As you can see if I can improve my stamina it will mean that I will be able to supply my muscles with oxygen for longer periods of time using aerobic respiration methods. This should significantly improve my performance in a match and it will help me perform better in later stages of a game and hopefully with this extra stamina I may have an advantage over the opposition.
Improving our stamina
We can improve our stamina by regularly taking part in continuous exercise involving our whole body. Our heart rate must be kept between 70-85% of our maximal heart rate so that our aerobic capacity will improve. We should at first exercise for a minimum of 12 minutes but as we become fitter we can make our sessions last anything up to 40 minutes. There are two ways in which we cant improve our stamina and they are continuous training and interval training I will look at both of these ways and see which one is most suitable for my programme.
Speed
Speed is the ability to move all or part of the body quickly. Speed is important in sports, which require a great deal of effort over a short period of time like in football and squash, in which speed is absolutely vital. It is especially vital in football because often a sudden change of speed can get you away from the opposition to create yourself a goal scoring opportunity. If I can improve my speed over short distances and combine it with my longer distance sprinting speed then I feel it will add another dimension to my attacking and defensive play. This will also give me more opportunities to display my skills because I will be able to receive the ball more as I could find space in a lot shorter amount of time.
Improving speed
Although we cannot increase the percentage of fast twitch fibres in our bodies, there are many other things we can do to include our speed. One of these ways is by increasing our strength this will give us more power and stronger muscles and therefore more speed. To do this I could use a programme of weight training and plyometrics. We could also improve our ability to cope with lactic acid in our bodies. Another way of improving the level of skill in our sport an example of this is if we have a well measured and sensible run up in cricket we will need less speed because we wont have to run as far to meet our maximum speed.
For our bodies to achieve speed, energy has to be supplied to the muscles very quickly. Muscles then have to contract in the shortest possible time. We will use our anaerobic energy supply system for speed work. If we have a high percentage of fast twitch fibres in our active muscles we will have a natural example.
What I need to consider
When I am designing my programme there are two acronyms that I need to remember, consider and use. I must make sure that I meet all the points on both otherwise it is highly unlikely that I will complete the programme.
The first one is FITT.
F- Frequency of activity- how often we should exercise. For example if you just want to stay healthy you should exercise for at least twenty minutes twice a week. After each hard training session I should give my body at least 24 hours rest before I exercise again.
- Intensity of activity- how hard I should exercise?
T- Time of activity- how long I am going to exercise. Aerobic training sessions tend to last for 20 minutes or longer where as strength training sessions are generally shorter and less sustained.
T- Type of activity- what exercise I should use.
This means that I will have to decide how often every week I will have to train and how often I will train on each of the two areas stamina and speed. I will also have to make sure that I am training at the right intensity it will be important to make modifications to my plan while I am doing it if I feel that I am not being pushed hard enough.
I will also have to decide how long each training session should last, the best way to do this will probably be to start off with shorter sessions and as the programme goes on increase the length of time for each session. The main thing I will need to decide is the type of activity I do and make sure that it is relevant and improve my fitness in the way I want.
The second acronym I need to consider is SPORT:
S- Specificity- Every person will need a different training programme- we’re all different and we all do different things.
- Train the right parts of the body- there is no point making a weightlifter run 10 miles a day-it wont improve his weightlifting.
- Train to the right level-if someone is unfit don’t start him or her with a long run.
P- Progression- Steadily increase the amount of training that’s done-but only when the body has adapted to the previous training.
O- Overload- You’ve got to make your bodywork harder than it normally would. It’s the only way to get fitter. You can overload by increasing any of these three things:
- Frequency of training (train more often)
- Intensity of training (lift heavier weights)
- Duration of training (training for 5 minutes longer each session)
R- Reversibility- Our fitness levels change all the time and it will down if we stop training. It takes a lot longer to gain fitness than to lose fitness meaning that we have to keep up with the programme of we will not get fitter.
T- Tedium- We must make sure that what we are doing is not boring and tedious and that we are not doing the same thing everyday. If the programme is boring then it is unlikely that I will complete the programme to the best of my ability.
I will need to consider all these things when I am designing and actually doing my programme and if I feel while I am doing it these points are not being met then I will need to change it.
Fitness Tests
To find out if I am improving my fitness during the programme I will need some sort of test, which I can do during the programme that will give me results which I can then record. I will need a test for both stamina and speed. I will do this test before I start the programme to find out my current fitness then I will do it once a week throughout the programme to see if I am improving. I will then do it again after I have finished and see how much my fitness has improved from before the programme. These tests can also be used as part of my training programme as an exercise, which will also be helpful.
Stamina Test:
To see if my stamina is being improved I am going to use two tests. The first test I am going to use is the cooper 12 minute run but I will only carry out this test before my programme and then once after the programme has finished. This will show how much I would have improved over the six weeks. The Cooper 12 minute run is a very simple test all we have to do is see how far we can run around a marked area in 12 minutes, the distance we run is then recorded.
The other test I will use is the Havard step test. I will carry this test out once a week to see if I am making a gradual improvement. I will also do it at the start and end of the programme. To do this test our resting pulse rate is taken before the test begins. We then step on and off a 45cm high bench at the rate of 30 times a minute for a period of five minutes. We must start with the same foot each time and we must also fully extend our leg at the top of each step. At the end of the five minutes our speed of recovery is recorded. This is done by taking our pulse for 30 seconds at three different time intervals: one minute after the end: two minutes after the end of the exercise and three minutes after the end of the exercise.
The greater our aerobic capacity, the lower our pulse rate will be at the end of exercise. Also it will return to normal more quickly. I will work out my fitness score using the following formula:
Speed Test:
There are no real speed tests so what I will do to measure my speed is see how long it takes me to run a set distance. I will set this distance as 50 metres; I will do this test every week plus at the start and finish to see if my speed is improving. This will be an easy test and will not take very long. I will just have to make sure that I test myself on the same surface every time and not one time of grass then another time on concrete..
After considering everything I have researched myself I have made up a weekly timetable which I will use for six weeks as my personal exercise programme, I have fitted it around the other sports I do, it has also been designed so I don’t suffer fatigue.
Personal programme Timetable:
Detailed Explanation:
Sunday: On this day I will play football for my local team St Margaret’s Football Club, this is in a local league and matches last for 90 minutes. I play in midfield and play an active role in the team. This match could be used as an indirect training session and will certainly contribute to an improvement in my speed and stamina. I will spend the time before and after the game resting my body.
Monday: Monday will be mainly a recovery day on my programme however I will carry out the two small tests at some point of the day. I may well carry these out at school, as they wont take very long I may do them at lunchtime. I will have to make sure that I make a record of the results to measure my results. Apart from the tests the rest of the day will be rest.
Tuesday: On Tuesday I will do my continuous training session. This session will obviously start with a warm up (explained further later in plan). The session will then consist of me working at 70% of my maximum heart rate (MHR). This is easy to calculate all we have to do is take our age away from 220 so my MHR is 205. This means that I will need to be working at a heart rate of 144. For this continuous session I will be running for a certain length of time, which will gradually develop as the programme goes on. For the first week I will run for 30 minutes and measure the distance I run. For every week after that I will run for an extra 5 minutes so by the end of the programme I will be running for 55 minutes. To check that I am training at the right level half way through the run I will stop and record my heart rate to check it is about 144.
Once I have finished my run I will conduct a cool down. I will run on roads in my local village around a course that has been pre-decided. It is vital that I put my full effort in to every training session or my fitness will not improve. As well as recording the distance I have run I will also record the weather conditions as that could have an effect on how far I run.
Session:
- Warm Up
- Jogging at 70% of my MHR for a set amount of time ( to be increased as programme goes on).
- Cool down
Wednesday: This day I will play my weekly game of squash I will play for between one or two hours and this will improve my fitness a lot as it is very hard work. It will certainly help my speed, as I will have to move around the court quickly as I play against a very good player. The rest of the day will be spent recovering.
Thursday: This will be another recovery day, apart from my games lesson at school I will do no exercise in the evening, I feel without this total rest I could be at total risk of burnout. This will also be used as a reserve day so if I can’t carry out a session one day for some reason I will use this day to do it so that I don’t miss out. However this will generally be used as a recovery day.
Friday: On this day I will do a training session to improve my speed. There are no clear ways to improve my speed so I will do a mixed session. It will obviously start with a warm up. Then following this I will do some exercises on my legs including weights I will lift weights with my legs. I will do sets of these for 20 minutes. After I have done this I will do very short shuttle runs of 30 metres. I will do one shuttle then rest for one minute then do another then rest. I will do 15 of these in all. Once I have done this I will carry out my cool down. This session is designed to help improve my speed. If I feel it can be modified during the programme then I will do this and make a note of what I have done.
Session:
- Warm Up
- 20 minutes of weights on legs
- 20 minutes of shuttle runs
- Cool down
Saturday: Saturday will be used for a session of interval training, although his is called an interval training session it could also be called Fartlek as it is mixing them both. The session will be used to improve both stamina and speed. It will be every realistic to a game of football as it will involve a change of speed at different times. The session will then start with a warm up. I will then jog for 2 minutes then sprint for 30 seconds the jog for 2 minutes then sprint again this will go on for 10 minutes (4 jogs and 4 sprints). This will be called a set. I will then rest for 2 minutes before doing another set. The session will consist of 4 sets but as the programme goes on the amount of sets done each session will be increased to make sure that the training is progressing. At the end of each session I will obviously cool down.
Session:
- Warm Up
- At least 40 minutes of interval/Fartlek training
- Cool down
Overall 6 week timetable included.
Safety:
Safety is vital when I am doing this programme; I have to make sure that I am safe at all times. The main things I need to make sure I do is make sure that I warm up and cool down before and after each session to avoid unnecessary injury. I must also make sure that I am wearing correct equipment so when I am running on the roads I have appropriate foot wear on and if running in the dark I must make sure that I am visible to passing cars by wearing bright clothing. I must also let a parent know where I am going if I am training when it is dark and at about what time I will be back. The last thing I must do with safety is if I get an injury then I must stop the session right away and not continue until the injury has fully recovered or I could end up making it worse meaning I am not in the long run getting fitter just making myself worse. I may also run with a partner especially if I am out running late for my own safety.
Warm Up
At the start of each training session I shall conduct a warm up. My warm up should include:
- A period of gentle exercise using my whole body, for example light jogging. This will gradually increase both heart and breathing, ensure that blood flow to my muscles gradually increases, warm up my muscles and prepare myself mentally for hard work to follow.
- Gentle stretching. I should work on the joints most likely to be stressed during our main training session.
My Warm Up:
To start my warm up I will go for a light jog which will last 3 minutes, while I am jogging I will be concentrating on the exercise I am about to do and making sure that all parts of my body are moving. When I have done this I will then move onto my stretching, these are the areas of the body I will need to stretch:
- Arms (biceps and triceps)
- Shoulder
- Hips
- Back
- Hamstring
- Groin
- Calf
- Quads
- Ankles
I must stretch all of these for between 7-10 seconds and make sure if needed I do for both left hand side and right hand side. When I have completed my stretching I will then go for another jog for 5 minutes this time maybe upping the speed a little. When this is done I will then start the training session.
Cool Down
I will always finish my training session with a period of lighter exercise. This is a cool down (or warm down). I should not go directly from hard exercise to rest. Light exercise shortens the recovery time necessary by helping to remove carbon dioxide, lactic acid and other waste products, which have built up in our bodies. It also ensures that our blood continues to circulate well and does not pool in the skeletal muscles. Pooling can cause a rapid lowering in blood pressure and make us feel light-headed or dizzy.
My cool down will be not far off identical to my warm-up except I will start with a 5 minute run then stretch then finish with a 3 minute run this is obviously so there is a de-progression in what my body is doing.