When planning and following a programme if it is followed properly improvements should occur, and this will be shown in improved fitness levels and from this you should need to progress and there are three ways to do this: 1./ Train more frequently, and this way even though everything else stays the same, you will find it more difficult as your body has to adapt to an increase of exercise.
2./ Train more strenuously, for example, lifting heavier weights. Originally this will shock the body and muscles; however they will improve and get stronger.
3./ Longer training periods, training for 2 hours instead of 1 hour, this pushes the body further and thus helps strengthen it.
A combination of such factors will work, so gradually I will progress in the training programme. I will be hoping to progress through my course and will write it down if I do so.
Training Programme
Monday Evening
Upper Body Strength
Each of the following of this session will be four sets of ten repetitions with a one-minute recovery time. I will record my pulse after each complete exercise and will have a two-minute recovery change over time from each exercise. This is working more on muscle endurance as it is a lot of repetitions of a smaller weight where as muscle strength is few repetitions of a heavier weight. However, with muscle endurance comes muscle strength and I feel it will benefit me more in the long-run, to begin doing a lot of the smaller weights so I can work from their, and establish a body build.
I will be using free weights in the form of a bar. Most people find free-weights more difficult however; since I will be using them at home I am sure I will feel comfortable and relaxed, instead of having the stress rushing to get through all of the desired exercises on the weight machines at school. I will be performing isotonic contractions and so my muscles will be working over a range of movements.
Table of pulse rates throughout my upper body strengths sessions, after each complete exercise...
Below is a table of recovery rates when the session is completely over throughout the 7weeks on my upper body training schedule...
Training Programme
Wednesday Evening
Lower Body Strength
Each of the following of this session will be four sets of ten repetitions with a one-minute recovery time. I will record my pulse after each complete exercise and will have a two-minute recovery change over time from each exercise. This like the upper-body session is working more on muscle endurance for the same reasons. To add a bit more muscle strength to my legs as well as further strengthen my muscular endurance after my weights I am going to tag on a l5minute fartlek run, to help me complete the aim of strengthening my cardiovascular. I have a pre-planned route that I am set to run which is full of hills that are going to push me to limit. Fartlek running is a combination of fast and slow running along varied terrain and is a very good for stamina, my fartlek run is about 1.5 miles long and so should be a challenge as well as a clear indication of whether I am improving throughout the course as it should be reflected in my times.
Fartlek Run Times
Training Programme
Friday Morning
Circuit Training
In this session I was intending to have a mixed session in which I would improve my general fitness, as this was one of my aims. I am going to set up a simple circuit in which I could try and get round as many times as possible, spending two minutes on each base. The circuit is as follows. I will take my pulse rate and the count of the reps of the activity immediately after each base in a 2minute changeover time, to monitor my progress
Here is a table of the activities I am going to do throughout my session...
Below, are my recovery rates these are also important as they show the strength of the cardiac muscles, as the quicker it can reduce your pulse rate back to normal, the stronger your heart and so if I am trying to improve my cardio-vascular fitness, my recovery rates should improve.
Warm up and Warm down Programme
The most important thing in a training session is its warm up and warm down it is essential to anyone who wishes to stay fit and injury free. A warm up and warm down avoid injury by easing the muscles to get them going or slow them down it is the in-between that is needed from doing no exercise, to exercise. If s like a car you cant Just drive straight into lOOmiles/hour, you have to slowly work your way up through the gears. Warming up prevents injury, improves performance and mentally prepares someone psychologically for a task
To start all of my warm ups I will begin with a slow 5-10 minute jog time depending. I will then stretch put the corresponding area for my session, so if it was an upper body session my upper body, for my mixed session I would stretch my whole body. The first stretches I would do are easy static ones holding them for about 10-15 seconds without straining myself two much. These will be followed up by some short ballistic stretches to get some movement in and around the joint. I will then finish off the warm up with sprint shuttles building up form 300/a to 100, to get me ready and going.
For the warm down for all of the session I would do exactly the above but reversed. So I would...
• Have short sprints slowing down from 100% to 30.
• Then have a short ballistic stretch followed by long relaxed static stretching of all of my muscle used in the training session.
• Lastly finished off by slow easy jogging for 5-l0mins
Week1
Upper body
Lower body
Circuit
Week 2
Upper body
Lower body
Circuit
Week 3
Upper body
Lower body
Circuit
Week4
Upper body
Lower body
Circuit
Week5
Upper body
Lower body
Circuit
Week 6
Upper body
Lower body
Circuit
Conclusion
After completing my 6week personal exercise plan I have notice that my recovery rate has decreased this is due to the overloading the specific muscles so that they can progress further. I have also noticed that I am working well within my target zone.
My cardiovascular fitness has increased as my resting heart rate is now 63bpm and I scored a 10.5 in the bleep test.
I am happy to see that my fitness has improved over the 6 week plan as it proves that it is a successful plan.
