Final answer:
The overload principle in strength and cardiovascular training involves increasing the intensity, frequency, or altering the target to continually challenge and stimulate the muscles or cardiovascular system. By progressively increasing the weight, intensity, or duration of the exercise, the body is forced to adapt and improve over time.
Step-by-step explanation:
In strength and cardiovascular training, the overload principle can be applied by increasing the intensity, frequency, or altering the target. For strength training, this means progressively increasing the weight of the load to continually challenge and stimulate the muscles. In cardiovascular training, it involves gradually increasing the intensity or duration of the exercise to improve cardiovascular fitness.
For example, in strength training, if someone can comfortably lift a certain weight for a certain number of reps, they can increase the weight slightly for the next session to create a greater load on the muscles. Similarly, in cardiovascular training, if someone can run at a certain pace for a certain duration, they can increase either the speed or distance to challenge their cardiovascular system.
By consistently applying the overload principle, the body is forced to adapt and improve, leading to gains in strength and cardiovascular fitness over time.