Fitness Training Principles

Key Knowledge  Fitness training principles including intensity, duration, frequency, overload, specificity, individuality, diminishing returns, variety, reversibility, maintenance and de-training

Specificity  Of all the principles of training, specificity is the most important. Without your training efforts matching what you will need in your competitive setting, you will be wasting your training time.  There are four aspects of activity analysis that specificity must address:  the predominant energy systems  the fitness components used  the muscle groups used  the skills performed.  It would be silly for a volleyball player to be completing a lot of continuous training. What would be more appropriate training for them?

Applying specificity.  Looking at your activity analysis for your activity analysis identify the specific fitness components/physical requirements of the sport and list them. E.g muscular power in legs  Use example in textbook on netball to help you.

 Now apply the principal of specificity by selecting an appropriate fitness tests.  Now list a few suggestions of how to train these fitness components/physical requirements.

 Learning activity: specificity  Choose four different physical activities, for example:  athletics sprinting  triathlon  horseback riding (all day)  downhill running  water polo  skateboard riding.  For each activity, identify specificity in training for the four categories listed in Specificity. Discuss your ideas with members of the class in small groups. Specificity

Your turn  Define specificity In your own words.  What is the best way to determine training intensity  What are the HR training zones for  Aerobic -  Anaerobic -  ATP-PC systems -

Intensity  To match the athlete’s required use of the three energy systems, training intensity needs to be at the following levels:  ATP–PC energy system — 95–100 per cent of maximum heart rate (MHR)  Anaerobic Glycolysis energy system — 85–95 per cent of MHR  Aerobic energy system — 70–85 per cent of MHR.  Therefore, to improve the phosphate energy system by doing 50-metre sprints, the athlete needs to perform the sprints at 95–100 per cent intensity (maximum effort) or the system is not trained.

 List the advantages and disadvantages of using Max HR and VO2 max to measure intensity?

Duration  Length of training session.  You will not make fitness gains unless you are working at the required intensity for at least 20 minutes within a single exercise session.  For example, this is important for aerobic training, where improvement requires a minimum session of 20 minutes with the athlete operating at 70–85 per cent of their maximum heart rate. This does not include warm up and cool down

Duration continued  Duration can also refer to the length of time a training program can run for to see results.  To see noticeable improvement in a fitness component a training program needs to be 6 weeks minimum in length

Training principleAerobic trainingAnaerobic training Duration 6 weeks minimum 12–16 weeks 6 weeks minimum 8 weeks Frequency 3–7 times per week 3–5 times per week Intensity 70–85 per cent MHR 85–100 per cent MHR

Duration continued  Flexibility gains can be made after a minimum number of sessions as long as the correct training principles are followed for this training method.

Duration - Periodisation  Periodisation is simply organising a training program into manageable blocks of time that include  Tapering (reducing training volumes) and Peaking to ensure prime physiological and psychological states for major events.  Macrocycle = Long Term goal e.g Aerobic conditioning 6 weeks  Mesocycle = Medium Term e.g 3 weeks  Microcycle = Short Term 1 week – Specific training sessions

Periodisation example

Frequency  Maintenance = 2 training sessions a week  Improvement = 3 or more sessions a week

Frequency  A key to frequency for anaerobic training is to have rest days after an anaerobic session.  The reason for this is muscle recovery is important for this type of training.  A good session may be followed by a poor one if the individual is not recovered.  Find a balance between training and recovery.

Your turn  What is the minimum time is a training zone for you to see benefits?  What is the minimum number of weeks for a training program to show measurable gains?  How many times a week should I train for maintenance?  How many times a week should I train to see improvement?

Progressive Overload  There can be no improvement in personal fitness levels without progressively increasing or overloading the existing training levels.  Overload must be done with the FITT principal in mind.

Progressive overload  Progressive overload should be 1 variable by not more than 10%

Progressive Overload Must  Sufficient overload but not that an athlete will get injured.  Maintain the original aim  Appropriate to the level of fitness of individual.

What we can do to overload  Increase the number of repetitions (Frequency)  Increase the number of sets (FITT?)  Extra training sessions (FITT?)  Decrease recovery (FITT?)  Increase from 75% to 90% efforts (FITT?)  Increase distances (FITT?)

Choose two separate examples of how we could overload this training program  Interval training session  Frequency – 3 x per week  Intensity – 90% max HR  Duration – 25 minutes  Intervals – Work 30 seconds: Rest 60 seconds

 Examine the figure below and explain the progress of each of the six subjects in their application of progressive overload. Consider:  For each one has the load been  Too Easy?  Just Right?  Too Hard?  Any other issues?

Variety  Training can become boring, and the athlete may drop out of the program if there is insufficient variety.  What are some ways we can incorporate variety into our programs.  Be careful when incorporating variety to keep the principle of specificity.

Diminishing Returns  As you develop your fitness it becomes harder to see returns from training.  At the start you may see quick and big returns but this will decrease the fitter you get.  The fitter individuals are, the less likely they are to improve further.

Detraining  Can be described as a loss of fitness when you stop training  Loss of fitness happens much faster than gains.  The longer the training period the longer it will take to diminish.  Aerobic degeneration is much faster (2-4 weeks) then anaerobic degeneration

Maintenance  Once a required level of fitness has been obtained the level of effort required to maintain that level is not as much as it took to get there.  Acquired fitness levels can be maintained by carefully altering the FITT principle

Individuality  All individual responses to training will be highly varied between different people.