There are different methods of training which are suitable for improving cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance. Circuit training would be suitable for improving muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness. This is because it uses lots of different muscles, forcing the cardiovascular to work harder to provide oxygen to them. The circuit could use a combination of aerobic and anaerobic respiration, which will strengthen the cardiovascular system and muscular endurance. By using different sets of muscles, such as the biceps, triceps, quadriceps and hamstrings, the training is testing their ability to work and when combined with the FITT principle, it should improve the muscles endurance. Continuous training is also another method of training which improves the cardiovascular system. Continuous training is when the individual is training at a moderate level, without any rest, aerobically. The heart rate works in the sixty to eighty percent target zone consistently. This makes the cardiovascular system work for the duration of the training, without any rest. After a few sessions of using this type of training, for a set time, the performer will notice that they can continuously do the activity without putting the cardiovascular system under the same pressure. This would be a sign that they should increase the time that the exercise is lasting or the intensity of the exercise. There are some methods of training which do not suit the improving of cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance. Weight training is generally used to improve the strength of muscles, rather than their endurance. However, if the training was lightened then it would help increase endurance but methods such as circuit training are much more effective. Short interval training is another method of training which would not be ‘suitable’ to improve cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance. It concentrates on using short burst of energy. This means that it uses anaerobic respiration which in turn means that it does not make the cardiovascular system stronger.
The SPOR principles are the principles of training. SPOR is made up of ‘Specificity’, ‘Progression’, ‘Overload’ and ‘Reversibility’. ‘Specificity’ requires the activity to be related and adapted to the personal needs of the performer. ‘Specificity’ is the principle which takes into consideration the individual needs of the person who is training. It makes sure that the right parts of the body are trained and that the person is trained at the appropriate level according to the reasons behind their training.
‘Progression’ means that your body is put under enough stress, after adapting to the previous training schedule, to make it work to its full possible potential, without injuring you. This will mean that you will steadily improve in the aspect of fitness you are training for. If the athlete completes the previous training with considerable ease, then there is the need to increase the difficulty of the exercise. In relation to cardiovascular fitness, a constant amount of exercise will not bring your heart rate into the target zone therefore there will be the need to change the programme so that the individual is reaching a higher target zone.
The ‘Overload’ principle will help with this. ‘Overload’ is when you make your body work harder in order to progress. This involves pushing yourself further into the sixty to eighty threshold of training. When working with cardiovascular fitness, your heart rate must reach the target zone of sixty to eight percent of your maximum heart rate. Your maximum heart rate is 220 take-away your age. The total amount of oxygen needed is called the ‘oxygen uptake’ or the ‘VO2’. There is a limit to the amount of oxygen your body can uptake. This is called the ‘VO2 Maximum’. You can overload using any of the FITT principles. ‘Reversibility’ is when the body looses shape, tone and skill without training. This can happen if you train and then stop; leading to muscles atrophying. It is easier to loose fitness than to gain it therefore, if you stop training, your body will loose all the things it gained, as a result of training, quickly. These four are principles of training. The principles of training are rules that should be followed when using any exercise programmes as they make the PEP adapted to meet the personal needs of the individual as well as ensure that each activity s carried out safely.
After I have completed my personal exercise programme, I expect a number of things to happen to my body. I expect my resting heart rate to decrease as the lower your RHR is the fitter you are. As a result of this, I also expect my recovery rate to be quicker, when I reassess it after the training is complete. These changes would be a result of an improved cardiovascular system. I also expect, as a result of improved muscular endurance, that my body will be more toned. Muscles, such as the abdominals, which have been consistently used in training, more specifically circuit training, will be much more toned. This means that if the training goes well I can expect a good overall body shape as a result of the exercises, which included sit-ups and leg raises.
Circuit Training
Circuit training is a series of exercises that use different sets of muscles. Circuit training improves many different components of fitness; including power, muscular strength, flexibility, cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance. Stations are all allocated the same time and are designed to allow the performer to have enough time to rest the muscles used in the previous exercise, whilst exercising a different set of muscles. There is also a rest period in between each station; this can simply be walking to the next station. This makes sure that the performer is working safely. Circuit training can be used for general fitness however; it can also incorporate specific skills used in a sport.
The Personal Exercise Programme (PEP) that I am devising is testing cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance. I have chosen circuit training as one of the methods, to improve these components of Health Related Exercise, because it uses a variety of muscles and allows the performer to rest sets of muscles at stations. Circuit training also uses the principles of FITT effectively. Frequency, intensity, time and type are key elements which help an individual progress further in general fitness and sport related fitness.
Multistage Fitness Test
The multistage fitness test is commonly known as the ‘Bleep Test’. It tests a person’s cardiovascular fitness. I did the test to find out my recovery time and to find out the efficiency of my heart and lungs. The efficiency reflects the oxygen uptake (VO2). To do the test you have to have two lines or cones that are twenty metres apart however as our school gym was not the appropriate size we had decreased the size of the test to 18m. You also need to have a tape which gives you the bleeps, at the right times. The test involves pacing yourself between the bleeps, at each level, which eventually get quicker as the test progresses. I had to run from one line to the other. In order pass that particular level I had to make sure that I got from one line to the other before the bleep sounded. If I did not, then it meant that I had not completed that level.
Before doing the test I recorded my resting heart rate (RHR). To do this I counted my heart rate for fifteen seconds and multiplied the answer by four. This gave me my resting heart rate for one minute. My resting heart rate was 54 beats per minute (bpm). I successfully completed the test to level 11.2.
Following the test, I measured my heart rate every minute. Once my heart rate had returned to my resting heart rate, I could calculate my recovery time. I took my heart rate, at these times, by counting for fifteen seconds then multiplying by four. The results were;
The calculations show that my recovery time was seven minutes as this was the amount of time it took for my heart to reach the resting rate.
Push-Ups
Push ups are a way to test a person’s muscular endurance. Push ups show the muscular endurance of the pectorals muscles. to see how many I could do in one minute. This allowed me to see how long my muscles were able to sustain the physical demand of push-ups. I lied on a mat, keeping my legs straight. I was then timed for one minute. I pushed my body up with my hands, bringing my body high as possible and then lower my body to my partner’s fist at my chest. This then counted as one push-up. My partner counted how many sit-ups I could do in one minute. The sit-up was only seen as legitimate if my shoulder blades came off the ground and I brought my whole hand above my knees. In one minute I managed to do 35 push-ups in that one minute. I will re-test my muscular endurance after the six week personal exercise programme (PEP) to see whether it has improved as a result of training.
Personal Exercise Programme-
Applying Principles of Training –
Overloading My Body
Every session I will overload my body by applying the different principles of training. I will do this to make sure that I am pushing my body every week and actually progressing; in order to improve both my muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness.
In week one I started off doing two circuits once a week. In each circuit I went to ten stations, exercising for thirty seconds with thirty seconds for a recovery period. I ran continuously for seven minutes. This is how I overloaded my body each session:
Week 2 - I overloaded my body this session by applying the ‘Time’ principle to the training. I continuously ran for nine minutes and did two circuits, made up of 6 stations, for 45 seconds with 45 seconds recovery time in between every station.
Week 3 - This session I overloaded my body by again applying the ‘Time’ principle. I continuously ran for twelve minute and completed two circuits, made up of six stations, for 45 seconds with 45 seconds recovery in between every station. During gym I also increased the time I spent in the gym by 30 minutes.
Week 4 - I overloaded my body, this session, by applying the ‘Intensity’ principle to the continuous training; however, I kept the ‘time’ the same. I physically pushed myself harder in order to increase the number of laps and distance covered. I again applied the ‘Time’ principle when I rock climbed; climbing for a further ten minutes.
Week 5 - This session I overloaded my body by applying the ‘Frequency’ principle. I increased the number of times I did circuit training. Normally every week I have been doing two circuits once a week however, this week I upped the frequency of circuit training to twice a week. I also applied the ‘Time’ principle to the circuit training; giving my body only twenty-five seconds recovery time compared to the thirty seconds I gave myself the previous week. I also applied the ‘Time’ principle to the rock climbing by increasing the time spent on the wall by a further ten minutes. I continuously ran for thirteen minutes therefore I also applied the ‘Time’ principle to the run as I only ran for twelve minutes in week four.
Week 6 - I overloaded my body this session by increasing the time I spent on the climbing wall by fifteen minutes. I also applied the ‘Intensity’ principle to the continuous run. I ran for the same time however, I physically pushed myself harder than I did in the run I ran in week five. I also applied the ‘Time’ principle to the circuit training. I exercised for forty seconds, in each station, with only twenty five seconds recovery time. I also kept the frequency the same; circuit training twice in the week.
Fitness Testing
After completing my six week PEP I re-tested my muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness. I tested these components of fitness using the same tests that I used before the PEP. I tested my cardiovascular fitness with the multistage fitness test and tested my muscular endurance with the sit-ups test. Using the same methods, these are the results of the re-testing of my muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness:
Multistage Fitness Test (Testing Cardiovascular Fitness)
Before doing the multistage fitness test, I measured my resting heart rate (RHR). I measure it by counting my pulse for fifteen seconds, then multiplying the result by four. My resting heart rate was 64 beats per minute (bpm). I did the multistage fitness test and reached level ten. This was one more level than I previously completed, before the PEP. After completing the bleep’ test I measured my recovery rate. The following table shows the time it took for my heart to go back to my resting heart rate:
This table shows that it took my heart around six minutes to reach my resting heart rate. This means that after the PEP my recovery time was six minutes.
Sit-Ups (Testing Muscular Endurance)
Using the same technique as I used to test the muscular endurance of my abdominal muscles before the PEP was put into place, I re-tested the endurance of my abdominals. I did fifty sit-ups. This was an improved number of sit-ups as I only did thirty-three sit-ups before the PEP.
Improvements
There were a significant number of improvements to my body as a result of the personal exercise programme. There were improvements to my cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance, resting heart rate (RHR) and recovery rate.
Cardiovascular Fitness - The personal exercise programme (PEP) improved my cardiovascular fitness. This is because before the PEP was put into place, I only reached level nine in the multistage fitness test. After the six week programme when I re-tested my cardiovascular fitness I reached level ten. This shows that the training I had been doing helped improve it. The continuous training helped improve my cardiovascular fitness as I was continuously putting pressure on my heart and lungs to supply oxygen to the working muscles for a sustained period of time. This helped make them more efficient.
Muscular Endurance - My muscular endurance improved as a result of the personal exercise programme. Before the PEP I tested the muscular endurance of my abdominal muscles. I did thirty-three sit-ups. After I started training by the personal exercise programme and re-tested my muscular endurance I managed to do fifty sit-ups. This was an improvement. This showed me that the circuit training that I had been doing definitely helped improve my muscular endurance. The circuits trained different sets of muscles, not just the abdominals therefore, as a result other groups of muscles probably improved too.
Resting Heart Rate - My resting heart rate improved because of the training I did as part of the personal exercise programme. Before the PEP my resting heart rate (RHR) was sixty-eight but after the PEP when I re-tested my RHR it was sixty-four. This shows that as a result of the personal exercise programme I have become generally fitter. Before the PEP was put into place my RHR was much higher indicating that I was not as fit as I should be. People with high resting heart rates are usually unfit. After the PEP, as my RHR decreased showing that my fitness was improving as a result of the training I had been doing.
Recovery Rate – The PEP improved my recovery time. My ‘recovery time’ is the period of time that it takes my heart to go back to my resting heart rate, after exercising. Before the PEP was put into action, my recovery time was seven minutes. This meant that after exercise, in this case performing the multistage fitness test, it took my heart seven minutes to recover and get back to the RHR. After the six weeks, in which I did my PEP, my recovery time decreased by one minute to six minutes. As with the decrease of the RHR, this shows that I have become fitter as a result of the personal exercise programme. It takes my heart much less time to recover; showing that it has become much more efficient as a result of the six week personal exercise programme.