other. They do not operate independently.

To see how I came to understand more about the training principles after I began using new training techniques learned from a former Soviet coach, check out Training Principles Applied

Recommended Resources

Athletic Strength for Women

Strength Training for Women

For other principles of training, see

The Principle of Overload

The Principle of Recovery

The Principle of Reversibility

The Principle of Variation

The Principle of Transfer

The Principle of Individualization

The Principle of Balance

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References

1. Powers, S.K. & Howley, E.T. (1990). Exercise physiology: Theory and application to fitness and performance. Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown.

2. McArdle, W.D., Katch, F.I., & Katch, V.L. (2000). Essentials of exercise physiology (2nd ed.). Baltimore: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.

3. Powers, S.K., Dodd, S.L., & Noland, V.J. (2006). Total fitness and wellness (4th ed.). San Francisco: Pearson Education.

4. Magill, R.A. (2001). Motor learning: Concepts and applications (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

5. Schmidt, R.A. & Wrisberg, C.A. (2000). Motor learning and performance: A problem-based learning approach (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

SBI!