There are four main energy systems, the ATP system, the ATP-PC system, the Aerobic system and the Anaerobic Gloycolysis system. During my gym sessions I will use two main energy systems, the ATP system and the ATP-PC system. When finding my one rep max I will use the ATP system, this is because I will be producing a quick movement over a period of roughly 3 seconds. These are the conditions in which the ATP stores will be used. When doing my four reps and four sets I will be using the ATP-PC system, as the duration of 10-12 seconds is ideal for the system to be brought into action.
For my programme I will be using the main principles of training which are specificity, progression, overload and reversibility. Specificity is being used, as I want the outcome of my PEP to make my game of football better. Progression will be used, as I want to gradually progress my program to increase my upper body strength. Overload will be used to work past the levels of my current ability. Reversibility will occur if I stop doing the programme either indefinitely or even for just one week. This means that the adaptations that have occurred will be lost and will have to be regained through training again but for a longer period.
There are three types of muscle fibres. These are type 1, type 2a and type 2b. Type 1 fibres are used in long duration exercises. Type 2a fibres are used in moderate length exercises. Type 2b fibres are used in explosive short duration exercises. I feel that my legs have type 2a and 2b fibres in them. This is because I am a good short to moderate distance runner and I have to sprint a lot in my position as a striker on the football pitch. For my PEP in working on my upper body strength I will aim to increase the type 2b fibres using hypertrophy. I will do this by doing my reps at a quick pace. This should increase my upper body strength, as I will have bigger muscle fibres or more muscle fibres in the muscle groups that I am working.
The Gym Session
My first gym session gave me the results of my levels at present. These are:
Muscle group One rep max
This column shows me where my levels of fitness are at the present time. In my next gym session I will work at 80% of my one rep max for four reps and four sets. These are the weights that I will work at:
After three sessions of working at 80% of my one rep max I will repeat my one rep max. If the new results have increased or decreased I will change the 80% of the one rep max accordingly. I will keep doing this until the programme is complete.
Recovery will be required for my personal exercise programme so that the targeted muscle groups have time to fully recover and work at their potential again after the four repetitions and four sets and also after the one repetition max tests. To fully recover I will rest after each set for three minutes. The three-minute recovery will fully replenish my ATP stores and my ATP-PC stores. Also important to my recovery is to have repaid my oxygen debt. EPOC (excess post exercise oxygen consumption) is the key to this. EPOC can be split into two, the fast component and the slow component. The fast component is complete after three minutes. This means that the ATP and ATP-PC systems can be resinthesised. The slow component takes place between one hour and three days after exercise. In the first hour the slow component will get rid of the lactic acid that has been built up and after this it mends broken bonds between muscle fibres
Session 1:
One rep max test. Intensity 7/10
Session 2:
Four repetitions and four sets at 80% of one rep max. Intensity 6/10
Session 3:
Four repetitions and four sets at 80% of one rep max. Intensity 6/10
Session 4:
One rep max test. Intensity 7/10
Session 5:
Four repetitions and four sets at 80% of one rep max. Intensity 6/10
Session 6:
Four repetitions and four sets at 80% of one rep max. Intensity 6/10
Session 7:
One rep max test. Intensity 7/10
Session 8:
Four repetitions and four sets at 80% of one rep max. Intensity 6/10
Session 9:
Final one rep max test. Intensity 7/10
The Plan
During my PEP I will incorporate a warm up. Using a rowing machine at the gym and then stretching the muscles and joints of the upper body. I will go to the gym once a week for nine weeks in taking out my personal exercise programme. The duration of the gym sessions will change, as I will not be doing the same thing each session. Every three weeks I will test my one repetition max again to record any changes in one rep max results. In the weeks between this I will be doing four reps and four sets for each of the muscles being tested. If my one repetition max increases I will increase the weight of the reps to 80% of the new one repetition max so that progression is incorporated in my programme. After each session I will do a cool down. This will involve light work on the rowing machine again and stretching the muscle and joint groups that I have used.
Evaluation
My main aims when starting out on my personal exercise programme was to increase my upper body strength. I wanted to do this so that it would help me improve my all around game of football. To do this I decided to work at the gym with weights and a variety of muscle groups in my upper body. In theory this would build up my strength and size of muscle in these groups. The groups I worked were biceps, abdominals and pectorals. These are the groups of muscles in the upper body that I use on the football pitch.
For the first gym session I lifted weights to find my one rep max for the muscle groups I was going to try and strengthen up. Once I found this I worked at 80% of my one rep max for two weeks. After these two weeks I tested my one rep max again. I found that my one rep max for my abdominals had increased. Due to this I increased the 80% of my max so that it was 80% of the new one rep max. The other two had stayed the same so I kept the original 80% figure. I worked for another two weeks at 80% of the one rep max. I tested my one rep max again and all three had stayed the same this time. I kept the 80% the same and worked this again for another two weeks. After this I did my final one rep max to find out my final results.
My final one rep max test showed me that my one rep max had increased for my abdominals and my biceps but my one rep max stayed the same for my pectorals. This shows me that the exercise programme I used for my pectorals didn’t work but it did for my biceps and pectorals.
In the last three football game I played I have scored seven goals. These games were near the end of my programme. This could show that my programme has helped my overall game of football although there is no proof that this ‘good form’ can be traced back to me doing the P.E.P.
Before I started my programme I thought that a side effect I could find at the end of the programme could be a loss of speed. Now that I have completed the programme I don’t think it has inhibited my speed. This could be due to the football training I do with my club.
I am pleased with the overall results of my programme. I feel that I am better prepared for the challenge of bigger players when I go on to the football pitch. I considered continuing with the programme but as yet I haven’t done so. The one thing that I was disappointed with was not increasing my one rep max for my pectorals. A reason why my one rep max for my pectorals didn’t increase could be that the programme was not long enough in duration. Maybe if I did the programme for an extra two or three weeks then the one rep max for the pectorals may have increased.
If I were to continue with my programme I would change the way I tried to increase my pectorals in an attempt to actually make them stronger. I would continue to do everything else the same though as improvements were occurring which shows that the programme was working. In addition to this I would consider working on some other muscle groups also, maybe go onto my leg muscle groups. Another consideration would be to make the programme longer or even just carry on with it so the chance of the programme working would increase.
