6-Week Training Program

GCSE Physical Education (Sport & Coaching)

Matt Lyne P.E. Mr Alder

By Matt Lyne

Introduction

To maintain or improve skill and fitness, training needs to take place. Training can be in many different forms and applied in many ways. The main aspects of training are:

The principles
The methods, application and effects
Training sessions

There are four basic principles in all training sessions applied to skill and fitness:

Specificity
Overload
Progression
Reversibility

Specificity

Training must be specific which means that it should concentrate on the particular needs of the individual within the training programme. For example, lifting weights will increase muscular strength but will have little effect on the aerobic capacity of the individual.

Although training should be specific to a sport this does not mean that training for sport will have little effect on another. Transfer of training can take place where the sport or parts of a sport have a great deal of similar elements of fitness are common to many sports

Overload

Overload is the term used to describe activities that impose demands on the body, which are greater than usual. There are three ways in which overload can be considered: frequency, intensity and duration.

Frequency

The frequency of training is the number of times training occurs. As levels of performance rise, the frequency of training is often increased. Top performers need to train most days, particularly long distance runners who need to run considerable distances in training to improve their aerobic capacity.

Intensity

Raising the workload increases intensity. This means that you would have to run faster, lift heavier weights or stretch farther than normal during training. These increases would be built up over a period of time.

Duration

How long the training sessions takes place is determined by the activity and the fitness of the person. Untrained athletes may only be able to work for a few minutes when they are starting a new event. As athletes improve, they are able to train for longer periods.

Progression

Progression occurs as the body adapts through overload. Training needs to be progressive. If the overload of the body systems is increased appropriately, then the improvement caused by training easily be seen, especially in the early stages of the training programme. If it is increased inappropriately then the body will not take on smooth progression because the body can’t adapt to too much overload. Sometimes a performer seems unable to make progress and stays at the same level for a period of time. This is known as a ‘plateau’, but performers are often able to improve after some time at this fixed level.

Reversibility

This is the reverse of progression. Once training and performers are reduced, the body naturally adapts to the new circumstances:

The aerobic capacity can be quickly reduced through lack of exercise.
Muscular endurance diminishes when muscles are no longer used over extended periods of time.
Skill levels however can often remain high, but performance in skills might be reduced because of physical decline.

It is estimated that muscles lose strength three times more quickly than they gain it.

This means as a general rule, it is suggested that a sportsperson has ...