LECTURE 4: principles of training

Question 1

components of physical fitness

Answer 1

1. Cardiorespiratory fitness
2. Musculoskeletal fitness
3. Speed
4. Body weight and composition
5. Flexibility
6. Balance
7. Reaction time
8. Coordination
9. Agility

Question 2

Cardiorespiratory fitness

Answer 2

Ability of heart and lungs to supply oxygen and nutrients to working muscle • Aerobic endurance – ability to sustain aerobic power • Graded exercise tests (GXT) • Submaximal tests

Question 3

musculoskeletal fitness

Answer 3

Muscular strength – ability to produce maximum force • Muscular endurance – ability to maintain submaximal force over a period of time • Bone strength – related to risk of fracture

Question 4

speed

Answer 4

Maximum rate at which a person is able to move their body

Question 5

body weight and composition

Answer 5

Size or mass of the person

Absolute and relative amounts of fat, muscle and bone

Question 6

flexibility

Answer 6

Ability to move a joint or series of joints through a full range of motion

Question 7

balance

Answer 7

Ability to maintain centre of gravity over base of support in static position, performing voluntary movements, or reacting to external disturbances • Functional balance – ability to pick up objects from floor, dressing, and turning to look behind you

Question 8

reaction time

Answer 8

the time it takes to respond to a given stimulus

Question 9

coordination

Answer 9

The ability to perform smooth and accurate motor tasks

Question 10

agility

Answer 10

The physical ability that enables a person to change body position quickly and in a precise manner

Is a combination of balance, coordination, speed and flexibility

Question 11

what is fitness

Answer 11

a key determinant of health, and, alongside skill and psychological factors (motivation and perseverance), also of performance

Question 12

principles of exercise programming

Answer 12

• Specificity
• Overload
• Progression
• Initial values
• Individual differences
• Diminishing returns
• Reversibility
• Periodisation (vs training monotony)

Question 13

principles of specificity

Answer 13

• Implication is that a specific exercise will elicit a specific training response
• The more the training resembles the performance situation, the better the stimulus and the greater effect it will have

Question 14

what does overloading the high-force anaerobic systems (immediate energy pathways) do

Answer 14

to increase muscle strength

Question 15

overload principle

Answer 15

Progressively applying greater demands on your body induces appropriate adaptations that improve stress tolerance (specific fitness) and potentially other forms of fitness

• Higher load needed in elite athletes
• Amount of overload necessary to elicit a training response depends on individual factors (esp. training state and genetics)

Question 16

how to progressive overload

Answer 16

can be achieved by increasing: Frequency (5 days a week rather than 3 days), intensity (running faster, or lifting heavier weight), or duration (45 minutes vs 30 minutes: or reps to failure)

Question 17

FITT-VP

Answer 17

• Frequency (how often)
• Intensity (how hard)
• Time (how long)
• Type
• Volume
• Progression/Pattern

Question 18

what structure do u use for a programme

Answer 18

FITT-VP

Question 19

principle of progression

Answer 19

Application of progressive changes

Increase training volume, frequency or both

For elite athletes, insufficient progression may impede performance

Important to reach a new performance/effort plateau before progressing

Question 20

too much progression too soon =

Answer 20

overtraining

- client may drop out if progression occurs too quickly

Question 21

principle of initial values

Answer 21

People with low fitness/strength will show greater relative gains in fitness and/or strength and improve at a faster rate than those with average or high fitness/strength (ie further away from their own ceiling)

VO2max of a client with poor cardiorespiratory fitness may increase by 12% or more in the first month of training

Athlete may only experience a 1% or less improvement in the same time

Question 22

principle of individual differences

Answer 22

• No two individuals are the same
• Age, fitness level and health status, motivations and preferences will differ
• Each individual presents with different cardiorespiratory, metabolic and psychological capabilities
• Training strategies must be customised to suit the individual’s rate of improvement and practicalities
• Use needs analysis – will differ dependent on training status of the individual

Question 23

principle of diminishing returns

Answer 23

• Genetic ceiling may limit extent of improvements attributable to training
• Rate of improvement will slow as the ceiling is approached (unless some artificial enhancement is used)
• Eventually improvements will level off

Question 24

reversibility principle

Answer 24

• Adaptations to training last as long as training is maintained at a certain intensity and volume
• A reversal of the adaptation process begins within days of cessation of training
• Differs strongly between the system or structure: generally: Structure lost more slowly than function. Strength lost more slowly than aerobic fitness
• Training volume can be reduced by as much as 50% without affecting fitness in the short term

Question 25

overtraining =

Answer 25

too much training and not enough rest. More problematic in elite athletes

Question 26

overtraining principle

Answer 26

• Decreases performance
• Reduces aerobic capacity
• Decreased ability to store glycogen
• Weight loss, muscle soreness, higher resting and exercise heart rates
• Injury and/or illness
  Planning required

Question 27

principle of periodisation

Answer 27

• More relevant when training athletes
• Most athletes divide their training up into cycles
• Aim is to reach a new performance plateau at the end of each microcycle
• Next microcycle would then require a higher level of training (volume, frequency or both)
• In women, the menstrual cycle may also dictate periodisation

Question 28

short cycles =

Answer 28

microcycles and may last 1-2 weeks

Question 29

mesocycles =

Answer 29

can last 3-4 months, consists of multiple microcycles

Question 30

longer cycles =

Answer 30

macrocycles and can last between 2 weeks and 2 months