Shoulder press 55kg
Biceps curl 35kg
Triceps extension 36kg
Safety Considerations
Warm-ups and cool-downs are among the most important of all principles of training. They should be done not only to prepare the body for exercise but to also prevent injury and unwanted muscle problems following the exercises.
There are many benefits to warm-ups, they include:
- Increased speed of contraction and relaxation of warmed muscles
- Dynamic exercises reduce muscle stiffness
- Greater economy of movement because of lowered viscous resistance within warmed muscles
- Allows the heart rate get to a workable rate for beginning exercise
- Improves oxygen delivery to the muscles due to an increase in heart rate and dilation of blood vessels through the release of adrenaline and the vascular shunt mechanism
- Increases venous return and therefore stroke volume through the actions of the skeletal muscle pump
- Increased temperature reduces the viscosity of the blood, improving blood flow to the working muscles
- Increased muscle temperature facilitates enzyme activity, which ensures a readily available supply of energy to the muscles
- Increased muscle temperatures improve the elasticity of muscle fibres, which leads to greater force and speed of contraction
The warm-up should include a couple of phases; light continuous exercise such as jogging, and stretching activity. The running or jogging will increase heart rate and body temperature and help redistribute blood to the working muscles. Once the muscles are warm from the jogging then they must be stretched, stretching should take muscles through their full range, this should ensure that the muscles are fully ready for workout. For my warm-up I will start off with a 5-10 minute light jog on the running machine, I will break into a faster jog/run for about another 5 minutes to ensure my muscles are fully warm. I will then do stretches for every single muscle I am going to use in that gym session.
Relevant stretches
All of the above stretches need to be done, maybe not all of them before one work out but if I was going to do a triceps exercise then it is essential I do the stretch for it, I would not need to stretch my legs at all if I was doing an upper body work out only. All of these stretches however would need to be implemented if I was going to play rugby, as nearly all my muscles would be used in a rugby match it is essential I stretch them all to avoid injury.
The reasons why cool-downs are important are because:
- Aid in the dissipation of waste products - including lactic acid
- Reduce the potential for DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness)
- Reduce the chances of dizziness or fainting caused by the pooling of venous blood at the extremities
- Reduce the level of adrenaline in the blood
- Allows the heart rate to return to its resting rate
A cool-down may just involve a light jog for around 5 minutes, this will help get back the resting heart rate and blood flow back to normal, it also helps flush out all unhelpful products such as lactic acid and carbon dioxide. Our muscles can often seize up if a hard exercise is stopped abruptly; they need to be cooled down slowly to prevent pain and injury.
Safety issues to consider while training
As I am going to be using very heavy weights, it is essential for me to be safe while training otherwise it can be very dangerous. Health issues can be a matter, if you are ill then you probably become weaker and get tired quicker so you should not be following your exact fitness program as it will be quite physically challenging. If on medication then your fitness will be affected, you will not be able to perform at your highest level so very heavy weight lifting would be a bad idea.
It is essential that when using the machines you follow the safety considerations written on them to prevent injury. When using the free weights it is important to know the technique of each exercise, if you do not know how to use a machine or have never done a certain exercise with free weights it would be clever to either ask somebody who knew or get help. Bad technique could be an accident waiting to happen, for example doing a dumbbell bench press if a bad technique is done like your arms being too far apart, then the weight could become unbalanced and your arm could drop into an awkward position. This is just one of many things that could happen if an exercise is done wrong so it would be a good idea to know what you are doing. As I was doing some weights before I started this program I knew what to do, most of the time I was in the gym with some friends anyway so if anything happened to me they could help me out or if I was lifting a heavy weight, they could spot me. Other considerations also include rest time, it is important to rest after each exercise and take in plenty of water to prevent dehydration and muscle pains.
Before using machines it is important to do a few checks, make sure it is in good working order and the weights collar is in the right place and secure. Similar things to think about when using the free weights include slippery surfaces, it would be dangerous to be lifting weight while standing on a wet floor, also free weight collars should be checked so that the actual weight does not fall off the barbell for example.
Personal factors I need to consider
There are certain factors that can affect people when in training. Gender, Age and Physical Health are the main factors.
Physical health: Personal exercise programs are made normally for the individual person and not set out for a whole group of people like men or women. The programs then differ depending on the person; the person who a program is made for may have a physical injury or disability, which prevents them from working certain parts of their body or doing certain movements etc. It is essential that when an injury occurs the training program is adjusted to suit it, if it is ignored then there is a possibility of making it much worse that it is. I have noticed that when using the AB crunch, after a certain amount of time I get a very sharp pain at the bottom of my back just above my buttocks. If I was to work through the pain then there is a chance of it getting worse; at the moment it is fine and the crunch is the only exercise I do that makes it feel uncomfortable. Because of this I am only going to use the AB crunch with low-medium weight not to harm but to try and stretch out the muscle and prevent pain.
Gender: It is proven that men are physically stronger than women so when women engage in gym activities it is obvious they would not be able to do as much as the men. Both genders will need to analyse their abilities before setting themselves a task which is too hard for them but generally the women will have to start lower as they are not as well built as men in most cases. There may be a few exceptions but generally most men are stronger and have better metabolism than women so we can process energy quicker. Therefore women have to have different training programs to men, as the abilities are completely different.
Age: Younger people tend to be quicker and stronger than older people, when you reach a certain age, your muscles begin to shrink as you do not use them as much and your joints often seize and become weak. Therefore an older man or woman trying to lose weight or get fit will not be using the same exercises and weight as a younger person. On the other side of the scale if lots of weight is done when you are still growing from the age of around 13 then your growth could be stunted. It is not a good idea for a person of a low age around 13/14 to be doing weight training because in the long run it could be bad for them. Around 16/17 upwards is a good age to be doing a weights program as the increase of weight can be changed dramatically. As a large 17 year old I do not need to limit my weights program, as my training will not be inhibited by my age.
Training Methods, Suitability/ Purpose of exercise and Justification
As I am doing a weights program to help me with my aims for rugby it is important to analyse each of my exercises to maximise the efficiency when it comes to the game; there is no use doing a work out of a part of the body if I do not need to use that specific area of muscles during the game. The thing with rugby is it is such hard work that nearly all the muscles are used in the body for doing things such as running, tackling, driving rucks, mauls and scrummages and lifting people in line outs; therefore I need nearly every weight exercise possible in my gym. I am working on training my muscles by building mass, not muscle defining but getting larger stronger muscles in my upper body (arms, chest, shoulders) as well as making my legs more powerful. This will all be useful so when in a rugby match I can do things much better, my aims were to increase muscle mass and I want this so I can drive people off the ball and retrieve it, this is one of the main things for a forward rugby player.
Different types of training include:
Type of training Components of fitness
Continuous training Cardiorespiratory and Muscular endurance
Fartlek training Cardiorespiratory, Muscular and Speed
Sprint interval training Speed and Power
Anaerobic interval training Speed, Power, Muscular endurance
Aerobic interval training Cardiorespiratory and Muscular endurance
Weight training Maximum Strength, Power, Muscular
Circuit training Cardiorespiratory and Muscular endurance
Plyometrics Power, Strength and Speed
Speed, Agility and Quickness Speed, Agility and Power
I have chosen to do a weights program to concentrate on my maximum strength; it is the most important and suitable type of training for Rugby.
The training methods I will have to use as my weights program will be high amounts of weight and low reps, I should be aiming at doing around 7-8 reps on the highest weight possible so I can do no more than 8 reps. When I can start to lift more reps on that certain weight then I will have to increase the weight. Doing this increases size and strength of the muscle, to define muscles and get muscular endurance less weight has to be done but with more reps; this is not my aim so I will not be doing this.
I also need to increase my aerobic fitness so I can last longer on the pitch but this is not in my PEP as I am concentrating on strength only. The only aerobic fitness that I will do is included in my warm-up but hardly makes a difference, as it is not long enough or hard enough to affect it.
Outline of all my exercises
Here is a list of the training exercises I will be doing in my PEP.
Principles of training
Specificity – All training must be relative to the activity/sport. For example, a cyclist must perform most of their training on a bike. There is some value in other training but it is more important for the majority of training to be specific for the sport. For me it is important I carry out all of my training specific to rugby, there is no point me doing swimming or cycling if I am trying to gain strength for rugby. The correct technique when training also needs to be specific, there is no point cycling differently in the gym if when in a race they do a completely different technique. The specific muscles, energy systems, fibre types and fitness components also need to be trained. There is no point in following a training exercise if it is non-specific to the activity.
Overload – If the training is to have the required effect, then the performer must find the training hard. Levels of training must be higher than the regular demands of the player. A soft low level training session could have no effect, more effort and ‘pain’ must be put into the session for it to be worthwhile; the old saying ‘no pain, no gain’ can be applied here. The heart rate gauges on running machines are a good way of finding out how hard you are working, it is good to work just under your maximum heart rate or if doing weights, a certain percentage of 1RM. Duration of the session must be increased if the person does not feel the work out has been worthwhile.
Progression – As the body gets better at coping with the training over time, greater demands must be made if improvement is to continue. This can be linked to overload as ‘progressive overload’. An increase of the percentage of 1RM and percentage of max HR, also the duration and frequency of training sessions are needed.
Reversibility – If the training load decreases or if training stops altogether then the benefits of the training will be lost, unless injured training should continue.
Moderation – Sufficient recovery time must be built into the training programme to prevent over-training. Rest allows the body to over compensate and adapt to the training, leading to improved performance. Over training is characterised by muscular fatigue, illness and injury. Heavy training sessions should be followed by lighter sessions or rest days before retraining, training hard every day can be doing you more harm than good.
FITT – Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type. We need to analyse how often we train, how hard we train, how long we train for and the type of training we do.
When performing strength training it is important to make sure that you are training at the correct intensity. Firstly it is dependant on the type of strength that is being improved, it also depends on your 1RM. Strength training guidelines are as follows
Maximum Strength - High load, low repetitions e.g.
5 sets x 6 reps x 85% of 1RM
Elastic Strength - Moderate to high load (rapid contractions)
3 sets x 12 reps x 75% of 1RM
Strength Endurance - Light load/High reps
(Muscular endurance) 3 sets x 20 reps x 50% of 1RM
As I am working on my maximum strength, I have to be working at 85% of my 1RM doing about 5 sets of 6 reps. As this will be very strenuous I will have to do a couple of lighter sessions or just spread out my exercises on different days. I could do arms on one day and then on another do my legs so that my arms can have a break, this will be more efficient for me as I can work out really hard and I will get the best out of my recovery time. I have worked out my 1RM for each work out so I can figure what I will be doing when I go to do my training sessions, they are as follows:
Exercise 1RM (kg) Calculated Workload Intensities
Lying leg curl 32kg 5 sets x 6 reps x 27kg
Leg extension 80kg 5 sets x 6 reps x 68kg
Bench press 66kg 5 sets x 6 reps x 56kg
Benched Fly 20kg 5 sets x 6 reps x 17kg
Pull down 60kg 5 sets x 6 reps x 51kg
Shoulder press 55kg 5 sets x 6 reps x 47kg
Biceps curl 35kg 5 sets x 6 reps x 30kg
Triceps extension 36kg 5 sets x 6 reps x 31kg
Squat 120kg 5 sets x 6 reps x 100kg
As I get through the program hopefully I will start to feel the weight is too little so I can increase it, I will keep working with the same number of repetitions and sets but I will have to increase the weight. The table below shows what exercises I do when and the days I will be working out.
My Monday period (excluding biceps) will be done at the school gym at lunchtime between 1.10 and 2.30pm, I will then use my weights at home to do my bicep curls. Wednesday periods will be done after school at my local gym (esporta, surrey). Friday sessions will be done at school between 1.10 and 2.30pm lunchtime. I often go on Sundays to my local gym but I am not including this into my PEP because I normally do aerobic exercises including swimming/ rowing cycling and often play tennis. I also do other activities in the week but they also are not included into my PEP.
Discussion of other relevant factors
Seasonal factors
Rugby is played in the autumn and winter months between September and January and as the rugby season is over it is too late for my fitness program to take effect this year. The main reason for training is for next season; after this PEP is finished I will still carry on with the training program so I can make a huge difference on my physical fitness for the next rugby season. This program will set me up for the start of next year and will help me reach my aims of becoming a stronger fitter rugby player. Throughout spring and the summer term I will be doing the same training program so when it comes to next year I will be much stronger and more powerful than this season.
Peaking
As my program was started more or less at the end of the rugby season it had no time to affect my performances. Hopefully I can get a head start and when it comes to next season my peak performance will come very quickly and I can make most of the last school rugby year I have.
P.E.P
Session 1 starting Monday 8th Jan
As this is my first training I thought I would do a thorough warm-up to begin with, I did a 5 minute walk, then a 5 minute jog and I finished with a 5 minute run. This helped me get really warm and ready for my weights. I then did stretches for all appropriate muscles including hamstring stretch, chest and triceps stretch and shoulder stretch.
Exercise began after a 2 minute rest and a drink. I checked every machine thoroughly to see if they were safe before using them, I will be doing this before every weights session.
Bench Press – 2 sets x 6 reps x 54kg
1 set x 5 reps x 54kg
1 set x 4 reps x 54kg
1 set x 3 reps x 54kg
Leg Curl – 4 sets x 6 reps x 27kg
1 set x 5 reps x 27kg
Shoulder Press – 3 sets x 6 reps x 46kg
2 sets x 5 reps x 46 kg
I then repeated the bench press but instead did 4 sets x 6 reps x 54kg and 1 set x 6 reps x 54kg. I repeated the leg curl identical to the first one as with the shoulder press. Between each exercise I had a large drink of water so not to dehydrate. I did a cool down of a 5 minute walk on the treadmill and stretched my muscles again to prevent soreness.
When I got home in the evening I got out my barbell ready for my biceps curl, I stretched my arms as much as I could although there is not a specific stretch for the biceps.
Biceps Curl – 4 sets x 6 reps x 2x30kg
1 set x 6 reps x 2x30kg
This was repeated after a 3 minute rest and a drink.
After my first complete session I felt fine afterwards, I thought it went well and I was ready to go again. I feel that I am able to lift more on the bench press so I will increase it to 58kg and see how I get on next time. When I woke up I had only slight muscle soreness in my biceps but no pain and nothing to worry about.
Session 2 Wednesday 10th January
I made my way to the gym on my way home after school where I was doing my Wednesday session. I started it off with a 5 minute row and a 5 minute cycle to get my muscles warm, I then did some stretching of my legs and arms.
Exercise began after 2 minute rest and a drink.
Squat – 5 sets x 6 reps x 100kg
I had a 3 minute rest and got some water and then repeated
5 sets x 6 reps x 100kg
Triceps extension – 3 sets x 6 reps x 30kg
2 sets x 5 reps x 30kg
Another 3 minute rest and some water and a change in reps
5 sets x 5 reps x 30kg
Benched Flye - 4 sets x 6 reps x 2x16kg
1 set x 5 reps x 2x16kg
Was repeated after a 1 minute rest
5 sets x 6 reps x 2x16kg
After the session was complete I had a 5 minute slow cycle to warm down and a large drink, I then stretched again. I feel that today went well also but this time there are no changes to the program. My muscles felt fine the next morning; I had tight calf muscles from the squat but apart from that nothing major.
Session 3 Friday 12th Jan
I started the session off as normal with a 5 minute walk, 5 minute jog and then a 5 minute run, I then stretched all the appropriate muscles (back, legs, chest and triceps).
Leg extension – 5 sets x 6 reps x 70kg
I repeated the same exercise after 2 minutes rest and a drink
5 sets x 6 reps x 70kg
Lateral Pulldowns - 5 sets x 6 reps x 50kg
This was too easy for me so I increased the weight by 5kg and repeated
5 sets x 6 reps x 55kg
Bench Press – 3 sets x 6 reps x 54kg
2 sets x 4 reps x 54kg
I repeated the whole process again as I had only been in the gym for 35 minutes, this took me another 25 minutes as I found it harder and needed a few more breaks than normal to get water.
I then had a brisk walk on the running machine and stretched off at the end.
I felt like I had a really good session and all my muscles felt tight and I was very tired, later on in the day my leg was feeling very tight so I took it easy and tried to stretch it out every so often. In the morning I had slight cramp in my hamstring so I stretched it out some more, it wasn’t painful but rather uncomfortable.
Session 4 Monday 15th Jan
After resting my leg over the weekend it felt fine and I had no problems following the previous training session. This session started the same as the last Monday.
On the bench press I did the same as I did on Friday but instead did full 6 sets x 6 reps x 54 kg. I felt like the bench press was again too easy, even though I had only been doing the program for a week I could move the weight up some more. I Moved it to 58 kg, I then did 3 reps x 6 x 58 kg and finished off with another two sets after a rest.
Leg curl and shoulder press stayed exactly the same and I copied the weight and repetitions I had been doing the week before.
I finished off with some stretches.
Session 5 Wednesday 17th Jan
I started it off with a 5 minute row and a 5 minute run to get my muscles warm, I then did some stretching of my legs and arms.
Exercise began after 2 minute rest and a drink.
Squat – 5 sets x 6 reps x 100kg
I had a 3 minute rest and got some water and then repeated
5 sets x 6 reps x 100kg
Triceps extension – 5 sets x 6 reps x 30kg
Another 3 minute rest and some water and a change in reps
5 sets x 5 reps x 30kg
Benched Flye - 5 sets x 6 reps x 2x16kg
I felt like I could change the weight on the dumbbells and moved up to 18kg
A good energetic session finished off with a short cycle ride as a cool-down.
Session 6 Friday 19th January
I followed and copied my weights from the previous Friday and I felt it all went well, I increased the leg extension to 75kg, as it was getting too easy for me. Whenever I could do more than the normal 6 reps I tried raising the weight to see how I could handle it.
I felt like this week went really well and I could tell that I was improving already, I had no set backs so far.
Session 7 Monday 22nd January
When I woke up this morning I had a really bad headache and felt ill so ended up not coming into school, I tried later in the evening to do the bicep curl but I was so tired and lethargic I gave up after 1 set x 6 reps x 30kg. I thought I would leave it so I could get better for the next training session, I did not want to miss out on more than one day as it could affect the program.
Session 8 Wednesday 24th January
I started it off with a 5 minute row and a 5 minute run to get my muscles warm, I then did some stretching of my legs and arms.
Exercise began after 2 minute rest and a drink.
I increased the weight on my Squat as I thought I could do more after the last session.
Squat – 5 sets x 6 reps x 110kg
I had a 3 minute rest and got some water and then repeated
5 sets x 6 reps x 110kg
Triceps extension – 5 sets x 6 reps x 30kg
Another 3 minute rest and some water and a change in reps
5 sets x 5 reps x 30kg
Benched Flye - 5 sets x 6 reps x 2x18kg
Repeated - 4 sets x 6 reps x 2x18kg
1 set x 5 reps x 2x18kg
This was a very good session and I felt it all went well, I had no muscle soreness afterwards and after all my stretches and warm down I was very relaxed, and just a bit tired from the workout.
Session 9 Friday 26th January
I started the session off as normal with a 5 minute walk, 5 minute jog and then a 5 minute run, I then stretched all the appropriate muscles (back, legs, chest and triceps).
Leg extension – 5 sets x 6 reps x 70kg
I repeated the same exercise after 2 minutes rest and a drink
5 sets x 6 reps x 70kg
Lateral Pulldowns - 5 sets x 6 reps x 50kg
This was too easy for me so I increased the weight by 5kg and repeated
5 sets x 6 reps x 55kg
Bench Press – 3 sets x 6 reps x 58kg
2 sets x 4 reps x 58kg
Once again I felt very confident with my bench press, I felt like I could raise the weight even more so I changed it to 62kg, only 4kg off my original 1RM.
I then did 5 sets x 6 reps x 62kg and I felt fine afterwards apart from the obvious tight muscles in the chest. I could tell already I was making an improvement and I am sure that on the bench press my 1RM had definitely increased.
I stretched off thoroughly at the end of the session and rested my body during the weekend to come back on Monday and do another good gym session.
Session 10 Monday 29th January
Following a very energetic Friday session my chest was quite uncomfortable. It was really tight and I think that was because I did not stretch it as much as I could have after the session, especially as I increased the weight. I did still go to the gym but I just left out the chest exercise.
I had a 10 minute run on the treadmill and did some stretches for my legs and shoulders.
Leg Curl – 4 sets x 6 reps x 27kg
1 set x 5 reps x 27kg
Shoulder Press – I changed the weight up another 4kg, as 46kg was too little
4 sets x 6 reps x 50kg
1 set x 5 reps x 50 kg
I repeated both of these and then went on 10 minute run at the end to cool down. I did all my stretches to finish off with. The training session went ok but as my chest was hurting I could not do much more than the two exercises, I was only in the gym for 30 minutes but I still had my biceps curl to do in the evening.
Biceps curl – 5 sets x 6 reps x 2x32kg
I changed the weight and put it up 2kg on each dumbbell and did:
4 sets x 6 reps x 2x32kg
I was happy to move the bicep curl weight up for the next session as that one went quite well.
Session 11 Wednesday 31st January
I started it off with a 5 minute row and a 5 minute run to get my muscles warm, I then did some stretching of my legs and arms.
Exercise began after 2 minute rest and a drink.
Squat – 5 sets x 6 reps x 110kg
I had a 3 minute rest and got some water and then repeated
5 sets x 6 reps x 110kg
I increased the weight in the triceps extension to 34kg, only 2kg under my 1RM
Triceps extension – 5 sets x 6 reps x 34kg
Another 3 minute rest and some water and a change in reps
5 sets x 5 reps x 34kg
Benched Flye - 5 sets x 6 reps x 2x18kg
Repeated - 4 sets x 6 reps x 2x18kg
1 set x 5 reps x 2x18kg
The session went a bit slowly, I seemed to be really tired and I thought it was quite hard to complete today, I did it all anyway but was completely knackered afterwards. I finished off with some very good stretching as my right tricep was quite painful even only 10 minutes after the session.
Session 12 Friday 2nd February
I did this session exactly the same as the previous Friday. The session was very good and I felt like I had achieved lots afterwards and it was a good efficient workout.
No changes were made to the program after today’s session but I might have to increase the lateral pull-downs again as it was not too strenuous to finish the sets.
Session 13 Monday 5th February
I started off with a 10 minute cycle ride and a 5 minute stretching session, my muscles all felt fine and I was ready to do some weights, I was feeling confident so I increased the weight again for a few of the exercises.
Leg curl – 5 sets x 6 reps x 30kg
I had increased the weight by 3kg since the last leg curl
Bench press - 5 sets x 6 reps x 62kg
I repeated the same again
5 sets x 6 reps x 62kg
Shoulder press – 5 sets x 6 reps x 50kg
I increased the weight to 55kg but I found it very difficult to do more than 2 sets so I changed it back down to 50kg, I needed a few more goes on 50kg before I could move it up.
I had a 5 minute run and a short stretch to finish off the session.
When I got home I was very busy and had to go out for the evening, I had no time to do my bicep curl but I was going to do that on Tuesday night to cover for it, it should not affect anything much.
I had a very productive session at the gym and felt like improvement had been made during it, my muscles were sore and tight but not too painful, ‘no pain, no gain’.
Session 14 Wednesday 7th February
I had a hockey match at school before coming to the gym so I was quite tired but I had the energy to do weights as it was more endurance in a game of hockey. I started it off with a 5 minute row and a 5 minute run to get my muscles warm, I then did some stretching of my legs and arms.
Exercise began after 2 minute rest and a drink.
Squat – 5 sets x 6 reps x 110kg
I had a 3 minute rest and got some water and then repeated
5 sets x 6 reps x 110kg
Triceps extension – 5 sets x 6 reps x 34kg
Another 3 minute rest and some water
5 sets x 6 reps x 34kg
Benched Flye - 6 sets x 6 reps x 2x18kg
I found this not too hard so I increased the weight by 2kg
I repeated the sets with the increased weight
3 sets x 6 reps x 2x20kg
2 sets x 4 reps x 2x20kg
After this I had a short run followed by a stretching session for 5 minutes. I felt the session went well and I was happy that I was now doing sets of 2x20kg even though that was my original 1RM. I was very exhausted before starting the session after I had to play a hockey match at school before going to the gym. I had to extend my stretching session because my muscles were already worn from the hockey match.
Session 15 Friday 9th February
I started the session off as normal with a 5 minute walk, 5 minute jog and then a 5 minute run, I then stretched all the appropriate muscles (back, legs, chest and triceps).
Leg extension – 5 sets x 6 reps x 70kg
I repeated the same exercise after 2 minutes rest and a drink
5 sets x 6 reps x 70kg
Lateral Pulldowns - 5 sets x 6 reps x 55kg
This was too easy for me so I increased the weight by 5kg and repeated
5 sets x 6 reps x 60kg
Bench Press – 5 sets x 6 reps x 62kg
After the session I had a light cool down on the rowing machine and then finished with some stretches.
I had increased the weight for the lateral pulldowns by 5kg and I think I handled this very well, I was very tired afterwards but I think I had a very good session and I was very confident in my improvements. At the moment I do not need to change any part of my programme.
Session 16 Monday 12th February
I followed the session I did last Monday and it went really well, I had no holdbacks and I felt better and found it slightly easier than the previous week.
At the moment I have no problems with the programme, it is going very well and I am beginning to feel much more fit and in better. Although I have only been doing the programme for just under 6 weeks I feel I have made quite a bit of progress during it so far, I have only 2 more sessions to go and I am going to try really hard so I can increase my 1RM for all of the exercises.
Session 17 Wednesday 14th February
For today’s session I had a 15 minute jog/run on the running machine so I could get my heart rate up ready for me to do the weights, I had a short stretching session and a large drink to follow.
Squat – I increased the weight on the barbell to 120kg which was my original 1RM, I then did my normal amount of sets and reps.
5 sets x 6 reps x 120kg
I had a 5 minute break and another big drink while I let my body recover for a while, I then repeated the same
5 sets x 6 reps x 120kg
After the squat my legs were really tight, I knew I should have done a longer stretch but all I could do now was stretch it as much as possible for DOMS.
Tricep Extension - 5 sets x 6 reps x 34kg
Another 5 minute rest and some water and then I repeated
5 sets x 6 reps x 34kg
My arms were aching after the tricep extension but I was ready to give the Flye a go anyway, I had a quick break and a stretch on the arms to help.
Benched Flye - 2 sets x 6 reps x 2x20kg
2 sets x 4 reps x 2x20kg
1 set x 3 reps x 2x20kg
I was too tired to do any more sets as my arms were really tired and so were my legs, I needed a good rest and lots of water to help me with recover.
I managed to do a light 5 minute walk but I could do no more because of my legs, I did a few stretches after that. Later on in the evening I was exhausted and could hardly walk because of my legs, they were very tight and achy so I decided to go to bed early. Apart from the small amount of pain afterwards I thought I had a very productive session, I was happy that I could do what I could do especially after the hard sets of Squats.
Session 18 Friday 16th February
This is the last training session I will be doing that is included in the P.E.P
After this I will continue with the program up until and through my rugby season. I will be going to the gym probably on Monday to try and do my final results of the P.E.P hopefully I will have increased every single weight exercise I have done.
For this session I did a 10 minute walk/jog on the running machine, I then did a 5 minute row. I had a long stretching session as I did not do one long enough in the last session and I suffered the consequences with cramp and muscle pains throughout.
I then had a 2 minute break and water intake.
Leg extension – 5 sets x 6 reps x 70kg
I repeated the same exercise after 2 minutes rest and a drink
5 sets x 6 reps x 70kg
Lateral Pulldowns - 5 sets x 6 reps x 60kg
I increased the weight on this again by 5 more kg’s and repeated
5 sets x 6 reps x 65kg
Bench Press – 5 sets x 6 reps x 62kg
As I had been doing a lot of chest workouts I was happy to move the weight up again, I was able to do 10 reps on the 2x30kg dumbbells so I thought I would increase it as I should be doing reps of around 6 to be at best for strength gaining. I moved it up to 66kg (my original 1RM) and tried as many sets as possible.
3 sets x 6 reps x 66kg
1 set x 5 reps x 66kg
1 set x 4 reps x 66kg
I was very happy with this improvement as originally I could only do 66kg as my 1RM let alone do 3 sets x 6 repetitions.
I had a 5 minute jog to finish up along with a 5 minute stretching session, concentrating on my chest as I had a hard chest workout.
I felt the last training session went very well and it was very self-motivating being able to lift as much as I did, I am eager to carry on with the programme after I collect the results and finish the P.E.P.
Evaluation
I feel that the Personal Exercise Program has been very effective, I have learnt so much more about what exercises help which muscles and how often training has to occur and the intensities etc. Before doing this program I would never have known about such things as the amount of repetitions I needed to do to increase the certain kind of strength but now I know much more about it all. I was surprised that I did not once have a problem with my back, normally it can get quite painful and prevent me from taking part in some activities or matches but It was fine throughout the program.
Effectiveness towards my Aims
My main aims were to improve maximum strength, as this is only one component of fitness, it is not too long to evaluate. I can tell even without having to do the tests I have improved in my health and abilities, I am stronger and fitter as my warm-ups got slightly easier and my weights have definitely improved as so many got moved up while I was doing them. I was thorough with my original testing so the reason why I had to change the weights was because of my improvement, not because I had calculated my 1RM incorrectly. I knew this because I did the testing twice on two consecutive days and they all came out exactly the same. The only thing that I have noticed is that I may have lost some speed, due to the mass weight lifting in my legs I have decreased in agility and speed slightly, I noticed this when playing in a hockey match right at the end of my P.E.P. Other than that my P.E.P. has been very effective towards my stated aims; my aims were to get rid of some excess fat and change it into muscle mass and also just to increase in strength for the rugby season and I know already I am stronger than before.
Results for the 1RM retest
Exercise Original 1RM New 1RM
Lying leg curl 32kg 36kg
Leg extension 80kg 88kg
Bench press 66kg 82kg
Benched Fly 20kg 24kg
Pull down 60kg 75kg
Shoulder press 55kg 60kg
Biceps curl 35kg 40kg
Triceps extension 36kg 40kg
Squat 120kg 132kg
Increases – Lying leg curl increased by 4kg
Leg extension increased by 8kg
Bench Press increased by 16kg
Benched Flye increased by 4kg
Pull down increased by 15kg
Shoulder press increased by 5kg
Biceps curl increased by 5kg
Triceps extension increased by 4kg
Squat increased by 12kg
After looking at all the results I was very pleased with some of them, I am happy to say that I increased in every single exercise. I was very surprised at a couple of results and not surprised by others.
I found the lying leg curl quite difficult and I could not do too many sets as my legs began to ‘burn’ very quickly when doing them so I am not surprised with the increase. I am pleased with the increase in the leg extension as I was now at the equivalent of pushing over my own weight. The biggest increase here was my bench press, I am not surprised at all at this because I probably spent the most time on this and the Benched Flye and Tricep Extension helped it. All three exercises work together to help the Bench Press, the Flye and Bench press are specific to the chest so there was more than one exercise that would have helped with the increase. The second highest increase which I was a little surprised about wad the Lateral Pulldowns, it went up by 15kg which in only 6 weeks is quite a lot. The exercise I probably did the least on was the Biceps curl which is shown by the increase of only 5kg to my 1RM.
There is absolutely nothing I would change to this P.E.P. I think it all worked out perfectly and that is shown by my tests. It was also good fun and I am now more motivated to continue to help in the future.
