W8 - Principles of Exercise Training

Question 1

Describe the principle of individuality

Answer 1

• athletes are created equal
• people do not respond to the same stimulus in the same way
• Genetics affects performance - influences how rapidly we respond to those changes
• Variations in cell growth rates, metabolism, and cardiorespiratory and neuroendocrine regulation
  –> high vs low responders

Question 2

Provide an example of cell growth variation

Answer 2

Myostatin
* Protein, growth differentiation factor that inhibits muscle growth.
* Myostatin knockout:
- Regulators within the body which inhibits muscle growth as it is very energy expensive
e.g.: Belgian blue cow, mice

Question 3

What percentage of an athletes performance is genetic?

What percentage is environmental influences?

Answer 3

Genetics makes up 50% and all other factors 50%

• Training status, psychological stress, sleep, habitual physical activity, approach to training, nutritional status play a part.

Question 4

Describe the principle of specificity

Answer 4

• Exercise adaptations specific to mode and intensity of training
• Training programme must stress most relevant physiological systems for given sport
• Training adaptations highly specific to type of activity, training volume, and intensity - may not transfer to other sports

Question 5

Explain the principle of progressive overload

Answer 5

• Need to increase demands on body to make further improvements
• Muscle overload: muscles must be loaded beyond “normal” loading for improvement (=overreaching: decrement, then benefit)
• Progressive training: as strength increases, resistance/repetitions must increase to further increase strength

Question 6

When is overload a positive effect on performance?

When can overload become a hindrance to performance?

Answer 6

• Positive impact
  After a training bout the performance decreases, but after a recovery period there is a positive response to the stimulus
• Adaptation to 2 training sessions
• Progressive overload

Negative impact
- Training stimulus with a negative effect, but recovery time is not long enough to enhance performance
- Causes an over-training and a decline in performance

* Recovery periods can also be explained through specificity: period of rest for one person may not be enough for another

Question 7

What is meant by overtraining?

Answer 7

• General fatigue, loss of strength, coordination, exercise capacity
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Sleep and emotional disturbances - these may not be picked up on unless they are asked directly to the athlete
• Increased / decreased resting heart rate
• Hormonal disturbances (e.g., cortisol ↑, testosterone ↓) - cortisol is the major stress hormone

Question 8

Describe the principle of reversibility

Answer 8

Taking someone with a high training status After 3 weeks of bedrest:
- Reduces muscle mass
- Reduces Vo2max
- 25% decrease in SV (less blood pumped per beat)

e.g.: Swimmers ability to store muscle glycogen reduces almost to that of the untrained
- Where the person’s baseline is, is mainly determined by genetics

Question 9

Explain the principle of variation/periodisation

Answer 9

• Systematically changes to one or more variables to keep training challenging
  – Intensity
  – Volume
  – Technique
  – Tactics
  – Changing exercise modes
• Macrocycles, mesocycles, microcycles

Question 10

Describe the use of Macrocycles, mesocycles, microcycles

Answer 10

• Over all 12weeks the mean intensity in the macrocycle increases
  
  • Over all 4 weeks in the mesocycle increase in training
  • Breaking the 4week period into weeks microcycle we can see the period of training and recovery

Question 11

How do athletes use periodisation during the lead up to a race?

What balance can negatively impact performance?

Answer 11

• Preparation phase: focus on volume
• Pre-competition and competition phase: focus on intensity/technique
• Towards the event the volume of training decreases
• Intensity and technique increase to maintain the adaptations that have been made
  • Intensity ↑ + volume ↑ –> potential negative effect

Question 12

What is Tapering?

Answer 12

• Tapering = reduction in training volume/intensity
  – Prior to major competition (recovery, healing) – 4 to 28 days (4-14 days for sprinters/cyclists; longer for swimmers)
  – Most appropriate for infrequent competition
• Tapering increased muscular strength
  – Muscles repair, glycogen reserves can be replenished

Question 13

What are the general principles for resistance training?

Answer 13

General principles for resistance training
* Eccentric training: higher forces, important for hypertrophy
* Specificity: what type of muscle work is required by sport?
* Order
– Multi-joint before single-joint
– Large muscle groups before small muscle groups
– High intensity before low intensity

Question 14

What are the focus points for resistance training?

Answer 14

• Muscle hypertrophy
  – ~8-12 repetitions, high loading, slow-moderate speed, or eccentric
• Muscle power
  – ~3-6 repetitions, moderate-fast speed
• Muscular endurance
  – ~10-25 repetitions, light loading