Exercise Physiology topic 2: Preparation and training methods in relation to maintaining physical activity and performance Topic 2A: Physiological effects and benefits of a warm up and cool down Term Identify Explain the phases and benefits Warm up The phases of a warm up: Light aerobic activity Stretching Sport specific drill Psychological preparation The benefits: -Reduces injury risk by increasing the elasticity of muscle tissue -The release of adrenaline increases heart rate and dilates capillaries allowing increased oxygen delivery to the muscles -Increased muscle temperature enables oxygen to dissociate more easily from haemoglobin so more oxygen delivery to the muscles -An increase in the speed of nerve impulse conduction, improving reaction time -More effective movement at joints due to an increased production of synovial fluid -Allows the rehearsal of movements -Mental rehearsal allows improved confidence, reduced stress and anxiety and optimal psychological preparation Light aerobic activity/ pulse raiser- An athlete would perform light aerobic activity lasting 5-10 minutes. This may include ogging, skipping, heel flicks, high knees, side steps. The release of adrenaline increases heart rate and cardiac output along with breathing rate so more blood and therefore oxygen is directed to the working muscles. In addition, this raises muscle temperature and increases nerve conduction speed and the dissociation of oxygen. Stretching- Stretch the joints that will be active during the training session. Dynamic stretching is particularly useful during a warm up as it increases the range of movement at joints, maintains oxygen delivery and temperature along with replicating the movements performed during the activity. Stretching reduces the risk of injury and increases the elasticity of muscles. Sport specific movement drill- Involves the movement patterns that are carried out in a given sport, for example a passing drill such as piggy in the middle in Football. Allows the rehearsal of skills and mentally prepares us for the competition by increasing confidence and reducing stress and anxiety. Psychological preparation can be included as part of the previous phases or it can be a separate phase of a warm up. Psychological preparation may involve imagery, positive self-talk or a team talk which will develop confidence and optimise ones mental state ahead of competition. Cool down The phases of a cool down: Light aerobic activity Stretching The benefits: -Aid in the removal of waste products including lactic acid -Reduces the potential for DOMS -Reduces the chances of dizziness or fainting caused by the pooling of venous blood at the extremities -Reduce the level of adrenaline in the blood The first phase of a cool down is light aerobic exercise of decreasing intensity. This can include 5-10 minutes of light jogging or walking, this gradually lowers heart rate, breathing rate and body temperature to its pre exercise state, aids the removal of lactic acid and lowers adrenaline in the body, calming us down. If one does not perform light aerobic activity and immediately stops exercising, we are at an increased likelihood of blood pooling. Performing light exercise, maintains the skeletal muscle pump which helps circulate blood around the body rather than pooling in the legs, this maintains oxygen delivery around the body and reduces the risk of dizziness. The second phase of a cool down is static stretching, this involves stretching the main muscle groups involved in the activity and holding stretches in an isometric position. This helps reduce body
-Allows the heart rate to return to its resting rate temperature, remove waste products and increase the range of movement at joints. Cooling down reduces the likelihood of delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS is caused by microscopic muscle tears which occur when we exercise harder than usual. This is a normal process which is required for growth in muscle size and strength. However, if training is progressed too quickly excessive tearing can occur, which results in DOMS. Static stretching Often used as part of a cool down. Stretching where a muscle is held in an isometric position for 30 seconds or more. Can be passive or active. Active: An active stretch is one where you assume a position and then hold it there with no assistance other than using the strength of your agonist muscles. Involves working on one joint, pushing it beyond its point of resistance, lengthening the muscles and connective tissues. Passive: When a stretch occurs with the help of an external force such as a partner or a wall Ballistric stretching Often used in specific sports such as gymnastics. Involves performing a stretch with swinging or bouncing movements to push a body part further. More dangerous style of stretching as it involves less controlled movements. Should only be performer by someone who is very flexible such as a gymnast or dancer. Dynamic stretching Often used as part of a warm up. Involves controlled movement which replicates the actions performed during sport. Maintains body temperature and increases functional movement. Topic 2B: Principles of training Define Identify how to apply the principle Explain how to apply the principle Specificity Refers to the need to make training relevant and appropriate to the sport for which the individual is training. Make training relevant through training the appropriate: Muscles Energy system Skills Environment The muscles: Training the appropriate muscle groups and muscle fibre type. Whilst strength training, a sprint cyclist would focus on their quadriceps and hamstrings, as these are the key muscle groups used. You must also train the appropriate muscle fibre type. A marathon runner would mostly train their slow twitch muscle fibres through training methods such as continuous training, whereas a sprinter would train their fast twitch muscle fibres by performing plyometric, strength and speed based training sessions. Energy system: Different sports require different energy systems to provide ATP (energy). Using the example of a sprinter, they would predominantly use their ATP-PC energy system and anaerobic energy system as they perform high intensity exercise for short periods of time. The sprinter would therefore perform plyometric, sprint and strength training to improve power, speed and
strength. In comparison, a marathon runner would use their aerobic energy system and therefore use training methods such as continuous, interval or fartlek training, working at lower intensities for longer periods of time. Skills: An exercise programme must reflect the skills used in a particular sport. For example, a basketball player would practice lay ups, set shots, jump shots, passing and defensive skills as these are the skills required for their sport. Environment: A performer must train in a similar environment to that is which they perform. Training should replicate the conditions, intensity and duration of their sport. A 50 m front crawl swimmer would train in a pool and practice their front crawl technique over the distance of 50 m at a similar speed. Progressive overload Overload refers to making the body work harder than normal. For improvement and adaptation to occur, the training should be progressively increased at an intensity where the individual feels some form of stress and discomfort but is not overtraining. Reversibility Also known as regression, reversibility explains why performance reduces if training Apply progressive overload through using the FITT principle: F- Frequency I-Intensity T-Time T-Type Common causes of reversibility include: Injury Illness Loss of motivation End of season Frequency refers to the number of times a person trains per week. To apply frequency, if someone currently trains 3 x per week, increase to 4 x per week. Make sure specific numbers are provided in examples. Intensity refers to how hard a training session is. There are a number of ways to increase the intensity of training. In endurance based exercise you can work at a higher % of your heart rate max, for example if you currently work at 60 % heart rate max, increase to 65 or 70 %. They could also work at a higher level on the Borg scale, so instead of working at a 12 work at a 13. Alternatively, they could incorporate more high intensity intervals into a training regime or reduce low intensity work. For a strength athlete, they could work at a higher % of their one rep max, so if they currently perform sets at 80 % 1 rep max, increase resistance to 85 %. A strength athlete could also reduce rest periods. Time refers to how long a training session lasts. For an endurance athlete, they may currently run for 30 minutes, so they could increase their time to 35 or 40 minutes. If they were performing interval training, they could increase the length of their high intensity periods and reduce rest periods. A strength athlete may increase the number of sets they perform of an exercise from 3 to 4 or reduce rest periods between sets. They could also increase the time their muscles are under tension by slowing down their repetitions. Type refers to the type of training performed. The type of training performed must be relevant to a person s goals. However if someone was performing continuous training, they may change the type of training to interval training to include more high intensity periods. Alternatively, someone who is performing weight training in the gym, may change the exercises they perform every 6-8 weeks or apply more power to their movements by perform plyometric training. Rest periods are important for recovery, however extended periods of rest or non-exercise can result in the physiological effects of improved fitness diminishing, resulting in the body reverting back to its pre training condition. The length of the detraining period determines how much fitness diminishes.
stops. In simple terms, if you don t use it you lose it! To prevent reversibility from happening we must reduce the risk of injury, illness, loss of motivation and the impacts of the season ending. Injury- Injury can be caused by overloading the body to quickly, poor exercise technique (such as lifting too heavy load with poor lifting form), not performing a warm up or cool down or suffering an acute injury. Ensure you progressively overload the body and perform appropriate exercise. Illness- Illness can be caused by overtraining (training too frequently or intensely) with inappropriate recovery or an individual not supporting their training with appropriate nutrition, sleep, stress management and lifestyle choices. Ensure you progressively overload the body and recover and manage your lifestyle appropriately. Loss of motivation- One common reason is boredom, usually caused by a lack of variety in training. To prevent this, train using a variety of methods, progress training, perform training sessions you enjoy or join a group exercise class, so you benefit from training with likeminded people. End of a season- Following the competitive season, athletes will have rest to recover from the season, this is important. However, this break or reduction in training may lead to a reduction in fitness levels followed by pre-season training to build fitness levels back up, remaining active by performing low intensity exercise at a reduced frequency will help maintain fitness. Recovery Overtraining is relatively common with elite athletes as the aim for performance perfection. Overtraining is caused by an imbalance between training load and recovery (too much training, too little recovery). It is during rest periods that an athlete s body adapts to the stress placed upon it. To ensure appropriate recovery: Plan an appropriate balance between rest/training. Listen to how your body feels. Apply progressive overload. Include de-load weeks If insufficient recovery occurs between training sessions, the body does not have enough time to regenerate and adapt before the next training session, depleting the body. This will have a negative impact on performance and training. Common symptoms of inappropriate recovery include fatigue, disturbances in sleep, muscle soreness, injury, loss of appetite and even exercise addiction. In order to ensure appropriate recovery, rest periods should be programmed into a training schedule along with a reduction in training volumes. Following the 3:1 (hard:easy) ratio, should ensure the athlete has appropriate recovery. Including a de-load week every few weeks allows the body to recover if someone has been training hard for a period of time, this can mean an active recovery week, lighter training, reduced frequency of training or complete rest. Topic 2C: Application of principles of periodisation Define Macrocycle Explain the term in relation to periodisation Typically includes all 52 weeks of your annual training plan and involves a long term performance goal. This cycle includes the preparation,
A long term training plan with a long term goal, often a single competition, typically a 52 week annual training plan. Mesocycle A goal based block of training sessions, typically 3-6 weeks in length. Microcycle A repeated group of training sessions, typically a week in length. competition and recovery phases of your plan. A macrocycle provides an overview of your training regimen and allows you to incorporate long-term planning in order to peak at competition time. The macro cycle is broken down into mesocycles. Mesocycles are typically 3-6 weeks in length and have a specific targeted outcome. These involve developing a particular component of fitness such as power, strength or endurance. The more important the component, the longer an athlete may spend on it. The mesocycles are broken down into microcycles. A microcycle is the shortest training cycle, typically a week training block. A microcycle provides the information an athlete needs to complete their training for that week. Microcycles may be similar from week to week, for example a weight training microcycle may have the same exercises however the weight lifted may increase during different cycles. Microcycles may also be different from week to week, for example a running programme may have different intensity, duration and training method guidelines. Preparation A period of training aimed at optimising fitness ahead of the season or competition. The length of the preparation period is depended on the sport, however typically occurs 8-12 weeks before the start of competition. Performers will block the preparation period into mesocycles. The first mesocycle will involve general conditioning, improving building aerobic fitness, strength, speed and flexibility. Training will be high in volume and frequency. This general conditioning cycle is then followed by targeted cycles aimed at developing specific areas of fitness for example strength or speed. This may involve decreasing the volume of training but increasing the intensity. By the end of the preparation period, an athlete should be aiming to get to peak fitness for competition. Competition A phase of the macrocycle where the competitive season or competition occurs. Transition The phase of the macrocycle where the season ends and allows an athlete to recover physically and mentally. Tapering Reducing the amount/ volume of training intensity prior to competition to ensure optimal condition. Peaking Making sure that both mind and body are at their best for a competition Performers will focus on maintaining their fitness levels throughout their competitive season. The competition period will include more rest/recovery days as the athlete will be competing and training. The performer must aim to maintain peak fitness when competing. During this phase, athletes may focus on skills, strategies and techniques. Training volume is reduced but intensity is still high. Also known as the off season, the period allows an athlete to recovery physically and mentally from a demanding season. The transition period may involve complete rest along with active recovery. Active recovery will consist of low intensity aerobic or strength work. The training will increase as the next preparation phase draws closer. Performers involved in particular activities may compete regularly but may often have a single competition in mind such as the Olympics. Although the Olympics will not be their only competition for that athlete, it is the competition they want to be at peak physical and mental condition for. So that an athlete may be in peak condition for a competition they may reduce their daily training loads a few days prior to competition so they are physical and mentally rested and ready for competition. Performers involved in particular activities may compete regularly but may often have a single competition in mind such as the Olympics. Although the Olympics will not be their only competition for that athlete, it is the competition they want to be at peak physical and mental condition for. This may mean competing in events prior to their main competition but tapering their training to be ready for the main competition. Example macrocycle for a footballer
Macrocycle Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March April May Jun e Jul y Preparation/preseason Competition phase Transition General conditioning cv fitness Agility and speed. Maintain fitness levels, incorporate more rest days as competing, work on strategies, skills and techniques, Recovery, basic strength and endurance Mesocycle Mesocycle Mesocycle Mesocycle Mesocycle Macrocycle design The design of the macro, meso and micro cycles will depend on the sport, season length and major event to peak for. Below is an example for an athlete looking to peak for the Olympics in July 2020. Transition Preparation/pre seasons The end of the season previous season (August 2019) Allow the body and mind to recover. Involves active rest and consist of low intensity aerobic and strength work. Training may build as preparation season begins. Phase one- General conditioning General conditioning improved; CV fitness, strength, power, flexibility improved. High training frequency and volume. Transition period begins in September 2019, rest and recovery. Preparation for 2020 Olympics begins in November 2019. Phase one- General conditioning. Phase two- Specific conditioning Specific areas of fitness targeted and improved. Training volume decreases but training In December 2019 more targeted training begins. This focused training continues up until the start
Competition intensity increases. Sport specific focus. Phase three Athlete now competing so training volume decreases, rest days incorporated. Specific skills focused on. Phase four Training tapered approximately two weeks before event. Training volume reduced to avoid injury. Training intensity is still high. Peak for Olympics. of the competition season in April 2020. Smaller competitions begin in April 2020 building towards Olympics. Peak for Olympics July 2020