I now have the key components I have to improve and have 8 weeks to do so, in order to do this I must organize a PEP that focuses on each aspect. To organize my program I took a concept called periodisation which enables me to split my program into different sections enabling me to focus on different components of skill to improve, which suits the task I have to do; improving multiple components. I split my program into 4 microcycles each one focusing on a different component. Firstly I‘m going to do two weeks on endurance, for the next two weeks im going to focus on strength, weeks 5-6 I will focus on speed training, Then for the last two weeks, the final microcycle I will train all the previous components and tests to see if I’ve improved.
Week 1-2; endurance is the main focus and I wish to improve both local muscular and Cardio-vascular fitness to do this I have chosen to use continuous training to increase my heart rate to 75-85% of my maximum heart rate ( 220-17=203/100=2.03*75=152) so my target zone for these weeks is 152+. If I get my heart rate up to this 3 times per week for at least 20 minutes then my CV will improve and in getting it up there through running etc my local muscular endurance will improve. I choose 75% of max Hr because this is of high enough intensity to improve aerobic capacity as it is the production of energy with oxygen I wish to improve primarily; in weeks 5-6 I will develop this into increase my anaerobic threshold.
I will also use interval training as a form of improving both as it will simulate the game situation for a striker and the game is majority stop, start with a burst of high energy; running onto a ball. Followed by rest; waiting for the ball to come back down the pitch. Finally I will do a session a week on specific local muscular endurance, this will be a weigh training session using low weighs with a high number of reps these will be focused on the lower body as this is what is in most use e.g. squats, whereas a goalkeeper would focus on upper body.
Week 3-4; this will be done through the use of weigh training but in comparison to the weigh training done in the first week it will be done on both upper and lower body; as the legs enable you to kick the ball and your shoulders are use especially for a striker to push your way passed defenders, also it will use higher weighs and lower reps.
Week 5-6; this will use the training method of interval training, I will use sprint sessions to increase my anaerobic threshold as this will be of very high intensity. I will also try to improve my flexibility as with and increase of flexibility you gain and increase in stride length, and speed can be expressed as stride length * stride frequency. I will also use plyometrics to improve my speed this will be done through bounding etc. it works on the principle of reflex contraction. If you take into account the fact that in the previous week I trained to improve my strength and these two weeks I improved speed this should thus give an improvement to not just them two components but also power (strength *speed = power) and this was one of the key feature highlighted in the previous section.
Week 7-8; this is where I will recall everything that has been done and do two session on each component over the two weeks ready to be tested in the last week to observe whether I have improved. This microcycle will be the finial in my mesocycle and will involve skills training which will involve actually playing football, which will improve all of the above components and will also bring into the training a competitive edge to the training, preparing me for real competition mental as well as physically.
Principles of Training
Due to the periodisation of my PEP the principle of specificity is implemented throughout, which is of great advantage as it improves the exact components needed therefore my performance in the sport will too. In between each session I am going to have a days rest this decision was affect by the principle recovery and reversibility, since it will give enough time to prevent burn out/over training and also its not too long that the training effect start to wear off. And finally throughout my program I will have a continuous theme of progressive overload which gradually increase the work load every session and therefore maintains the work load and the general intensity so I will improve.
Also I will implement the FITT principle, I will train regularly (frequency) at high enough intensity (intensity) for long enough to have and effect ( time ) and I will make the training specific to what I’m try to achieve (type)
Testing
As previously stated in the last two weeks I aim test myself to observe if I have improved. I will test endurance and power, I will not test strength and speed individually as a strength for power will show if there was an improvement in both of these. I have already tested for both of theses as I had to have an original starting point to show any improvement. For endurance I chose to do a bleep test in which I scored a 9.5, this was not at an adequate level, and may have been down to the lack of training in the off session; an I wish to improve this drastically ready for the new season. I chose to do a sergeant jump in which I achieved 2.51 meters. Which is of a suitable standard but I which to improve to over 2.60 meters. I believe that the test results gained are very reliable because they are both valid in the fact that they tested endurance and power.
Diet
Due to the increase in physical training that I had partaken in I had to increase the calorie intake to ensure that I had a constant supply of energy to enable me to train to the level I wanted to and therefore get the desired results. For the increase in intake I tried to eat as much carbohydrates as possible eating paste etc for most of my main meals, this enable the best release of energy without using up fats. Which may have resulted in the loss of weigh which would not have been positive for my performance as it could have had an effect on my syomata-type. Being a mesomorph is the preferred body shape of a football, specifically a striker. I also tried to stick to a balanced diet protein(23%), fats(30%), carbohydrates(57%), fibre, water, minerals and vitamins.
Safety
When planning my training safety was a key aspect in everything I organize to perform as I didn’t want to get injured or put undue stress on my body before the season kicked off.
- When running I had be conscious that grass and synthetic surfaces become slippery in wet conditions. Roads are made for the use of vehicles; therefore i should avoid running on them where possible. Where there are footpaths I should use them, unless they are frequently interrupted by road intersections or by their worn state or/plus fatigue makes foot and ankle injuries a probability
- Roads are hard surfaces which increases the likelihood of stress problems. I will Keep a careful cheek on myself when high mileages and speed work is programmed I should run facing the oncoming traffic, even when running on pavements
- Runners should be seen - especially at night by wearing light, bright or reflective clothing. Even in daylight with a low, bright sun from behind, the driver's vision is often impaired
Warm Up & Cool Down
This is a key feature to performing at the optimal level in training to get the best results and also to prevent Injury I did a warm up before each session and after each. The warm up will consist of:-
- 5 to 10 minutes jogging - to increase body temperature
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10 to 15 minutes - reduce muscle stiffness
- 10 to 15 minutes general and event specific drills - preparation for the session or competition. e.g. for a runner
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4 to 8 easy run outs over 30 to 60 metres - focus on correct running technique ()
are more appropriate to the warm up as they help reduce muscle stiffness. Static exercises do not reduce muscle stiffness. This will thus had the positive effects of:-
- 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
- Facilitated oxygen utilization by warmed muscles because hemoglobin releases oxygen more readily at higher muscle temperatures
- Facilitated nerve transmission and muscle metabolism at higher temperatures; a specific warm up can facilitate motor unit recruitment required in subsequent all out activity
- Increased blood flow through active tissues as local vascular beds dilate, increasing metabolism and muscle temperatures
This enabled me all together to ready my body for exercise and allow me to get the most out of each session as I will be able to work at a greater intensity and as a byproduct of the warm up I will also reduce the risk of injury. It is also for this very reason that I will do a cool down after every session this will consist of –
- 5 to 10 minutes jogging/walking - decrease body temperature and remove waste products from the working muscles
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5 to 10 minutes - decrease body temperature, remove waste products from the working muscles and to increase range of movement.
An appropriate cool down will:-
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aid in the dissipation of waste products - including
- 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
This cool down reduced the likelihood of injury and another benefit was that it will reduce stiffness, this made it possible for me to enforce the FITT principle of intensity as I will be able to repeat train at the same intensity as the effects from previous session will be minimal.
Evaluation
On Completion of the 8 week training program I completed a set of test which had been previously done at the commencement. I redid the bleep test and achieve a score of 11.6 which is a satisfactory increase and show that the training done at the beginning in the first microcycle and the continue CV fitness in my club training was beneficial. It showed that my respiratory system had become more efficient in taking in and absorbing oxygen into the blood to produce energy. I also released that my recovery rate had a significant improvement on the original time that I did the bleep test it took some time for my heart rate to lower back to resting, whereas this time I had an increase density in capillary beds, and a greater number of hemoglobin; increase in oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. Meaning that there was more capillaries around the lung to absorb oxygen and more hemoglobin in that blood meaning that it can combine more frequently to form oxyheamoglobin and take it to the muscle tissue to repay oxygen debt. Also after concluding this test there wasn’t as much muscle soreness meaning that I had increase my anaerobic threshold meaning that the respiratory system can supply the muscle system with oxygen for longer at higher intensity, so that the muscles don’t use the lactic system which produces lactic acid and that cause muscle soreness. This is of great advantage to my performance in a game situation as in a game I will be having short bursts of energy through sprints, eg onto through balls, and this increase in anaerobic will enable me to work harder (sprint) for longer giving me and edge on the competition.
In my original sergeant jump; test for level of power, I reached 2.51 meters. In a repeat of the test I achieved 2.64meters which was I suitable improvement it showed that my level of power had increase and thus my speed and strength since speed *strength=power. Which shows that I can contract my muscles with great intensity and with greater speed which was one of my main aims as this mean in a game situation I can run quicker and battle hard which is a key feature of my game.
I believe the perodisation used in my training program was very affective as it organized me into spending time/ focusing on the specific components that were need. It also enable me to break down what I was down into specific parts and giving me aims and goal to achieve over short periods of time; overloading to 75kgs in strength training, this was very motivational as it made me work harder to improve. It also gave me a lot of feedback on my skill levels and enlighten me on what other parts of my games need to be improved.
On the other hand football being a team game your performance is limited as a lot of what happens relies on your team mates and what happens around you, if I was to repeat this I would add a lot more skills sessions and incorporate more team play into my program this would enable me to improve individual by training and working har playing a match for example but also improve my team play.
Another good point from my program was that the training has encouraged me to continue and make a macrocycle for the year as the visibly improves that can bee seen from comparing my test result have motivated me to continue my upward trend.
One bad point that arose from the PEP was the way I conducted the test and the test that were conducted, they lacked some specificity to my aims and therefore effect the reliably of the conclusions draw as I should have split power into strength; 1 rep max test using leg machine, and for speed; 30 meter sprint, since these are more related to what I wanted to achieve and the sport that is being played.
If I was to repeat the PEP I would have made a few changes which I believe would have made my improvement more substantial and further increased my performance. Firstly I would have had a stricker diet which would have enable me to train at a higher intensity, a balanced diet cutting out alcohol consumption and drinking more energy drinks as this enable you to train a little bit longer and the longer you train the greater the improvement. Also I may have developed on my periodisation further stating what I wanted to do every day giving me no excuses for missing training. Finally I would have complemented my training with supplements during my strength microcycle I could have take creatine this enable you to work at greater intensity so you get better results. Also during the whole mesocycle I would have taken liver tablets which increase the oxygen carrying capacity of haemoglobin and therefore CV fitness.
On reflection I believe the results that were gain from the test and the significant improvement there was shows that I have successfully achieve my aims s. I improved the weaker points of my game and the components that are most necessary in playing at a high standard. I stuck to my training program very well and I think the result are obvious to see and will be of great benefit to me in a game situation and improve my overall performance.
