Press Ups:
I chose this exercise because I thought it was the most important out of all the tasks for general fitness. This activity is good as it builds up power and strength in your muscles (biceps, triceps, quadriceps etc.). Also, the exercise is good for improving stamina and muscular endurance, as well as my cardio - respiratory system. My anaerobic will also be improved, as I shall be carrying out the exercises for short, sharp, intense periods of time. This means I will be using at least 80% - 90% of my maximum heart rate.
Press ups also help to improve the ability of chest passing, as I am pushing up and down on the ground. One of the benefits of working anaerobically is that I will be able to tolerate lactic acid better, which will come in handy during a real game situation where I will be able to pass and run around for longer.
In order to make the activity harder each week, I will try to beat the previous weeks score. I must be careful however as not to try and overload my body, as this could cause a serious grievance.
Defensive Shuffle:
I thought this exercise was good because it helps me to improve my stamina and also to improve my muscular endurance in my arms and legs. By shuffling around the course, I am simulating a game situation, in which I am shuffling in and out of defenders and other players. This also helps me to keep up with faster opponents as I am improving my stamina.
In order to make this exercise more challenging during the circuit, each week I will try to pace myself a bit faster so as to beat the previous weeks record. If I am improving each week, then I will know that I am pacing myself well. However, if my scores are staying the same, I will know that I have to pace myself a bit harder than the previous week.
Appropriate Application:
Appropriate application is necessary as I do not want to cause myself needless injuries.
In total, I will have 6 sessions in which to compile my fitness regime, each of which will be approximately one hour long. There will be eleven activities which I will need to complete, each of which will last exactly one minute. In my view, this is sufficient time, as if it were less I would not have enough time, and if it were more, I would get tired before the end. In each of these sessions I will need to increase my intensity towards the activities, otherwise I will make no improvement. However, if I start off at the wrong pace, I will become tired well before the end, and so will hinder my chances of achieving the best possible score I can. Also, I will need to move quickly and swiftly between stations so as not to lose any momentum or time.
Monitoring
Performance Monitoring:
As I went through then circuit, I recorded my results, thus monitoring my performance during the regime. The results are as follows:
As you can see from the table, my scores were mixed in the sense that they increased some weeks, but then decreased the next week.
Week 1
During the first week’s lesson, we were introduced to the equipment and apparatus we would be using throughout the circuit. Finally, after all this we were given a place to start and got our circuits underway. As this was the first time I was taking part in the circuit, I did not know what to expect or how to pace myself, so I went out using all my strength and power on the first few activities. However, this plan backfired as I was starting to tire by the fifth activity. Nevertheless, I still managed to get some good scores. Also, as this was the first week, I knew that I was bound to improve my scores the following week, so I was not worried by some of the results being a little lower than I had expected. I thought that I participated well in the lay ups and the sit ups, which I scored relatively high in.
Week 2
This week proved to be much more successful than the previous week, which was further proved by my improved results. I was however somewhat disappointed with some of my results which were lower than that of the previous week, and by the end, I was very tired.
Week 3
Altogether I improved on my previous weeks scores; however I was again disenchanted by some of the results, particularly the burpees, in which I managed to score significantly less than half that of the previous weeks result. Also, I was very tired by well before the end of the circuit. On the whole I am thoroughly pleased with the majority of my improved results.
Week 4
I was very tired by the end of this circuit, as it was the second consecutive day that I had taken part in the circuit. I had sustained an injury in an out of school activity and this had hindered my efforts on some of the activities in the circuit. This was evident on the burpees, set shots and the dribbling. However, I still managed to put in a good performance for the rest of the activities and was altogether happy with my results. My scores were slightly lower than I had expected, and this was down to my partner, Sylvester, being absent for the lesson. This was harder for me as there was no one for me to compete against, and so I pushed myself too hard.
Week 5
This week proved to be much easier than the previous week, and this was most probably down to me getting used to the circuit. I managed to pace myself well around the circuit. My back injury has partially healed from the previous lesson, and I was able to participate well during the course.
Week 6
The final week of the circuit proved to be better than many of the other weeks. I tried very hard to score a good result, and this was reflected in my scores. My scores were also improved because I was working with my partner (Sylvester) again, and this gave me someone to compete against again.
As you can see, my results had no definite pattern, and to prove this, I have put the results of the activities into a graph. This will show the difference in my scores over the six sessions.
As you can see from the graph, there was no pattern in my scores for the wall passes, and therefore they were ‘random’. The numbers above each column shows us how much was completed during the allocated time. I scored highest during the fourth session, and this was because I was pushing my self very hard at the beginning.
As we can see from this graph, depicting the Bench Crosses, I seemed to have a steadily improving pattern of scores with some exceptions (Weeks 5 and 6). I scored very low in the first session and this was mainly down to the fact that it was the first time I was competing in the circuit. Altogether I am happy with my progress in this activity.
This, in my view was one of my worst activities during the whole circuit. I was irregular in completing this activity, and my results had no pattern whatsoever. My best week in this subject was week 3; however, I can see no reason for this other than working harder and pushing myself harder. I am very disappointed in my efforts for this activity. I do however; have one complaint about this activity. It was poorly placed in the circuit (in terms of layout), as it came after the bench cross, which is very tiring on your legs. A better place for this would have possibly have been after the press-ups or before the lay-ups.
I was again dismayed by some of the results in this activity, for example weeks 3 and 4. As I have said before, week 4 was much harder for me as I had no partner to work against. However, in week 3 I was working against Sylvester so I see no reason for me to score poorly. Nevertheless, I am still optimistic about scoring well in the other activities, as by week 3 I was still getting used to the circuit.
In my view, this was my worst activity by far, and I put this down to the layout of the circuit. I believe that the circuit was at fault for me getting low scores here in this activity. The activity came straight after the jump pass, in which your arms and legs are needed strongly. Straight after doing this, we moved onto the burpees, which is one of the hardest activities in the circuit. It is therefore for this reason that I think I scored lower in the burpees than in any other event throughout the entire circuit.
This was one of the easier activities in the circuit as it was shooting from a set place. Weeks 3 and 4 again were problematic; however I was relatively pleased with my performances. My best performance evidently came in week 1, from which I remember taking nine shots and scoring all nine of them.
This was one of the more average activities so to speak. It tested your speed and manoeuvrability around three cones which were positioned accordingly. My best week in this activity was week 6, and this was most likely down to the fact that I was motivated and had high levels of energy.
This was one of my favourite activities, due mainly to the fact that I performed so well in it. In most of the weeks I outscored my partner, Sylvester. The worst performances from my point of view were weeks 1, 2 and 4. This was due to the injury I sustained during week 2. My best week at this activity was week 2, and this is where I scored some of my best scores of the whole circuit.
The press ups were one of my least favourite activities but nevertheless I still performed to the best of my ability. The press ups test the strength of the arms and I found this particularly difficult as it came quite late in the circuit and I was exhausted by this time. My best performances came in weeks 3 and 6 respectively, and I put this down to being more motivated and having more adrenaline.
This activity was one of my favourite as it challenged all parts of an athlete: feet, legs, arms and hands. It was positioned perfectly in the circuit just after the press ups and sit ups, and towards the end of the circuit. My best performances of the circuit came in weeks 1 and 3, and this was down to the fact that I was getting used to the circuit by then.
This was the last exercise in the circuit, and this reflects in the results compared to what I should I be achieving. This exercise was used to test how long you could work for and it turned out to be the most difficult. My best accomplishment in this activity was strangely in week 3; the week in which I injured my back.
After I completed the circuit, I took part in another bleep test to see how far I had progressed since the start of the circuit. In the first bleep test I scored a level of 11, which is considered to be on the level of a fit and healthy person. This time however, I was more motivated and was determined to do better, not to mention more fit than I was due to the circuit training. This showed in my result as I scored 11.8, which is slightly above 11. I was very pleased as it proved that I had progressed since the start of the course.
Evaluation
Altogether, I was very pleased with my performances despite my injuries which I sustained during the circuit. My scores started to show some kind of pattern towards the end, though it was not very clear form the results. Towards the conclusion of the circuit, I started to feel more comfortably about the circuit and started to gain more confidence as each lesson passed.
I improved a lot after the circuit, for example, I am now much stronger, slightly faster, a better basketball player, and now have more confidence than before. I therefore, due to this, regard the circuit as a success.
If I could change anything about the circuit, I would change the layout of it as it was sometimes straining on the arms and legs. For example, doing the bench crosses, dribbling, jump passes and then burpees was very difficult and after a while my results started to go down (as you can see in my tables and graphs). However, on the whole I am very happy and enjoyed myself during the whole experience and have gained valuable information along the way.
