Personal Exercise Programme.

4. Rotation of hips.

Hold your hands on your hips and rotate 20 seconds one way and then 20 seconds the other. Making sure that you rotate to the full extent of the hip joint.

5. Lower back stretches.

Lying down with your back on the floor, straighten one leg, while bending the knee of the other leg, and trying to bring the thigh of your bent leg as close as possible to your chest. Hold it there. Then cross your bent leg over you’re straight leg and try to touch your knee to the floor (while trying to keep both shoulders on the ground). Repeat this same procedure with the other leg. Then, bend both knees and bring both thighs up against off your chest, keeping your back fully on the floor. Hold it there. Then, put both feet on the floor but keep the knees bent. While trying to keep both shoulders on the ground, roll your legs over to one side and try to get your knees to touch the floor beside you. Hold it there and then do the same but on the other side.      

6. Groin and inner thigh stretches.

 Sit down with your back straight and bend your legs, putting the soles of your feet together. Try to get your heels as close to your groin as you can as is comfortable. Now push your knees to the floor as far as you can using your elbows (see picture). Keeping your knees where they are bend your chest over, trying to get it as close as you canto the floor. Hold it there.

7. Quadriceps stretch

Stand up straight and bend one knee and bring that foot as close as you can to your gluteus maximus. You should have the knee bent as straight as possible not bent to one side. Also you should hold your ankle and not your foot with your hand so not to put too much strain on your ankle. Hold it there. Now do the same for the other leg.

8. Hamstring stretch.

While lying on the floor put on leg in the air and support it on a wall (see picture). Your leg should be high enough so you feel a pull on your hamstring but it should be comfortable. Hold it there. Now do the same for your other leg.

9. Calf stretches.

Put one leg in front of the other with both your feet pointing forward. Now push against a wall. You should feel a stretch on your gastrocnemius but if you don’t then move your back leg further away. Hold it there. Now do the same to your other leg.

     10) Rotation of ankle.

Standing straight lift one leg in the air and rotate your ankle joint both ways for 10 rotations either way. Do the same for the other ankle.

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Session 1- Thursday 30th November 2000.

Session outline

• 30 seconds on each station.
• 15 seconds walking in between each station.
• 3 times through each circuit with 1 minutes rest between each circuit, but still moving so that my muscles do not tighten up.

Stations

1. Press-ups.
2. Abdominal crunches with feet on a raised platform.
3. Throwing 1kg medicine ball against wall with both hands.
4. Squat thrusts.
5. Skipping.
6. Bicep curls.
7. Leg raises-controlled movement (on back raising both legs together).
8. Latex band exercise-attach band to pole and pull in a shooting action and move back all in a controlled slow movement.
9. L-shape press with 4.4kg weights.
10. 10 m sprinting.

Reasons for choosing each exercise

1. Press ups- This exercise works the deltoids, pectorals major, trapezius and triceps. These muscles are used during water polo while shooting. So I chose this exercise because it to improve my shooting power. Also improvements in the strength of these muscles will aid my front crawl pull and therefore improve my swimming speed.
2. Squat thrusts- This will improve the strength and power of muscles in my legs such as my gastrocnemius, quadriceps and hamstrings. Improvements in the power of these muscles Wilhelm you keep him on body are you after the water to aid of my shots and passes.
3. Throwing the medicine ball- this is a very specific because I am actually recreating in action I do in water polo. Also by throwing a medicine ball of weight is greater than that of a water polo ball. So when I come back to throwing a normal water polo ball it will be lighter and easier to throw as the muscles will have improved in strength.
4. The latex band exercises- These exercises were devised first by the Italian national water polo team. In water polo the shoulder joint is used a lot so there are a lot of injuries of the shoulder such as tendonitis. These exercises specifically work muscles around the shoulder that aren’t often used to strengthen them so during the movement of the shoulder joint they will be less stress on the tendons around that joint.
5. L-shape press- This exercise works the deltoids and trapezius mainly so is specific to the muscles used in shooting in water polo.
6. Skipping- This is to improve my cardiovascular endurance. Also it works my gastrocnemius and Achilles tendon. I used my gastrocnemius when I breast stroke leg kick. So skipping will improve the power of my breaststroke leg kick.
7. Sit-ups- This exercise works might rectus abdominis which is not very specific to water polo but will help my overall levels of muscular endurance.
8. Bicep curls- This exercise is again not very specific to water polo because it is working mainly in my biceps. So it is just helping my overall fitness.
9. Leg Raises-This is working the lower back. These muscles are used in shooting and well during breaststroke. These muscles are not that important but this exercise just increases their overall strength and flexibility.
10. Sprints- This exercise is very specific. because it works the anaerobic respiratory system which is used a lot in water polo. Also I will run for 10 m. 10 m is about the distance covered in a sprint drive to goal in a game so again is very specific.  

Evaluation

Generally I am pleased with the way that the session went. The warm-up and cool down together with stretches was a long process but were well worth it because it will help to prevent injury, limit the effects of DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness) and improve my overall flexibility.

I thought the order of the stations that I did was very good because it mixed up the exercises so that I was working a different part of the body at each station.

They were quite a few problems. I didn’t set up the station very well before I started so I had to set up each station during the fifteen seconds of walking that I was meant to be doing between each station. Also I need some mats because I am doing the exercises outside on concrete and doing sit ups on concrete made my back hurt.

My overall legs were worked well but could be worked harder.  I worked my ATP system very well but I felt I needed more endurance and cardiovascular work. I worked my shoulder muscles especially my deltoids too much.

I thought that some stations worked me quite hard but some were relatively easy and I needed to work for longer than 30 seconds to get any benefit. During the easy stations my heart rate was dropping on my muscles stiffened up so when I came to use them again I could have damage them by pulling them or tearing them.

Considerations for next session.

I need to give each station a different separate time. I need to spend a bit of time before the whole work out setting up each station in order to keep to the timings I have set.

I am going to change a station altogether because I did not think it was that good. It was the L-shape press, I felt that it was putting too much stress on my deltoids and I wanted an exercise that would work of the muscles such as my trapeziums and my latissimus dorsi. I’m going to change this exercise to at bench presses for 30 seconds with a 12 kg weight bar. Also I am going to change the weight of the medicine ball to 2 kg because I found the 1kg medicine ball was very easy and would not make any improvements for me.  

Session 2- Sunday 3rd December 2000.

Session outline

• 3 times through each circuit with 1 minutes rest between each circuit, but still moving so that my muscles do not tighten up.
• 15 seconds walking in between each station.

Stations

1)   Press-ups for 30 seconds.

2)   Abdominal crunches for 1 minute with feet on a raised platform.

3)   Throwing 2kg medicine ball against wall for 30 seconds on each arm.

4. Squat thrusts for 30 seconds.
5. Skipping for 1minute.
6. Bicep curls for 30 seconds using 4.6kg dumbbells.
7. Latex band exercises for 30 seconds on each arm.
8. Leg raises for 30 seconds.
9. Bench-press with 12 kg weights for 30 seconds.
10. 10x10m sprints with maximum 5 seconds between each 10 m sprint.

Evaluation

To start with the changes I made, made this session much better. The individual times made each exercise quite hard. I also felt that the bench press was a much better exercise than the L- shape press because it didn’t concentrate on just the deltoids, it worked a better range of upper body muscles. I found working with the 2kg medicine ball, very hard but I think I will stick with it so I really improve the power in my shoulder muscles.

I had a big problem with the leg raises. I found the next day my back was in pain and I thought it had something to do with this exercise.

The sprinting was much better because I was moving a good distance so that it really got my heart rate up and kept at their. Also the short amount of rest in between each made sure I was working anaerobicly because I could not take on enough oxygen.

I also think that while I am doing the squat thrusts I need to make them harder because it did not work my leg muscles very hard.

One main thing I need to take into account before doing the sessions is when I have got games in the next couple of days. I did this session the day before quite a hard match and I was still physically tired from this session. Therefore I did not perform very well. From now on I will make sure I have at least a day’s rest in-between a session on a match.

Considerations for next session

I am going to change the leg raises exercise to basically the same sort of exercise. The only difference being that I will raise my head and shoulders instead of my legs. I am doing this to see if it will put the same stress on my lower back muscles with out causing the pain. I will hold some light weights in my hand while doing squat thrusts. This will put some extra strain on my leg muscles to work them harder. Also I am going to change the latex band exercise slightly. Instead of doing a shooting action I will hold my elbow at 90° and pull the band outwards. I will do this with both my arms. This is working slightly different muscles around the shoulder joint. It will still prevent injury is from occurring in my shoulder. I will keep all the time means the same since I felt they were just right.

Session 3- Tuesday 5th December 2000.

Session outline

• 3 times through each circuit with 1 minutes rest between each circuit, but still moving so that my muscles do not tighten up.
• 15 seconds walking in between each station.

Stations

1)  Press-ups for 30 seconds.

2)  Abdominal crunches for 1 minute with feet on a raised platform.

3)  Throwing 2kg medicine ball against wall for 30 seconds on each arm.

4. Squat thrusts for 30 seconds with 2kg weights in each hand.
5. Skipping for 1minute.
6. Bicep curls for 30 seconds using 6.8kg dumbbells.
7. Latex band exercises for 30 seconds on each arm.
8. Upper body raises for 30 seconds.
9. Bench press with 12 kg weights for 30 seconds quickly.
10. 10x10m sprints with maximum 5 seconds between each 10 m sprint.

Evaluation

I found this session quite demanding but felt really good afterwards. I had to do it in the rain so I had to keep myself warm between each station so instead of walking I jogged between each station. Changing the squat thrusts so I had some little weights in each hand made this exercise much better an I found it really worked my hamstring and quadriceps which I wanted to work because it will help my breast stroke leg kick power.

I have noticed little differences in the size of my upper body and put this down to the weights work I have been doing so I think that the sessions are doing me good and I have got the stresses at a good level.

Another reason I think that I found this session quite hard was because I had not had much to drink before the session during and after. I left it for approximately 2 I was before I had anything to drink. I had been sweating for over an hour or so I had lost a lot of water. Even a small amount of water loss can have these effects:

1. It reduces the efficiency of the circulatory functioning largely by a drop in blood pressure, which reduces blood flow to the active muscles.
2. It can lead to such problems as heat stroke.
3. The loss of electric lights such as sodium chloride and calcium can lead to muscle cramps.

I have to really high draped in order for my body to maintain optimal performance. Next session I need to have some liquid after each circuit. I don’t want to drink too much but by drinking some isotonic drink it will replace lost liquids and boost my glucose levels in my blood.

Even though I changed the leg raises exercise to upper body raises I still found I had a quite sore back the next day. So I think I need to change the whole exercise.

Also I found it very hard to work with the medicine ball when it was wet, but with double the weight it really worked my back muscles more than just my deltoids.

 

Considerations for next session

I think for my next session I will completely take out the upper body raises and instead of putting in a new exercise I will just do some more skipping. This is because I need to concentrate on more cardiovascular endurance. I have got a good balance of anaerobic and weights work but I need some more aerobic exercises.

Due to safety reasons I will not do the medicine ball, exercises if it is wet or raining because it was dangerous. It just means I can work even harder on the other exercises.

I will also make sure I have prepared some drinks before the session. I will drink the drinks during my one-minute of walking between each circuit. I will make sure I have at least 100ml of an isotonic drink after the whole session.

Session 4- Tuesday 12th December 2000.

Session outline

• 3 times through each circuit with 1 minutes rest between each circuit, but still moving so that my muscles do not tighten up.
• 15 seconds walking in between each station.

Stations

1)   Press-ups for 30 seconds.

2)   Abdominal crunches for 1 minute with feet on a raised platform.

3)   Skipping for 1 minute.

4. Throwing 2kg medicine ball against wall for 30 seconds on each arm.
5. Squat thrusts for 30 seconds with 2kg weights in each hand.
6. Skipping for 1minute.
7. Bicep curls for 30 seconds using 6.8kg dumbbells.
8. Latex band exercises for 30 seconds on each arm.
9. Bench press with 12 kg weights for 30 seconds quickly.
10. 10x10m sprints with maximum 5 seconds between each 10 m sprint.

Evaluation

I found this session very hard to because I was not very motivated to start with but made myself do it. Also it was very cold outside and it was some other activities I could have been doing. When I finally got myself motivated I did enjoy it doing this.

The weather made me change my warm-up slightly because it was so cold. I went for a longer run to really get myself warm.

During cold conditions I have got to be careful because I am burning a lot of fat during exercise. This is because when the skin feels cold the brain spurs your adrenal glands into action. The adrenal glands release surplus quantities of adrenaline. This forces your fat cells to push increased amount of fat into the blood. The fact can be quickly captured and metabolised at a high a rate by the muscles. Activity magnifies this burning of fat. Winter exercise not only reduces fat stores it also helps get rid of probably the most dangerous fat- the fat inside your body cavities, that is clinging to your internal organs.

So taking this into account I need to make sure after the session I eat well and put the fat stores back because I do not want to be losing a lot of weight.

I also have to be careful because I can get really cold. Not just from the cold air but from the combination of the cold air and sweat. As my clothes get saturated with moisture from for sweating process. Water is an awful insulator; it conducts heat away from the body about 25 times faster than air. This is especially dangerous if fatigue or injury produces a downfall in the exercise intensity because the body then starts to cool down, as it is not working. So I need to make sure I have other clothing available to put on when I get cold or my clothes get saturated with sweat.

I found with the extra skipping that I was doing made my heart rate always stay high. This is what I want because it will really help my cardiovascular endurance.

Considerations for next session

There is a very little I’m going to change because I think that everything I did was quite hard. The intensity of the exercise is good and hopefully my overall fitness will improve a lot. I do not want to overload the intensity because that would just lead to injury. Until I noticed some increases I will not change the intensity any of the exercises. I don’t think that it’s will take that many sessions for me to notice some changes in my overall fitness levels. Then I can change the intensity of my sessions. If I change the intensities of my sessions too late I will have wasted time because some of the sessions will have not worked me very hard at all and my fitness levels will begin to drop. If change the intensity is of my sessions to early then I will be overloading myself and this will not to me any good at all. This is hard because I have to change the intensities at just the right time.

Session 5- Sunday 17th December 2000.

Session outline

• 3 times through each circuit with 1 minutes rest between each circuit, but still moving so that my muscles do not tighten up.
• 15 seconds walking in between each station.

Stations

1)   Press-ups for 30 seconds.

2)   Abdominal crunches for 1 minute with feet on a raised platform.

3)   Skipping for 1 minute.

11. Throwing 2kg medicine ball against wall for 30 seconds on each arm.
12. Squat thrusts for 30 seconds with 2kg weights in each hand.
13. Skipping for 1minute.
14. Bicep curls for 30 seconds using 6.8kg dumbbells.
15. Latex band exercises for 30 seconds on each arm.
16. Bench press with 12 kg weights for 30 seconds quickly.
17. 10x10m sprints with maximum 5 seconds between each 10 m sprint.

Evaluation

This session I was able to do with a friend. I think that this really helped are supposed because we motivated each other. We kept each other going and I personally put 100% in all of the time.

Even though we did slightly different exercises we were able to work together. The session was much more fun doing it with a friend than on my own.

I wasn’t able to complete the whole of my session because I had a pain in my shoulder half way through the second circuit. I had the problem only when throwing to medicine ball, and only on my right arm. I tried to continue the exercise with a lighter medicine ball, but the pain persisted. So I missed out my right arm for the exercise and the next circuit and carried on just with my left arm. I have had this injury before it is tendonitis. Every so often it acts up and all I can do is rest it. After the session I put some I use on my shoulder and rested it for a few days. Then the Thursday after I went to water polo training. My shoulder was a bit stiff but I was alright after an extensive warm-up. To make sure this doesn’t happen next session I work with a heavy medicine ball, for only a limited period of time.

Considerations for next session

After my shoulder injury I don’t want a repetition of it so I will change the throwing exercise. In the first circuit I will use the 1kg medicine ball, to warm-up my shoulder. Then in the second circuit I we use the 2kg medicine ball. Then in the third circuit I will use the 1kg medicine ball, so that I do not overload my shoulder.

Again I still think that I should keep to the same exercise intensities because it is still really working me hard.

Session 6- Friday 22nd December 2000.

Session outline

• 3 times through each circuit with 1 minutes rest between each circuit, but still moving so that my muscles do not tighten up.
• 15 seconds walking in between each station.

Stations

1)    Press-ups for 30 seconds.

2)   Abdominal crunches for 1 minute with feet on a raised platform.

3)   Skipping for 1 minute.

4)   Throwing 2kg medicine ball against wall for 30 seconds on each arm.

5.  Squat thrusts for 30 seconds with 2kg weights in each hand.
6.  Skipping for 1minute.
7.  Bicep curls for 30 seconds using 6.8kg dumbbells.
8.  Latex band exercises for 30 seconds on each arm.
9.  Bench press with 12 kg weights for 30 seconds quickly.
10.  10x10m sprints with maximum 5 seconds between each 10 m sprint.

Evaluation

In this session, finally, I noticed some differences. It was mainly in the weight exercises. The squat thrusts I found my legs did not feel like they did when I have done this exercise in the past. To start with my legs felt like ‘jelly’ when I did this exercise but in his last session I found that my legs muscles i.e. Hamstrings quadriceps, were coping much more with the stress put on them by this exercise. Also I was not struggling as much when doing the bench presses. Even though this exercise was quite tough it was much easier than has been in the past. This is very encouraging to notice differences and means that I have to increase the stresses in my exercises for my body to keep improving.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that I have been doing press-ups for 30 seconds now all the way through this exercise plan. It is quite strange because I would have expected this exercise to get easier but I have not noticed any changes. I am struggling to find a reason for this.

Considerations for next session

Due to the changes I have noticed I shall change both the bench presses and squat thrusts exercise. I think rather then changes in the weight I should change the time. This will not just increase the strength of the muscles have worked in these exercises as a weight increase would, but it also will work the endurance of these muscles which I think is more important for my sport. Squat thrusts I will change to 40 seconds and for bench presses I will change it to 50 seconds. This might not seem a lot but I shall see how it goes. I do not want to overload so making small adjustments/ improvements will prevent this.    

Session 7- Thursday 28th December 2000.

Session outline

• 3 times through each circuit with 1 minutes rest between each circuit, but still moving so that my muscles do not tighten up.
• 15 seconds walking in between each station.

Stations

1. Press-ups for 30 seconds.
2. Abdominal crunches for 1 minute with feet on a raised platform.
3. Skipping for 1 minute.
4. Throwing 2kg medicine ball against wall for 30 seconds on each arm.
5. Squat thrusts for 40 seconds with 2kg weights in each hand.
6. Skipping for 1minute.
7. Bicep curls for 30 seconds using 6.8kg dumbbells.
8. Latex band exercises for 30 seconds on each arm.
9. Bench press with 12 kg weights for 40 seconds quickly.
10. 10x10m sprints with maximum 5 seconds between each 10 m sprint.

Evaluation

This session was rather strange because it was only 2 days after Christmas. Also I was just about to start some carbo-loading because I had to go to Belgium with the GB junior team on the 1st January for a weeks long training camp. Carbo-loading is where an athlete will eat a lot of foods that are full of carbohydrates 3-4 days before an event or in my case a week’s hard work, so that the body will store them to burn for energy during periods of long high intensity training/competition. I think that this will be very useful to help me to keep performing to a high standard throughout the week.

So this session I did not complete all of it and it was not done to a very high intensity. I did not keep to all of the set times and did not complete the 10 sprints every time.

This was because I was quite lazy because of it being Christmas and I think it will do me better to have a good rest before I go away instead of keeping up the high intensity of training that I have been doing.

I am quite disappointed with myself for the effort that I put into this session; I am normally quite self-disciplined during training and putting effort in.  

Considerations for next session

My next session will be in a about 10-14 days because I am in Belgium from Jan 1st – 6th and when I get back I will have to allow myself a few good days of rest and recovery. Saying this I will come back from Belgium fitter than I am now so I will probably have to change the intensities of most of my exercises.

Session 8- Wednesday 10th January 2000.

Session outline

• 3 times through each circuit with 1 minutes rest between each circuit, but still moving so that my muscles do not tighten up.
• 15 seconds walking in between each station.

Stations

1.  Press-ups for 30 seconds.
2. Abdominal crunches for 1 minute with feet on a raised platform.
3. Skipping for 1 minute.
4. Throwing 2kg medicine ball against wall for 30 seconds on each arm.
5. Squat thrusts for 40 seconds with 2kg weights in each hand.
6. Skipping for 1minute.
7. Bicep curls for 30 seconds using 6.8kg dumbbells.
8. Latex band exercises for 30 seconds on each arm.
9. Bench press with 12 kg weights for 50 seconds quickly.
10. 10x10m sprints with maximum 5 seconds between each 10 m sprint.

Evaluation

After coming back from Belgium, a week’s hard training, I rested for a few days and then I continued with my normal full training routine.

When I came to do this session I thought because I had done some intense training while I was away that this session would be relatively easy. I did not find this for the overall session. I found some areas quite easy but I found the other parts as hard as I had found them before I had gone away. I found the easiest was skipping, I found that I coped better with this and my heart rate was not as high as it was in my last session.

I did not find the abdominal crunches as straining as I have before. Also while I was doing my bicep curls I found that I wasn’t finding this exercise any harder but I found that I wasn’t doing it as quick as normal. I do not want to lose any speed in any of my muscles so I think I will lower the weight that I am lifting but lengthen the time that I do this exercise for.

Considerations for next session

As I have said I will have to change some of the timings for some exercises. Firstly I will change skipping from 2x 1minute skipping to 2x 1min 20secs. This is not that long on one exercise but altogether when I am doing it twice each circuit I will be doing 1min 60secs longer skipping each session. I am going to change the timing of the abdominal crunches from 1minute to 1min 30secs. This is a 50% increase and may be too much but I shall see in the next session whether this is all right. I will also change bicep curls a bit. I will, lower the weight to 4.6kg, what I had it to start with, but do the exercise for 1min 20secs. I will have to see how all of these changes go, whether they are of a good degree of increase but I think they will be fine.

Session 9- Friday 12th January 2000.

Session outline

• 3 times through each circuit with 1 minutes rest between each circuit, but still moving so that my muscles do not tighten up.
• 15 seconds walking in between each station.

Stations

1. Press-ups for 30 seconds.
2. Abdominal crunches for 1min 30secs with feet on a raised platform.
3. Skipping for 1min 20secs.
4. Throwing 2kg medicine ball against wall for 30 seconds on each arm.
5. Squat thrusts for 40 seconds with 2kg weights in each hand.
6. Skipping for 1min 20secs.
7. Bicep curls for 1min 20secs using 4.6kg dumbbells.
8. Latex band exercises for 30 seconds on each arm.
9. Bench press with 12 kg weights for 50 seconds quickly.
10. 10x10m sprints with maximum 5 seconds between each 10 m sprint.

Evaluation

The changes that I made last session were on the whole fine. I found that my heart rate was raised quite a bit more with the extra skipping that I did. I thought that the bicep curls were a lot better because I was working more on the muscular endurance than just on the strength of my bicep which is more specific than just the strength. I really thought that the abdominal crunches were just at the right intensity, but maybe a bit too long because I really was struggling to do a crunch in the last 5 seconds. I will keep it the same though because I might improve quicker if I really push my rectus abdominals to the limit.

With the changes I have made lately I have found that the total length of this whole session was quite long. In total the session will take me at least 1 hour. This is quite a long time in an evening where I have other work to do. So I struggle to fit the sessions in. So, next time I am going to do one in the morning. I do train for water polo before school so I will be used to it and it will make it easier for me so I can get on with my work in the evenings.

Considerations for next session

Since I have just made quite a lot of adjustments to the last session I will not make any changes for the next session.

There is nothing that will change for the next session as it is in the morning before I go to school except that I will probably still be half asleep.

Session 10- Monday 15th January 2000.

Session outline

• 3 times through each circuit with 1 minutes rest between each circuit, but still moving so that my muscles do not tighten up.
• 15 seconds walking in between each station.

Stations

1. Press-ups for 30 seconds.
2. Abdominal crunches for 1min 30secs with feet on a raised platform.
3. Skipping for 1min 20secs.
4. Throwing 2kg medicine ball against wall for 30 seconds on each arm.
5. Squat thrusts for 40 seconds with 2kg weights in each hand.
6. Skipping for 1min 20secs.
7. Bicep curls for 1min 20secs using 4.6kg dumbbells.
8. Latex band exercises for 30 seconds on each arm.
9. Bench press with 12 kg weights for 50 seconds quickly.
10. 10x10m sprints with maximum 5 seconds between each 10 m sprint.

Evaluation

This session went okay. I found I worked really hard with all the exercises and I got a lot out of this session. I had a little trouble with doing squat thrusts because when I got to the bottom and started to push my body back up I found that my right knee ached. This was only slight to start with but as I continued the ache became a strain. So the second time through I had to stop for a bit and shake my knee a bit. The next time through I did not hold the weights for two reasons. Firstly it took some strain off of my knee and also it was a precaution in case I fell over because of my knee giving way so I could use my hands to keep me up.

I did this session as I said I was going to in the morning before school to save time in the evening. I found this much better. I woke up better and I think it made me feel better for the rest of the day because it will have stimulate the production of endorphins in the brain. These are neurotransmitters, which have a natural pain relieving/feel good effect.

Considerations for next session

As before I will do the next session in the morning, not because I like getting up early, but because it is easier and makes me feel better all the way through the day.

I don’t think that I need to change the squat thrusts exercise because my knee should be all right for the next session. I think it was just a one off strain that happened by bad technique when I was doing the exercise.

I will keep everything the same as it is at a good intensity at the moment for my current fitness levels.

Session 11- Wednesday 17th January 2000.

Session outline

• 3 times through each circuit with 1 minutes rest between each circuit, but still moving so that my muscles do not tighten up.
• 15 seconds walking in between each station.

Stations

1. Press-ups for 30 seconds.
2. Abdominal crunches for 1min 30secs with feet on a raised platform.
3. Skipping for 1min 20secs.
4. Throwing 2kg medicine ball against wall for 30 seconds on each arm.
5. Squat thrusts for 40 seconds with 2kg weights in each hand.
6. Skipping for 1min 20secs.
7. Bicep curls for 1min 20secs using 4.6kg dumbbells.
8. Latex band exercises for 30 seconds on each arm.
9. Bench press with 12 kg weights for 50 seconds quickly.
10. 10x10m sprints with maximum 5 seconds between each 10 m sprint.

Evaluation

There was a problem when I came to do this session. I was going to do it in the morning but when I woke up the ground was covered in quite a thick layer of frost. It was also much colder then it had been the other morning when I did a session. So I decided not to do the session then. I eventually did the session that afternoon when I got back from school.

I found this session quite difficult. This was probably because I had just done a games session, cricket. Even though it was not very strenuous I was bowling for over an hour. Some of the changes that I had made to my workout at session 9 I was finding very hard this session. The abdominal crunches were very hard and in the last circuit I found bicep curls quite tiring. Even though I could put this down to my tiredness already before the session I think it was more than that. I think the changes that were made a few sessions back were too much.

Considerations for next session

For my next session I will just decrease the intensity of a few exercises but still an increase on the intensities of them when I last made changes. The abdominal crunches I will change from 1min 30secs to 1min 15secs. This will just be a bit easier but still work me hard. Also I am going to change the bicep curl exercise from 1min 20secs to just 1 minute. I think these changes will still work me but not overwork me past my limits. I want to increase my limits of my fitness but not overload them; this will just have negative effects.

Session 12- Friday 19th January 2000.

Session outline

• 3 times through each circuit with 1 minutes rest between each circuit, but still moving so that my muscles do not tighten up.
• 15 seconds walking in between each station.

Stations

1. Press-ups for 30 seconds.
2. Abdominal crunches for 1min 30secs with feet on a raised platform.
3. Skipping for 1min 20secs.
4. Throwing 2kg medicine ball against wall for 30 seconds on each arm.
5. Squat thrusts for 40 seconds with 2kg weights in each hand.
6. Skipping for 1min 20secs.
7. Bicep curls for 1min 20secs using 4.6kg dumbbells.
8. Latex band exercises for 30 seconds on each arm.
9. Bench press with 12 kg weights for 50 seconds quickly.
10. 10x10m sprints with maximum 5 seconds between each 10 m sprint.

Evaluation

As this was my last session for my P.E.P. I put 100% into doing this session. It went really well but was really hard. I found that all of the exercises really worked me to my limit and I was very tired after the session. The decrease of the intensities of some of the exercise worked really well. I found that the bicep curls worked more the endurance of the muscles and not just the basic strength. Also with the abdominal crunches it ached when I was doing the last few on the last circuit, but it really ached the next day and was quite stiff. This will be because in my stretching of my cool-down I don’t have any stretches to stretch my rectus abdominus.

Considerations for next session

This was my last session so I have nothing to consider for my next session. I will try to continue to do these sessions because I fell that they are doing me real good.  

Full Evaluation of P.E.P

Overall I felt that my P.E.P. went well and to an extent was very successful. I found this useful as a sportsman because n I really know now how to train properly and effectively. This will help me a great deal in the future when training.

Before I started my PEP I felt tired in the morning and didn’t really wake up until late morning. When I started to do my PEP in the morning I found it woke me up and made me feel better for most of the day. This is because with exercise endorphins are released by the nervous system, which causes the brain to become more active.

I feel that doing the PEP has helped me as a sportsman. I have learned how to evaluate training session and performance more accurately and this helps me to improve. Evaluating each session has made me more aware of different aspects of training.

I think that now I have finished the 6 week I will keep the programme up. Probably not as intense and frequently. I think this is important as well because of the reversibility training principle. This would mean that if I stopped the training in a few weeks all the hard work that I have put in would be for nothing since my fitness levels, that did increase, will drop back to the original levels. I am pleased with my current level of fitness so I will carry on with the programme.

Fitness Retest Results (29th January 2001)

I have not done all of the fitness tests because not all of the tests were relevant to the aims of my P.E.P. So I only did the tests that measured my strength (muscular endurance), flexibility, cardio-vascular endurance. It would be pointless carrying out tests to measure my reaction time, balance or co-ordination because these were not aspects of fitness that I aimed to improve while doing my P.E.P. and these are more genetic aspects of fitness, skills you are born with and can hardly be changed by training.

The MSF test measures the VO2max, which is the maximum volume of oxygen that can be consumed and used by the body per unit of time. This changes very little due to training so this is why the MSF test shows little improvement.

The sit and reach test should show an improvement because I have been stretching before and after each session. The test only measures the leg and lower back flexibility but does show a substantial increase of 7cm.

The pull-up and sit-up tests show very little increase because of how short the programme was. A 6 week programme cannot have large improvements that would show up in these sort of tests.

In the vertical jump I feel I have a larger improvement in my leg power but the test doesn’t show this. Technique plays a big part in the vertical jump and so it may mean that I have bad technique.

From the fitness tests I have done it doesn’t look as if I had done any training. I don’t think this is a true reflection of the improvements that I was actually made. I had some Midlands water polo training the night before and didn’t get in until quite late, so will have affected my performance in these tests. Even though I had this excuse I still don’t think that it truly reflects what improvements I made. It is more important in the way that I feel when playing my sport because I have trained very specifically for water polo. So the tests, which aren’t as specific as my training, will not show these improvements. I do feel a lot better during and after a hard game of water polo. Also I have noticed a difference in my leg strength, I have found I can keep my upper body out of the water for longer. This is help me in my passing and shooting. I haven’t noticed a great deal of change in my anaerobic endurance and only minor differences in my cardiovascular for fitness. I cannot really expect a huge increase in my levels of fitness because I have only been doing it this personal exercise programme for six weeks.

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Appraisal

As I have said I feel that my overall P.E.P. went well. Although there were times where I found it really hard to motivate myself to do the sessions. I really found that it was a real hassle to do the sessions because of the intensity of the sessions and there were always other things that I wanted to do. Although I have done the sessions and have got a lot out of everyone of them.

I thought that my P.E.P. was really well planned and undertaken because it was so specific to start with. Also as I went along the changes are made was still a very specific to my sport so everything I was doing was useful. As I did the sessions I found my body began to cope with the exercises. So as I went along I made small, slight adjustments/improvements to my session to make sure I progressively overloaded myself. This was a made a lot easier for myself by the evaluations of each session I did. This was because I thought about what was easy and what needed to be adjusted. Also I have found that after my normal training and matches I have begun to evaluate my performance mentally. This has helped a great deal because I learn from each match and training session. I remember what I have learned and put into practise next time I play.

I think I have made large improvements because of the way I feel during a tough game of water polo. I am able to work harder for longer periods of time due to the improvement I have made. With training hypertrophy occurs in the heart making it stronger and larger. This means my stroke volume has increased and my resting heart rate will have decreased. As I have said I feel an improvements in my leg power as I can keep my upper body out of the water for longer, which has improved my passing and shooting. So overall the PEP has improved my performance in water polo.

I think that there are certain things that I would change because of my increased knowledge about training now. Also I have now had some experience with planning and doing my training. Normally my coach tells me exactly what and how to do my training. This was the first time I told myself what and how to do everything. I would change the times that I did some sessions because some of them were too near to a game and I did not perform as well as I should have done. Also I would change some of the conditions of the sessions. I mean that I would probably do my sessions inside because it would have been warmer. Now I would now about dehydration and injury prevention. So I would be aware of such things and know what to do before I suffer because of them.

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AS Level P.E.                                                                        January 2001

Personal Exercise

Programme

Philip Stocker

Candidate number: 5106        Centre Number: 26220