Chapter 5B - Incorporating Various Training Methods and Modes

Question 1

Vaguely, how can one improve muscular endurance, strength or hypertrophy?

Answer 1

Muscular endurance - Can be improved through resistance and endurance training.

Hypertrophy - Can result from resistance training. Research indicated performing 3 or more exercises per muscle group will optimize increases in muscle size

Strength - gains can be achieved through resistance, bodyweight and strongman training.

Question 2

How can one work on improving their power?

Answer 2

Power is improved via complex training, which combines heavy resistance training and plyometric exercises with the goal of enhancing short term power output.

Complex training uses a training stimulus that couples heavy load with a light load in order to optimize force and power production beyond that which can be achieved with either exercise alone.

Question 3

Explain Post activation potential and how it relates to training power.

Answer 3

The principle behind PAP is that heavy loading causes significant stimulation of the CNS, which leads to greater motor recruitment and force.

This leads to a faster contraction rate. By pairing a high-intensity resistance exercise set with a biomechanically similar plyometric exercise set, the resulting PAP increases force development and maxs the production of explosive power for athletic performance.

Ex.2-3 sets of back squats (85-90%) followed by three to five vertical jumps to maximal height, with a rest period of three minutes between the two exercises

Question 4

Can plyometric training also help with endurance,and when should it be performed. What sports especially need this training? Plyo training and power?

Answer 4

Plyos before aerobic endurance training.

Sports such as soccer and tennis have both power (anaerobic) and aerobic component.

Plyometric exercises before aerobic endurance can help offset the detrimental effects of aerobic training can have on power production.

Question 4

How can we improve aerobic endurance? Ex of scenarios that this will benefitduring a run? How can resistance training prevent Injuries?

Answer 4

It can be improved by combining resistance training and aerobic endurance training. It will provide short-term exercise performance improvements and increase strength to help with hill climbing, the final sprint of an endurance competition and catching up to competitors who are in breakaway groups.

Resistance training will help promote faster recovery from injuries and prevent overuse injuries and muscle imbalances.

Question 5

Altitude training? What happens in the body during this

Answer 5

Increased altitude causes a reduction in the partial pressure of oxygen due to drops in atmospheric pressure, which detrimentally affects gas exchange in the lungs. The body attempts to compensate for the reduced partial pressure with a number of physiological changes

Question 6

How many days does it take for the body to acclimate to altitude up to 2,300 meters?

Answer 6

12-14 days

Question 7

What is the live high train low (LHTL) method?

Answer 7

This requires the athlete to live at moderate altitudes (2000 - 3000 meters) and train at sea level.

Living at higher altitude provides in metabolic and hematological adaptations that can provide ergogenic benefits by enhancing neuromuscular development during lower altitude training.

You can be LSD, pace/tempo, interval, HIIIt, or fartlek training and all for the better.

Question 8

Resistance training will often include the use of free weights, weight-stack machines and or circuit training.

Explain free-weight training.

Answer 8

The source of resistance for free-weights is gravity. Exercises using free weights often is performed in standing, which places more stress on the body’s muscles and ligaments compared to weight stack machines.

Free weights require muscles to support and stabilize the body.

Lifting free weights is a closer replication of the movement required in sports, because it involves the coordination of multiple muscle groups (opposed to machines that typically isolate single muscle groups )

Question 9

Explain weight stack machines

Answer 9

The source of resistance is gravity, but these machines utilize cables, pulleys, cams and gears that allow increased control over the pattern and direction of resistance.

Safer than free weights, as less skill and muscle coordination is needed for control.

Machines also can be readied more quickly than free weights because weight selection only requires inserting a pin.

Question 10

Explain circuit training. Does it save time. What are some benefits?

Answer 10

It will condense the time needed to complete a specific amount of work. The athlete goes from one exercise to the next with limited rest between movement sets.

Can be used with any type of resistance exercise movement, but the most demanding movement sets ( ie power movements) should be completed before less demanding movement sets (core and assistance movements)

Improved time efficiency, enhanced Cardiorespiratory functioning, and

Circuit training increases metabolic costs and can be beneficial for athletes interested in reducing body fat.

Question 11

With plyometric training, explain the stretch-shortening cycle. What are the three phases of the stretch shortening cycle? Muscle spindle importance? Series elastic component

Answer 11

The stretch shortening cycle is the fast lengthening and shortening of a muscle.

Eccentric phase, amortization phase and concentric phase.

Muscle shortens in the concentric phase and lengthens in the eccentric phase. The amortization phase is the transition between the eccentric and concentric phase.

Muscle spindles respond to eccentric action

SEC is where the elastic energy is stores. It works like a spring that returns the lengthened muscle to its shortened state during a concentric contraction. As the muscle shortens, energy is released. An athlete can use this energy to generate enough force to complete the plyometric exercises.

Question 12

Explain lower body plyometric’s benefit, what sports is this appropriate for? Lateral and horizontal sports vs vertical sports?

Answer 12

Including lower-body plyometric exercises in an athlete’s training program can improve sport performance by increasing the athlete’s ability to produce greater force in a shorter period of time.

Almost every sport, and especially basketball and soccer.

Lateral sports - baseball, football, sprinting

Vertical sports - Volleyball

Question 13

How can lower-body plyometrics impact endurance athletes.

How quickly can training adaptations be obtained?

Answer 13

Lower body plyo training improves muscle efficiency by training muscles to produce more force using less energy.

6-10 weeks can lead to training adaptations, but athletes can benefit from plyo training throughout the macrocycle.

Question 14

Put these lower body plyometrics in order from easiest to hardest.

Box drills, depth jumps, bounds, multiple hops and jumps, standing jumps, jumps in place

Answer 14

1. Jumps in place
2. Standing jumps
3. Multiple hops and jumps (also called countermovement jumps)
4. Bounds
5. Box drills
6. Depth Jumps

Question 15

Who would benefit from upper body plyometrics. Ex of upper body plyo exercises

Answer 15

Upper body plyos should be given to athlete who play sports that require fast and powerful upper-body movements. This includes tennis, softball, golf, baseball, field throwing, lax, swimming, and other sprint and endurance sports.

Sports that require tackling, catching, and holding off opponents could also benefit.

Ex. Medicine ball throwing and catching , and plyo pushups.

Question 16

Explain plyometrics for trunk control

Answer 16

It’s difficult to perform trunk plyos because the mechanic and neurophysiological mechanics necessary for the stretch shortening cycle may not be present.

Stretch reflex is not sufficiently involved for potentiated muscle contraction activity to occur.

Question 17

How frequency should plyometric training activities be performed. How many hours of rest in between.

Answer 17

The frequency of plyo is going to be influenced by the athlete’s sport, previous experience with plyo training, the phase of the training a cycle or season, and the intensity and volume of daily workouts including plyos, resistance training, sport practices and endurance training.

Most athletes it’s 1-3x a week with 48-72 hours of recovery time in between.

To determine plyo training frequency, the strength and conditioning pro must evaluate the intensity of the plyos performed, the number of reps completed for each exercise and the total volume of all other types of training

Question 18

Explain plyometric training volume? How can upper body vs lower body plyos be measured.

Answer 18

Plyometric exercise volumes are commonly determined as the number of repetitions and sets that are completed during a single training session.

Training volumes for lower-body plyometric exercises are expressed as the number of foot contacts during a session.

Ex. If an athlete is doing bounding exercises, volume may be expressed as total distance covered.

Upper-body plyos - usually expressed as the number of catches or throws during a training session.

Question 19

An athlete’s levels of plyometric experience are used to provide a suggested training volume. What would the suggestions be for beginner, intermediate and advanced?

Answer 19

Beginner: 80-100 reps per session
Intermediate: 100-120 reps per session
Advanced: 120-140 reps per session

Question 20

Can a prepubescent and adolescent children perform plyo drills safely, what is the benefit if any?

Answer 20

Yes, they gain muscular power and bone strength from participating in an appropriately designed plyo program.

Young athletes who regularly participate in plyometric training gain enhanced NM control and performance.

Plyo programs for children should focus on developing correct techniques to ensure quality movements while performing plyo activities and should progress from simple to more difficult plyo exercises.

Question 21

What plyo exercises are contraindicated in prepubescent athletes and why?

Answer 21

Depth jumps and high intensity lower body exercises are contraindicated because they can cause the epiphyseal growth plates to close prematurely, resulting in the stunting of limb growth.

Question 22

What must you consider when doing plyometric exercise with master athletes?

Answer 22

The goals of the program in addition to orthopedic and joint degeneration must be considered when designing the plyo program.

The program should not include more than five low-to-moderate intensity exercises, the volume should be lower, and there should be 3-4 days of recovery days between training sessions.