Principles of TrainingEXSC 205

Why understand training theory?

• Ultimately it is to improve athletic performance• Secondary Objectives:

• Prevent injury• Maximize human potential

• Keys to developing successful training paradigms• KEEP RECORDS (very important)• Read relevant research reports• Be open to new techniques/ideas

Training Program Evaluation

• Goals: proper goals are necessary for a training program to be evaluated

• Goals common to training programs• Increasing muscle strength• Improving aerobic capacity• Improving sports performance• Improving body composition

Acute Program Variables

• Specific training components that can be altered from workout to workout

• Choice of exercise• Order of exercise• Intensity of exercise• Volume of exercise• Training frequency• Rest interval

• Fleck & Kramer (1997)

Acute Program Variables (continued)

Basic Training Principles

• Specificity Principle• Overload Principle• Individuality Principle• Principle of Diminishing Returns• Principle of Reversibility

• Detraining

• Additional Topic• Overtraining

Specificity Principle

• Physiological adaptations are specific to the muscles trained, intensity of exercise and metabolic demands of exercise

• Carryover Effect• Ex: resistance training program supplements most sport training• 100% carryover NOT possible• Resistance exercise selection

• Similar NM coordination• Recruitment of correctly-targeted muscles

Overload Principle

• For adaptations to occur then the demand of the exercise must exceed what the body is normally accustomed to

• Yakovlev’s Model

Normal State

Workout

Fatigue Recovery

“Super” Compensation

Time (days)

APV of workout, outside variables (sleep, nutrition), effect recovery time!!

Overload Principle (continued)

• Dr. Hans Selye (1936)• His model to describe the biological reaction

of an organism to sustained and unrelenting stress; there are several stages, culminating in death in extreme circumstances

• Three Stages1.) alarm reaction: initial response to

stimulus and consists of both shock and soreness

2.) adaptation: improvement in performance is noted during this time

3.) exhaustion: unable to make further improvements and chronic fatigue is a possibility

Progression Principle

• Adaptations will occur as a result of a training program

• If training intensity does not change (progress), then overall intensity will get easier for the athlete

• How often is it necessary to change training intensity?

Individuality Principle

• 20 athletes same training stimulus = 20 different responses!• Athletes respond DIFFERENTLY to training programs

• Why?1.) pre-training (training age)2.) genetics3.) gender

Principle of Diminishing Returns

• Performance gains are related to the level of training experience (training age)

• As training continues, strength and performance gains are more difficult to achieve• Genetic ceiling• Point of frustation

• Ergogenic aids (?)

Principle of Diminishing Returns (continued)

Stre

ngth

Incr

ease

s

Duration of Training

Genetic Potential

Principle of Reversibility

• Once a training stimulus is removed the performance gains will revert back to their original state (detraining)

• How quickly will this occur?• Coyle et al. (1979): 4-6% reduction in VO2 max after 2 weeks of inactivity• Coyle et al. (1986): 12% decrease in SV is evident after 2-4 weeks of

detraining

Biokinetic Swim Bench and Strength

Changes Detraining

a b

Physiologic Effects of Detraining

w Decreased performance may be related to losses in cardiorespiratory endurance.

w Oxidative enzyme activity in muscles decreases (up to 60%).

w Muscle glycogen content (and thus storage capacity) decreases.

w Acid-base balance becomes disturbed.

w Muscle capillary supply and fiber type may change.

Designing Training Programs:When is enough, enough?

Designing Training Programs: Definitions

Excessive training—well above what is needed for peak performance, but does not strictly meet the criteria for overreaching or overtraining. It can lead to chronic fatigue and decrements in performance.

Overreaching—a brief period of heavy overload without adequate recovery, thus exceeding the athlete’s adaptive capacity. There is a performance decrement, but it is relatively short-term, lasting several days to several weeks

Overtraining—that point at which an athlete starts to experience physiological maladaptations and chronic performance decrements, lasting weeks, months or longer. Up and exceeding 6 months (Kreider et al., 1998)