Fitness Training Principles

Key Knowledge Fitness training principles including

intensity, duration, frequency, overload, specificity, individuality, diminishing returns, variety, reversibility, maintenance and de-training

Specificity Of all the principles of training, specificity is the most

important. Without your training efforts matching what you will need in your competitive setting, you will be wasting your training time.

There are four aspects of activity analysis that specificity must address:

the predominant energy systems the fitness components used the muscle groups used the skills performed.

It would be silly for a volleyball player to be completing a lot of continuous training. What would be more appropriate training for them?

Applying specificity. Looking at your activity analysis for your activity analysis

identify the specific fitness components/physical requirements of the sport and list them. E.g muscular power in legs

Use example in textbook on netball to help you.

Now apply the principal of specificity by selecting an appropriate fitness tests.

Now list a few suggestions of how to train these fitness components/physical requirements.

Learning activity: specificity Choose four different physical activities,

for example: athletics sprinting triathlon horseback riding (all day) downhill running water polo skateboard riding. For each activity, identify specificity in

training for the four categories listed in Specificity. Discuss your ideas with members of the class in small groups.

Your turn Define specificity In your own words.

What is the best way to determine training intensity

What are the HR training zones for Aerobic - Anaerobic - ATP-PC systems -

Intensity To match the athlete’s required use of the three energy

systems, training intensity needs to be at the following levels:

ATP–PC energy system — 95–100 per cent of maximum heart rate (MHR)

Anaerobic Glycolysis energy system — 85–95 per cent of MHR

Aerobic energy system — 70–85 per cent of MHR.

Therefore, to improve the phosphate energy system by doing 50-metre sprints, the athlete needs to perform the sprints at 95–100 per cent intensity (maximum effort) or the system is not trained.

List the advantages and disadvantages of using Max HR and VO2 max to measure intensity?

Duration Length of training session. You will not make fitness gains unless you are

working at the required intensity for at least 20 minutes within a single exercise session.

For example, this is important for aerobic training, where improvement requires a minimum session of 20 minutes with the athlete operating at 70–85 per cent of their maximum heart rate. This does not include warm up and cool down

Duration continued Duration can also refer to the length of

time a training program can run for to see results.

To see noticeable improvement in a fitness component a training program needs to be 6 weeks minimum in length

Training principle

Aerobic training

Anaerobic training

Duration

6 weeks minimum

12–16 weeks

6 weeks minimum

8 weeks

Frequency 3–7 times per week

3–5 times per week

Intensity 70–85 per cent MHR

85–100 per cent MHR

Duration continued Flexibility gains can be made after a

minimum number of sessions as long as the correct training principles are followed for this training method.

Duration - Periodisation Periodisation is simply organising a training

program into manageable blocks of time that include

Tapering (reducing training volumes) and Peaking to ensure prime physiological and psychological states for major events.

Macrocycle = Long Term goal e.g Aerobic conditioning 6 weeks

Mesocycle = Medium Term e.g 3 weeks Microcycle = Short Term 1 week – Specific

training sessions

Periodisation example

Frequency

Maintenance = 2 training sessions a week

Improvement = 3 or more sessions a week

Frequency A key to frequency for anaerobic

training is to have rest days after an anaerobic session.

The reason for this is muscle recovery is important for this type of training.

A good session may be followed by a poor one if the individual is not recovered.

Find a balance between training and recovery.

Your turn What is the minimum time is a training zone for you to see benefits?

What is the minimum number of weeks for a training program to show measurable gains?

How many times a week should I train for maintenance?

How many times a week should I train to see improvement?

Progressive Overload There can be no improvement in

personal fitness levels without progressively increasing or overloading the existing training levels.

Overload must be done with the FITT principal in mind.

Progressive overload

Progressive overload should be 1 variable by not more than 10%

Progressive Overload Must Sufficient overload but not that an

athlete will get injured. Maintain the original aim Appropriate to the level of fitness of

individual.

What we can do to overload Increase the number of repetitions

(Frequency) Increase the number of sets (FITT?) Extra training sessions (FITT?) Decrease recovery (FITT?) Increase from 75% to 90% efforts

(FITT?) Increase distances (FITT?)

Choose two separate examples of how we could overload this training program

Interval training session

Frequency – 3 x per week Intensity – 90% max HR Duration – 25 minutes Intervals – Work 30 seconds: Rest 60

seconds

Examine the figure below and explain the progress of each of the six subjects in their application of progressive overload. Consider:

For each one has the load been Too Easy? Just Right? Too Hard? Any other issues?

Variety Training can become boring, and the

athlete may drop out of the program if there is insufficient variety.

What are some ways we can incorporate variety into our programs.

Be careful when incorporating variety to keep the principle of specificity.

Diminishing Returns As you develop your fitness it becomes

harder to see returns from training. At the start you may see quick and big

returns but this will decrease the fitter you get.

The fitter individuals are, the less likely they are to improve further.

Detraining Can be described as a loss of fitness

when you stop training Loss of fitness happens much faster

than gains. The longer the training period the longer

it will take to diminish. Aerobic degeneration is much faster (2-

4 weeks) then anaerobic degeneration

Maintenance Once a required level of fitness has

been obtained the level of effort required to maintain that level is not as much as it took to get there.

Acquired fitness levels can be maintained by carefully altering the FITT principle

Individuality All individual responses to training will

be highly varied between different people.