Personal Exercise Plan.
My profile
I am going to construct a personal profile to analyse my needs in the training program so that I can improve my squash technique, my cardiovascular fitness, agility, muscle strength/ endurance, speed and aerobic and anaerobic energy systems.
Name: Alexandra Beever
Age: 14
Sex: Female
Medical conditions: None.
What I enjoy doing: I enjoy swimming, playing squash, jogging, aerobics and
power walking.
What activities I already take part in: I play squash two or three times a week, and go to the gym, and in the spring I cycle with my friends. I also have bleep test/ fitness test once every two weeks.
By improving my muscle strength and endurance it will mean that I am able to train for longer. Cardiovascular fitness is the ability of your heart to deliver oxygen to your muscles over a long period of time. This will build up my heart muscle and allow me to train for longer and cope with the pace of a longer game. By improving my agility it will my ability to perform a series of explosive power; movements in a rapid succession in opposing directions. By improving my speed I will be able to get across the court in less time so my opponent has less time to react. Also I have incorporated a section in which I will be able to practise my squash shot techniques. By doing this I am aiming to improve my shot accuracy, technique and knowledge of game play.
Testing my Fitness Level
I am going to use specific tests, which are associated with my sport. I will test how fit I am at the beginning of the six week session. I will test my cardiovascular endurance and my muscular endurance. I will use my aerobic system, anaerobic system. All the tests I decide to do at the beginning of the six weeks, I will repeat again at the end of it so I can see how much my fitness level has improved by. I will also record my resting pulse rate.
Aerobic
* The Multistage fitness test/ Bleep test - this is when you have to run 20m in time to pre-recorded bleeps.
o This will measures my VO2 Max-the maximum volume of oxygen you are able to use when exercising.
Anaerobic system
* Circuit Training - This is when you set out 8-14 different stations so that you are working each muscle group. You must not put two activities that are working the same muscle group next to each other. You will then do these activities for a certain amount of time. The aim is to increase the amount of reps each time you do the circuit. This will improve my cardiovascular endurance.
Pulse rate
I will measure my resting pulse rate at the beginning of my 6 weeks training session and at the end to see if they have changed. This is how I can do it;
. I will place my index and middle finger over the underside of my opposite wrist, below the base of the thumb. If it is hard to feel the pulse in my wrist, I will place my index and middle finger just to the side of my Adam's apple, in the soft hollow area at the side of my neck.
2. With the flat part of my fingers rather than the tips, press firmly, but not so hard that i can't feel the pulse.
3. I will count the number of beats for 30 seconds, then multiply that number by 2 to get the beats per minute. Or count the number of beats for 15 seconds, then multiply by 4 to get the beats per minute.
Or I can use another way which is
220-14 = 206 (220 - Age= resting pulse rate)
My training programme
I will repeat these two week schedules for 3 weeks thus making up my 6 week plan.
Week 1.
This will be my schedule for the week.
Monday: Rest day.
Tuesday: Illinois Agility Test
Wednesday: Rest day.
Thursday: Circuit Training
Friday: Rest day.
Saturday: Fartlek Training
Sunday: Rest day.
Week 2.
This will be my schedule for the week.
Monday: Shot techniques (set 1)
Tuesday: Rest day
Wednesday: Circuit training
Thursday: Rest day
Friday: Fartlek training
Saturday: Rest day
Sunday: Shot techniques (set 2)
MY age, sex, body composition, physique, diet and my knee condition will all affect my fitness level, as well as stress, illness, fatigue and the environment. I prepared a training program using the FITT principles.
F- Frequency: How often should each individual exercise be carried out?
I- Intensity: How hard should each individual exercise be carried out?
T- Time: How long should each session last?
T- Training Activity: What exercise will help ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
Wednesday: Circuit training
Thursday: Rest day
Friday: Fartlek training
Saturday: Rest day
Sunday: Shot techniques (set 2)
MY age, sex, body composition, physique, diet and my knee condition will all affect my fitness level, as well as stress, illness, fatigue and the environment. I prepared a training program using the FITT principles.
F- Frequency: How often should each individual exercise be carried out?
I- Intensity: How hard should each individual exercise be carried out?
T- Time: How long should each session last?
T- Training Activity: What exercise will help achieve my fitness goals?
For frequency, intensity and time I am going to start at an easy level and increase gradually, by increasing the number of reps and/or amount of time spent.
Fartlek training
For week 1 I will have a Fartlek training session, which consists of timed exercises. These will improve speed endurance. At the end I will repeat the session. My 30-minute Fartlek session will consist of something like this;
Exercise
Aerobic or anaerobic
Time
Jog
Aerobic
5 minutes
Fast walk
Aerobic
5 minutes
50 m sprints with 10 seconds rest in between
Anaerobic
5 minutes
Jog
Aerobic
3 minutes
Uphill jog, 10m sprints every 50m
Aerobic and anaerobic
5 minutes
Fast skipping
Anaerobic
2 minutes
Jog on the spot with high knee lifts
Aerobic
5 minutes
The Illinois agility test
The Illinois agility test will monitor the development of my agility and aerobic endurance. I will negotiate my way through this course marked out by cones. This is going to contain aerobic and agility training with some focus on explosive strength (start), it will help improve my ability to change direction quickly and accurately, and my overall speed in the court, as it can be conducted in a squash court.
I will start the test by lying face down on the floor t the start point. I will then begin the stop watch and stat to make my way through the course marked out by the cones. I will record my time to finish the
course and compare it to this table of results
Gender
Excellent
Above Average
Average
Below Average
Poor
Male
<15.2 secs
5.2 - 16.1 secs
6.2 - 18.1 secs
8.2 - 18.3 secs
>18.3 secs
Female
<17.0 secs
7.0 - 17.9 secs
8.0 - 21.7 secs
21.8 - 23.0 secs
>23.0 secs
Table Reference: Davis B. et al; Physical Education and the Study of Sport
Circuit training
Each week is going to include one circuit session, and a Fartlek training session as well as an Illinois agility test alternating with shot techniques sessions. The exercises of the circuit will be performed in the same order that they are written down. This way, after working each muscle group it is then rested by working another group. The amount of reps I can do at each station in 1 minute with 15 seconds rest. An example of a circuit session would look like this:
At the beginning I will complete a small warm up, jogging 15m, and then stretching from the neck working downwards.
Station 1: Step Ups - I will use a block to perform this. Step - ups will improve my leg muscle endurance; if I wanted to improve my muscle strength I could use 3kg dumb bells as well.
To overload I will increase the time to minute and 30 seconds with a rest time still of 15 seconds.
Station 2: V - sits - I will use a mat to perform this. V-sits will improve abdominal strength and tone body to encourage good posture on court.
To overload I will increase the time to minute and 30 seconds with a rest time still of 15 seconds.
Station 3: Arm circles with dumb bells in hands - I will use a mat and 3kg dumb bells to do this. This will work my abs and arms, making them stronger, strong arms improve racket speed and power.
To overload I will increase the time to minute and 30 seconds with a rest time still of 15 seconds.
Station 4: Short sprints - this will strengthen my legs and my cardiovascular/ anaerobic system. By having strengthened leg muscles will contribute to anaerobic fitness.
To overload I will increase the time to minute and 30 seconds with a rest time still of 15 seconds.
Station 5: Dorsal raises - I will use a mat and hold it for 3 seconds each time. This will improve my abdominal strength
To overload I will increase the time to minute and 30 seconds with a rest time still of 15 seconds.
Station 6: Press-ups - These can be done against a wall but I will do them on a mat. These will improve my arm muscles and abdominal muscles.
To overload I will increase the time to minute and 30 seconds with a rest time still of 15 seconds.
Station 7: lunges with weights (3kg) - these will strengthen my legs, I will either have weights strapped to my ankles or I will hold them in my hands.
To overload I will increase the time to minute and 30 seconds with a rest time still of 15 seconds.
Station 8: Bench presses - I will use a bench to do these. They will strengthen my arm muscles.
To overload I will increase the time to minute and 30 seconds with a rest time still of 15 seconds.
Station 9: skipping - I will just need a skipping rope. This will improve my muscle endurance and my cardiovascular/ aerobic system.
To overload I will increase the time to minute and 30 seconds with a rest time still of 15 seconds.
Station 10: Shuttle runs - These will strengthen my legs and improve my cardiovascular system.
To overload I will increase the time to minute and 30 seconds with a rest time still of 15 seconds.
At the end of my circuit training session, I will stretch all of my muscles to prevent the build up of laic acid and muscle soreness.
When I do my circuit training sessions I will increase the amount of time I use at each station. I need to overload so that my body does not adjust to the exercise I am doing, and it keeps improving, and so my muscles become stronger.
At the end of each station I will fill in my circuit-training sheet to keep record of my improvement. Here is a design of my circuit-training sheet.
Exercise
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Step ups
V-sits
Arm circles
Short sprints
Dorsal raises
Press ups
Lunges
Bench presses
Skipping
Shuttle runs
Shot technique:
This will improve my squash technique; I will be practising many shots to improve my technique and game play.
Shot technique set 1
I will do this exercise below but then every session I will increase the amount of shots specified below.
For each session this is what I will be doing;
* 20 forehand drives (overload-extra 10 shots each session)
* 20 backhand drives (overload-extra 10 shots each session)
* 10 forehand boasts (overload-extra 5 shots each session)
* 10 backhand boasts (overload-extra 5 shots each session)
* 10 right-hand serves from left (overload-extra 10 serves each session)
* 10 right-hand serves from right (overload-extra 10 serves each session)
* 10 left-hand serves from left (overload-extra 10 serves each session)
* 10 left-hand serves from right (overload-extra 10 serves each session)
* 10 forehand drop shots (overload-extra 10 shots each session)
* 10 backhand drop shots (overload-extra 10 shots each session)
* 10 forehand lob shots (overload-extra 10 shots each session)
* 10 backhand lob shots (overload-extra 10 shots each session)
Shot technique set 2
In set 2 I will do 2 hours training. I will record results using a partner and a target (shown in brackets) each session. My target is an A3 piece of paper it will help me with my shot accuracy. My 2 hours schedule will look something like this;
* 20-minutes forehand straight drives (record - every shot over service line)
* 20-minutes backhand straight drop (record - every shot in target)
* 20-minutes backhand straight drives (record - every shot over service line)
* 20-minutes forehand straight drop (record - every shot in target)
* 20-minutes forehand straight volleys (record - every shot in target)
* 20-minutes backhand straight volleys (record - every shot in target)
For the drop shot I will place the target in the blue circled area in diagram, for the volley shot I will place the target in the green circled area.
Here is a preview of the table I am going to record my shot technique set 2 results in:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Fore. drive
Back. drive
Fore. Drop
Back. Drop
Fore. Volley
Back. volley
Aims/ techniques of each shot
What I am aiming to get out of each shot is;
Drive (forehand and backhand)
* The bread and butter shot of squash is the drive, also called "rail" shot. The drive is basically a shot that hits the front wall around the service line and with the first bounce just behind the service box. A good drive should have two aspects to it:
o Have depth (also called good length)
o be tight (close to the sidewall)
* Good depth puts the ball in the back corners where your opponent's options are limited. Ideally the first bounce should be at the service box line (closest to the back-wall). The second bounce should be at the back-wall/ floor intersection or "nick".
* You achieve good length by hitting high, not hard. Hitting hard will only marginally increase the length, but by changing the height of your drive, you can dramatically change how far it bounces from the front wall. Ideally aim for a foot or two above the service line.
Drop
* The drop shot is played just above the tin with very little pace. When playing your drop shot you want to aim so that the first bounce is below the nick (i.e floor first) so that your ball will bounce into the side-wall and cling next to it. Your choice of either drop shot depends on where the ball is when you are about to play your shot.
* If you are close to the sidewall then its best to play a drop that hits the floor first, bounces and kisses the side-wall then clings to it on its way down.
* If you are in the middle of the court then you can aim for the nick and higher for a quick roll-out.
* If you are in the back of the court then play a dying drop that wants to hit the nick on the second bounce
Boast
* The boast is any shot that hits a sidewall or back wall before hitting the front wall. Most boasts are the sidewall boasts. There are basically two types of sidewall boasts, the attacking boast and the defensive boast.
* The attacking boast is played when you are in front of your opponent. An example of this is when your opponent plays a short rail from the back corner and you boast their return near the T line.
* With the attacking boast, your goal is to have it hit the front wall in the middle then bounce twice before hitting the side-wall. Ideally the second bounce will be just before the side-wall/floor nick. This type of shot forces your opponent to run the full diagonal while you patiently take one step back to the T.
* If your boast hits the side wall before its second bounce, then you have played the shot incorrectly. Usually when it hits the side wall, the spin from the floor will make it rise slightly. This will give your opponent more time and space to play a variety of attacking shots from the front corner.
* The defensive boast is played when you are behind your opponent. As a general rule of thumb, one should always avoid playing a boast from behind your opponent. The best shot is a straight shot. If this is not possible, then you can play a defensive boast. Basically you want to aim the ball to land in the opposite corner floor-side wall nick. This is called a 3-wall nick and is a very deadly shot. If it's off, then you can expect your opponent to play a drop off your boast, thereby forcing you to run the full diagonal.
* You can also attempt the 3-wall nick as an attacking shot when your opponent is lagging too far behind the T. This will usually catch them off-guard and you can win a few easy points this way.
Lob
The lob is played to bounce high and soft on the front wall so that it arcs high and lands deep in the back court. Play a lob for time; when you are late to the ball and your opponent is already in position on the T, and for variation so your opponent can't cheat forward in anticipation of you hitting the same shot all the time.
* A good example of when to lob, is when you are in the back corner and your opponent plays an attacking boast. This will force you to run the full diagonal to retrieve the shot, while your opponent will be waiting at the T.
* Your opponent seemingly has lots of time to get to the ball, but he 9 times out of 10, he will not be able to hit a return that will kill the rally and earn him/her a point - UNLESS, you hit the lob wrong.
* The lob is the best shot for moving your opponent where you want, because it cannot be intercepted by a volley unlike a drive. If you hit a good lob, then you have lots of time to return to the T, and, your opponent cannot volley the ball and put you under pressure.
* If you have played a lob you have time to recover the T and wait for your opponent's weak return. Your opponent will probably boast the ball out, and you then have time to prepare a well-disguised drop, cross court kill. The lob is priceless in defeating a mentally tough player too. It is the best weapon against a very aggressive player, and the perfect game to play when you get out of breath.
* Top tips and summary;
o Take a big lunge to the ball, instead of trying to run.
Lob the ball high off the front wall, and break the law of wrist, i.e. flick the wrist.
o After you have hit the ball, push hard off the front leg, direction the T.
o Keep your eyes on the ball.
Principles of training
In making my PEP I have used the principles of training, which are:
Overload - in my circuit I have added time to perform more reps at each activity each week, so that I become stronger.
Specificity - I have thought about what I would need to do to become a better squash player, and have made my pep specific to my needs.
Progression - the number of reps have progressed in my circuit as I continued my 6 weeks.
Reversibility- if I injure my self or take time out from my six weeks I will lose some of the stamina I have gained, and I will need to allow 3 weeks of training to get back to my normal standard.
Frequency - I have a training session 3/4 times a week, so that I keep my fitness up.
Intensity - the intensity of my training varies according to what I am focusing on, when I focus on my technique the intensity is not as hard as I am concentrating on my swing technique, however, when I am concentrating on my speed or agility the intensity will be very high.
Time - each session of training is not to long, but is the right amount of time for me to work to the best of my ability.
Type - I will vary the type of exercise that I am doing so that I do not get board, and so that I enjoy what I am doing.
Tedium - I will try to avoid tedium by varying my training programme and activities within it. I could introduce a training partner who will help maintain a high standard of training and motivation.
Conclusion
At the end of my six-week personal exercise plan I hope to have improved my muscle strength and endurance, cardiovascular fitness, agility and speed. I will also repeat the fitness tests again to see if any improvement has been made. I will also check my resting pulse rate to see if it has lowered.
