AH Physical Education Project 2018 Candidate 2 - Stage 2. Stage 2(a) Carry out a literature review to gather information about the research focus

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "AH Physical Education Project 2018 Candidate 2 - Stage 2. Stage 2(a) Carry out a literature review to gather information about the research focus"

Clyde Green
5 years ago
Views:

1 Candidate 2 evidence Stage 2(a) Carry out a literature review to gather information about the research focus What is a strength? Strength is defined as The capacity of an object or substance to withstand great force or pressure 4 Strength allows a performer to sustain their efforts for the duration of their performance. In the 60m sprint, good upper and lower strength is essential for producing a fast and explosive performance. Power (P) = Force (F) x Velocity (V) 5. As exemplified, Power is the result of the force exerted and the speed at which it is exerted at. Without adequate strength, an athlete will struggle to utilise their speed and produce a powerful performance. Likewise, if an athlete doesn t have adequate speed, they will struggle to utilise their strength in order to do the same. As the 60m is a short and explosive race, it is crucial the performer has a high power outage as increased forces generated is the underlying mechanism for faster sprint ability (Brown and Vescovi, 2012). 6 This emphases the need for strength to ensure there is explosivity behind the movements. In order for sprinters to have an effective performance, they must have strong lower body strength (LBS). Lee (2018) 7 states, When you build strong muscles in your lower body, you are able to push off the ground with more force. Lee highlights that increased strength allows the athlete to fatigue less quickly due to increased muscle capacity which means they can withstand more force. They can also move faster, Lee (2018), as there is more power behind each stride propelling them forward, so the time taken to complete each stride is quicker. Lee also notes that increased strength helps an athlete to maintain an energyefficient posture due to their performance not being inhibited by fatigue and having the energy to maintain efficiency for a sustained period of time. Strong upper body strength (UBS) is another factor which is crucial in the 60m sprint. Natmessnig (2016) 8 has explained that there is a direct correlation between strong upper body strength and effective technique. Natmessnig states, Without this [UBS], the power arm technique cannot provide optimal support to your legs. This means the upper body muscles help assist the lower body muscles by stabalizing the body overall so it can operate in its optimal form whilst also preventing a consequent injury. What is technique? Technique is defined as, A skilful or effective way of doing or achieving something. 9 Technical fluency and accuracy allows an athlete to produce a wellexecuted and high quality performance. In the 60m, an athlete must have good lower body technique (LBT) in order to ensure their performance is fast, effective and injury free and-power-forathletic-performance/ 6 Brown, T.,Vescovi, J (2012) Maximum Speed: Misconceptions of Sprinting Strength and Conditioning Journal. Volume 34, pg SQA 1 of 5

2 Young (2012) 10 has explained how simply improving your high knee action can drastically improve your performance overall. Young says the internal force necessary to do so moves down to the point of contact and increases ground reaction force which increased an athlete s speed as there is more force propelling them forward at a greater force. He also points out that improved LBT also has the ability to conserve your body from poor posture. By striking the track from lower height, Young says it results in poor ground contacts, which means the athlete won t be gaining maximum propulsion and they run the risk of suffering from hamstring injuries. Developing Strength Sandler (2015) 11 has stated Aim for 5-8 reps for 3-5 sets per exercise make sure that those weight loads help take your muscles to near failure on each set aim for 2-3 minutes between sets and increase the weight. Lee (2016) 12 explains that this is due to high weights/low reps, increasing your overall maximum strength. Whereas with low weights/high reps, you re developing muscular endurance, Lee (2016) However, Howatson (2016) 13 disagrees that athletes should be lifting heavy weights with low repetitions. He discusses a test which was conducted and features a group who lifted high weight/low reps and another who lifted low weights/high reps and were both told to lift to exhaustion. The results show that neither group gained more muscle nor was there much differentiation between their muscle fibres. Howatson states heavier wrights can only be lifted slowly whereas lighter weights can be lifted more quickly. He argues that when training for strength with high weighted gym exercises, we are inadvertently training them to contract more slowly, which is an issue in an event where fast muscle contraction is a necessity. Hansen (2014, p147) has stated that an overemphasis on strength could easily lead to a diminished performance in other important elements 14 He went on to add in case of sprinting efforts, acceleration-based work over shorter distances (e.g. 20 to 30m) is more compatible with higher volumes of relatively heavy weightlifting 15 This shows that I should be merging gym work with short sprinting repetition drills on the track, so the athlete develops their strength without having a detrimental effect on their speed and their overall target of being more explosive isn t halted. Marker (2017) 16 discussed the test conducted in 2014 on the impact of incorporating sled pulls in sprint training, where one group trained with normal sprints, others trained with weighted sleds. It was concluded that, the sled group increased contact time with the ground, and also improved their stride length. The impact of this was the sled group exerted more force against the group and increased their stride length and were therefore being propelled forward at a greater rate. However, he also highlighted that the weight on the sled shouldn t be high. A heavy load might have benefits, but it does not improve sprint acceleration High-performance Training for Sports, Joyce D, Lewingdon, D, Hansen D, pg High-performance Training for Sports, Joyce D, Lewingdon, D, Hansen D, pg SQA 2 of 5

3 as much as a lesser load. He says a heavy load is beneficial for developing maximum strength, but has detrimental effects on sprinting technique. A lower weight allows you to train strength and technique simultaneously, without focusing on one and neglecting the other. Developing Technique Hansen (2014, p155) states A combination of drills and well-guided sprinting repetitions are typically required to refine running technique 17 Richey (2017) 18 also says that the athlete should sprint in place to build proficiency. Both authors explain that this is to develop muscle memory and the athlete s ability to recreate the movement subconsciously. Richey says its best to, start out performing 10 to 20 yard sprints, and gradually add speed. He also says once full effort has been achieved for a given distance, you can increase that distance and repeat the cycle. This is to progressively get your body used to performing the movements, with the aim of building up to greater distances once your body can sustain this movement for the set distance. King (2017) 19 has recommended six movements which have components that target by LBT. The Push up start (see appendix 14) challenges an athlete s balance and quick acceleration as the exercise is designed for them to push off their drive leg with a fast turnover. The aim of the no arms exercise (see appendix 15) is to encourage an athlete to drive their knees up without the deterioration of height. Pedal the bicycle (see appendix 16) fast foot turnover whilst strongly focussing on getting the athlete to stay on the front section of their feet. Running butt kicks (see appendix 17) works well with the pedal the bicycle exercise to ensure the athlete is focusing on the fast turnover of their feet. The big arms exercise (see appendix 18) encourages increased stride length through the exaggerated arm swing movement. The no arms into sprint exercise (see appendix 19) develops an athlete s core balance by promoting the use of their torso and legs. Stage 2(b) Analyse the information from the literature review to inform PDP target setting From my research I have learned that I must target lower body and upper body strength equally in order to develop my overall strength capacity. In the book, High Performance Training for Sports I have learned that the most effective way of doing this is to design a training programme which features more weight training than track work. Therefore, I have decided to devise a 6-week training programme which has two days of weight training, one day or resistance training and another of trackbased sprint work. My literature review has taught me that to increase my strength, I should be incorporating resistance exercises, such as sledge training. However, due to the fact I am a 17 year old female who is only at the starting point of strength development, I believe it would be more effective to implement a parachute session rather than a sledge mission, especially due to the intensity of a sledge pull perhaps being too advanced for my level. My research also indicates that a sledge which has been too heavily weighted would not improve overall speed which is another reason I have opted to discard this approach. 17 High-performance Training for Sports, Joyce D, Lewingdon, D, Hansen D, pg SQA 3 of 5

4 From my readings I have decided I will start out at 5 reps and 3 sets per exercise with 3 minutes rest between eat set in my programme. I have decided this based on the research rom muscleandfitness.com which states this is the minimum workload which is recommended for developing strength. This work-to-rest ratio works out to be 1 minute work/3 minutes rest (1:3), and I will apply progressive overload throughout the programme so that I conclude with 8 reps and 5 sets per exercise with 2 minute rest between each set (3:4), which is the maximum workload recommended for strength development. My research also shows that it could be beneficial for me to concentrate more on strength sessions than technique. This is because there is evidence of overall strength impacting the effectiveness and fluency of my technique. Runtastic 20 highlighted that by improving my UBS I will have stronger core balance which will help transfer the power generated in my upper body to my lower body, and vice verses. Therefore, there is more reason to focus on developing my strength than technique, as my strength has more influence on my technique than my technique does on my strength. It is evident that I can achieve greater results by concentrating on strength for five days and incorporating technique training on two of those days. From analysing all relevant information in my literature review, I have decided to go with high weights and low repetitions for my weight training sessions. Looking at Howatson s reasons for believing weight doesn t matter when developing strength, I believe that high weights/low repetitions will prove to be more effective in developing strength for the 60m sprint. This is because this method is used to build explosive strength due to the increased strength needed to contract the muscle to perform the repetition. If I were to have chosen the low weight/high reps method, I would be working more on muscular endurance a component which is more beneficial for the 200m and 400m events. In choosing high weights/low repetitions, I am ensuring I am keeping my training as specific to my event and development needs as possible. My literature review has taught me that I should be implementing drills and sprint repetitions. I have decided to use all 6 of the exercises recommended by King due to the fact that they focus on the technical components I m looking to develop. As recommended, I will start by performing them slow for 10 meters in order to stimulate the muscle memory and I will apply progressive overload throughout the programme by building up to performing them at a high pace over a longer distance. Stage 2(c) - Set and justify PDP target(s) My target is to develop my fluency and accuracy of my technique by improving the efficiency of my arm drive and foot strike to the track. Improving my technique will allow me to be more aerodynamic and effective so I will be gaining maximum propulsion without losing my momentum. Thus, decreasing the time it takes me to complete the 60m sprint. Another target is to develop my acceleration in the 60m sprint by improving my initial test results. This means I will need to develop my overall muscle capacity, which will result in me exerting more strength when I sprint. This can help me exert more strength in a downwards motion against the track, thus generating more speed and allowing me to produce a faster time across the 60m distance SQA 4 of 5

5 My third target is to develop my strength in the 60m sprint. By improving my acceleration I will be able to get up to speed quicker and therefore will be at a higher pace for a longer period of time. SQA 5 of 5

Dynamic Flexibility and Mobility

Dynamic Flexibility and Mobility Below is the standard dynamic flexibility series. Your workout should have a prescribed warm-up, but if it doesn't a three minute total body warm-up, (i.e., jogging, rope