(Insert Pictures Here!!!!)
However, I will also have to carefully stretch my deltoids as they are also used significantly whilst sprinting. I will remain static and hold each stretch for about 15 seconds. To incorporate specific skills movement into my warm up, I will run for 30 seconds, raising my knees as high as possible as I run. This will mimic the action of my legs whilst sprinting.
Immediately after each training session I will perform a cool down. A cool down must include:
- Cardiovascular/Cardio-respiratory work
- Flexibility exercises
The cardiovascular/cardio-respiratory work prevents the pooling of blood in muscles. It helps remove lactic acid from the muscles. The flexibility exercises re-stretch the muscles after exercise. For my specific cool down, I will again do a 2-minute jog for the cardiovascular/cardio-respiratory work. For the flexibility exercises, I will perform the same stretches on the same muscles as I did in my warm up. Again, remaining static and holding each stretch for about 15 seconds.
Safety For Selected Training
My type of training involves various factors, which must be shown selected safety considerations. One issue that I must consider is the fact that I will be travelling at high speeds and may find it difficult to decelerate. This means that after the finish mark of my 40metre sprint course, the area must be cleared of objects and people, to avoid running into anything. Another factor that I must consider is the condition of the surface I will be running on. It must be straight, flat, non-slippery and free of ditches and bumps. This is so the risk of me falling over or tripping is significantly reduced.
Personal Factors
The personal factors that I must take into consideration for the safety of my training are numerous. I am a seventeen year old male and still growing. This means that when training, I should be careful if lifting heavy weights (which I will be with my legs).
I have recently recovered from a long-term injury, which also classifies as a personal factor. I tore my groin 11 months ago whilst playing rugby. After 7 months of physiotherapy, I returned to training and playing on a regular basis. I have been free from injury for 4 months now, although my groin is still not, nor will it ever be 100% recovered. This means that during my training sessions I must take great care not to over exert my groin, or else I may suffer serious injury that could hinder my performance for the rest of my life. This is a major reason for ensuring that I warm up carefully and thoroughly.
Suitability/Purpose of Exercise
Justification of training method
The method of training that I have chosen to use is interval training. I have chosen this is because I believe the requirements of my position and sport dictate that I should not only be able to run fast, but should be able to run fast repetitively. So interval training allows me to simulate a game situation, where I will be sprinting forward and passing the ball, then jogging back to defend.
Other available training methods include continuous/endurance training, fartlek training, circuit training, strength training, plyometrics training, skill training and mobility/flexibility training.
Continuous/endurance training develops aerobic capacity, which increases endurance. The athlete will generally work at a steady state for a prolonged period of time. Work needs to be below the anaerobic threshold. I chose not to use this training method, as it would not improve my sprint speed, due to the fact that aerobic capacity is not very important for sprinting, and 100% pace can not be maintained for more than about 10 seconds (see Training intensities: CP Splitting).
Fartlek training involves working at different intensities for different periods of time, usually following someone else’s pace. This method can improve the three energy systems (see Training intensities). I am not using this training method as I primarily need to improve my cp splitting system, and fartlek training is not specific enough.
Circuit training involves exercises that are done in stations and performed in a ‘circuit’. Variations are limitless, as the number of stations/reps/amount of rest/number of circuits can be altered. Circuits can be designed to improve various components of fitness. However, I have chosen not to use this training method as variations for exercises are very restricted for speed training.
Strength training usually involves working against resistance, e.g. weights. It can be used to improve different types of strength, such as muscular strength, explosive strength and strength endurance. Strength training normally involves utilising heavy weight weights and performing a low number of reps. Because I am not using very heavy weights or doing a low number of reps, and I am incorporating regular periods of rest, I have not classified my weight training sessions as strength training, and instead, I have labelled them interval training.
Plyometrics training is used to improve explosive strength/power. It involves jumping, hopping and bounding. A muscle will contract with more force after it has been stretched eccentrically. E.g. jumping off a box, then ‘springing’ away. Although this is an efficient and effective way to train for sprint speed over 40 metres, I have chosen not to use it in my programme due to my previously mentioned recent injury. As I stated, my injury is not 100% recovered, and after seeking medical advice, it was recommended for me not to undertake plyometrics training, as it could cause the injury to become aggravated and possibly re-occur.
Skill training can sometimes be incorporated into fitness training, however, sprinting does not require skills, therefore I did not chose to use skill training.
Mobility/flexibility training includes improving mobility in and around a joint by performing stretches. Stretching types include; active stretching, passive stretching, PNF stretching and ballistic stretching. These stretches all aim at improving mobility and flexibility, which I do not believe to be very important in speed training, which is why I have not used this training in my PEP.
The interval training I will be doing will be separated into two sections. I will be doing sprinting interval training and weight lifting (with my legs), interval training. Although weight training will be increasing the strength of my legs, I can justify this by saying that the increased strength of my legs will allow me to accelerate quicker, therefore, in theory, increasing my speed. The sprint interval training will be specific to me running over a distance of 40 metres, so training this way should directly increase my speed over this distance.
I will also be doing some explosive muscular strength training on my deltoids and trapeziums in order to increase strength in my upper body, which will help to improve my sprinting technique, which will, in turn, increase my speed.
Justification of each exercise
The main exercise that I will be incorporating into my training will be sprinting. Sprinting over a distance of 40 metres will utilize various muscles. The quadriceps and biceps femorus will be used vigorously, contracting numerous times over the 40 metres. The high contraction rate of these muscles will strengthen them and enable the to contract more powerfully and speedily. When running at high speeds, the entirety of the bottom of the foot rarely makes contact with the floor. This results in the gastrocnemius being used whilst sprinting. However, this does not play a hugely significant part in sprinting.
The secondary exercise that I will be doing in my training is weight training on my upper legs (seated hamstring extension). Seated on a static seat and with my legs bent, I will place me feat on the resistance plate. When I straighten my legs I will push against the resistance plate (the resistance is due to weights). I will then bend my knees and bring my upper legs parallel to my chest again. This will contract my biceps femorus on the straightening of my legs, then my quadriceps on the second motion, which simulates the leg movement whilst sprinting. This will increase the explosive strength and power of my upper legs, which will improve my acceleration, therefore increasing my speed.
The third exercise I will be incorporating into my training is weight training on my upper body. I will be doing pull-ups to increase strength in my deltoids and seated pull-downs to increase strength in my trapeziums. Increased explosive strength in my upper body will improve my sprinting technique, allowing me to sprint faster.
Application of Theory
Training Principles
There are numerous principles that must be taken into account when planning an exercise programme. Each training principle varies in its application, depending on the individual.
Specificity
Every activity requires a specific mix of fitness components and training should be equipped towards these. The individual should have a reasonable general level of fitness before attempting specific training. This reduces the risk of injury. Three factors should be considered:
- The individual – training should take into account, the natural ability and the present fitness level of the individual.
- The activity – training must relate to the activity the individual is getting fit for.
- Energy systems – training should reflect the same balance, intensity and duration of the energy systems used during the activity.
With regard to my personal training programme, specificity must be incorporated to relate to the sport of rugby union. One way of incorporating specificity into my programme is by carrying out my sprint interval training on a rugby pitch, wearing my rugby boots. This will provide a realistic game situation, where I will need to utilise my speed.
Progression/Progressive Overload
The body will adapt to any training you do, and it will become used to this training. In order to become fitter, training must become more difficult on a progressive basis.
To include this into my training programme, I must use the principle of FITT. This will be addressed shortly, and is a way of progressively increasing the difficulty of my sprint and weight training sessions as the programme develops.
Recovery
The body should be given adequate time to recover between training sessions and different parts of training sessions. In this way, fatigue and therefore injury can be avoided.
This is relevant to my training, as between repetitions and sets of sprints a recovery period is required, likewise between sets of weight lifts. Also, between each session, recovery is needed to avoid injury.
Reversibility
Adaptations due to training are reversible when training stops. Reversibility effects will be different for each individual depending on genetic factors and fitness.
Reversibility can be avoided by using progressive overload (as previously described) in my programme. The use of overload will prevent muscle atrophy (deterioration), and prevent the decline of the various components of fitness.
Tedium
Tedium/boredom should be avoided during training. This is because when tedium occurs, the moral and determination of the individual becomes dented and it is more difficult motivate oneself during training. Tedium can be avoided by making the training sessions interesting.
To achieve interesting training sessions, I will vary the order in which I undertake my exercises. I will also set myself aims for a particular session, depending on the outcome of the session previous. This way I will constantly have a target to work towards and tedium will not occur.
Periodisation
Training should be done in cycles. On-season training will differ from off-season training. Most athletes have periods of hard training interspersed with easy sessions.
To incorporate periodisation into my programme, I will use a cycle of 1 difficult session and 1 easier session per week. I will make the sprint session most difficult and the weights session easier, this is because I believe that my sprinting sessions will be of most benefit in directly improving my sprint speed.
Training intensities
For all exercises and sessions included in my training, I must choose and justify the intensities at which I will be working.
We need ATP for muscular contraction. When ATP breaks down, it produces energy in the following reaction:
ATP ADP + P + Energy
We only have enough ATP stored within the muscles for 1 powerful contraction. Thereafter, we need to produce more ATP to continue muscular contractions. To do this we have 3 energy systems.
During different intensities of exercise, we use different energy systems predominantly. During my sprint interval sessions I will be working at high intensities over a short period f time, therefore I will be using CP splitting as my predominant energy system.
CP (Creatine Phosphate) Splitting: -
Also referred to as ATP-PC system, or alactic acid system.
ADP + CP ATP + C
We only have enough CP for about 10 seconds worth of maximum exercise. Sprint training is aimed towards increasing CP stores.
As for my weight lifting interval training, I will be working with relatively light weights but doing many reps. This will mean the intensity will be low, therefore utilising my Aerobic system primarily.
The Aerobic system: -
Glucose Molecule
Pyruvic Acid
Acetyl C A
Oxalo Acetic Acid
Citric Acid
Krebs Cycle 2 ATP
CO2 Hydrogen
O2 Electron Transport 32/34 ATP
H2O Chain
This system is used for low intensity activity – anything up to the anaerobic threshold. The aerobic system will work indefinitely, which is why I will be using it primarily when doing my weight interval sessions.
The aerobic system takes place in the mitochondria of the muscle cells.
The third energy system is the Anaerobic Glycolysis System: -
1 Glucose Molecule
2 ATP
Lactic Acid Pyruvic Acid
This system is good for high intensity anaerobic events, but will only produce enough for between 30seconds and 2 minutes, depending on the individual’s fitness.
The 3 energy systems work as an energy continuum. All 3 can be used at the same time – 1 energy system will be predominant, depending on the intensity of the exercise.
FITT Principle
FITT stands for Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type. These four factors must be incorporated into my programme in order to give structure to my training.
Frequency – This refers to how often training will take place. I have decided to incorporate 2 sessions per week into my programme, over a period of 5 weeks.
Intensity – This relates to how hard training will be. I have made the decision to train once per week at high intensity, and make one session per week easier. Each week I will increase the intensity of the sessions. This way I will incorporate periodisation and avoid fatigue.
Time – This is how long training lasts. My training sessions will have varying lengths. My sprint sessions will gradually decrease in duration, for although I will be increasing the distance sprinted, I will be decreasing the recovery time between reps and sets. My weight training sessions will gradually increase in length as I increase the number of reps and weight lifted, as my programme progresses.
Type – This refers to the specific type of training undertaken. In my programme, I will by doing interval training for both sprinting and weight lifting.
The Exercise Programme
Session 1
Sprint session
Aim of session
My aim is to complete this session without feeling the need to extend my rest periods between reps. I am also aiming to be able to run at 100% pace for all sprints in this session.
Warm up: See Warm UP
Main body:
4 x 40 metres at 100% pace, with 15 seconds light jog active recovery between reps.
5 sets with 1 minute complete rest between sets.
Cool down: See Cool Down
Evaluation of session:
After this session I felt slightly tired, which indicates to me that I worked at an effective intensity and for the correct number on reps. I was pleased with this session, as I successfully completed it without extending my rest period between reps, which was an aim of the session. I was also able to sprint at 100% for all of my reps, which I had also set as an aim of the session.
For my next sprint training session I will increase the number of reps per set to 5 (rather than 4). This increase incorporates progressive overload into my programme and will aid me in improving my speed over 40 metres. I will also increase the jogging speed of my active recovery between reps. Although I was able to sprint at 100% over 40 metres throughout this session, I will not increase the distance in my next session, because the aim of my PEP is to increase my speed over a distance of 40 metres.
I carried out my entire session (warm up, main body and cool down) on a rugby pitch, wearing my rugby boots. This incorporated specificity into the session and my PEP.
The Exercise Programme
Session 2
Weight session
Aim of session
The aim of this session is to establish the correct starting weight for my weight sessions. I also aim to ascertain an effective number of reps and sets of each exercise. I can then determine how to alter my next weight session in order to gain maximum effectiveness from my session, and to improve my sprint speed.
Warm up: See Warm Up
Main body:
Lying Hamstring Extension – 10 x 50 Kg reps (1 set)
4 sets of 10 reps with 30 second rest between sets.
Pull-ups – 4 sets of 15 reps with a 1 minute rest between sets.
Seated Pull-downs – 10 x 30Kg reps (1 set)
4 sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest between sets.
Cool down: See Cool Down
Evaluation of session:
This session was relatively easy which indicates to me that in my next weight session I will increase the weight lifted in both, seated hamstring extensions and seated pull-downs, by 10Kg. I will also increase the number of pull-ups from 15 to 20. This should increase the intensity of the session sufficiently to allow me to progress by increasing my strength, thus enabling me to improve sprinting speed and technique.
However, I am satisfied that I am performing effective exercises to increase the strength that I require to improve my sprinting technique and speed. This is because after the session I could feel the effects on the muscle groups that are used when sprinting.
The Exercise Programme
Session 3
Sprint session
Aim of session
The aim of this session is to be able to complete 5 sets of 5 x 40 metre sprints, running 100% for all sprints. I hope to be able to maintain a steady jogging pace whilst jogging back to the start.
Warm up: See Warm Up
Main body:
5 x 40 metres at 100% pace, with 15 seconds light jog active recovery between reps.
5 sets with 1 minute complete rest between sets.
Cool down: See Cool Down
Evaluation of session:
After this session I was reasonably tired. Like before, this again tells me that I am working at a sufficiently effective intensity. The increase from 4 to 5 reps per set from the last sprint session had noticeable effects, in that it made me become a little fatigued slightly sooner than before. However, I was able to sprint at 100% for every sprint, whilst being able to maintain a steady, light jog during sprints.
Therefore, for my next sprint session I will decrease the period of time I have to rest between sets. This will incorporate progressive overload in the form of the ‘time’ factor in the FITT principle.
Again, I will not increase the distance in my next session, because I want to keep my sessions specific to sprinting 40 metres.
I carried out my entire session (warm up, main body and cool down) on a rugby pitch, wearing my rugby boots. This incorporated specificity into the session and my PEP.
The Exercise Programme
Session 4
Weight session
Aim of session
The aim of this session is to successfully complete the session now that I have increased the weight that I will be lifting. I will try not to go over the designated rest periods.
Warm up: See Warm Up
Main body:
Lying Hamstring Extension – 10 x 60 Kg reps (1 set)
4 sets of 10 reps with 30 second rest between sets.
Pull-ups – 4 sets of 20 reps with a 1 minute rest between sets.
Seated Pull-downs – 10 x 40Kg reps (1 set)
4 sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest between sets.
Cool down: See Cool Down
Evaluation of session:
With an increased weight on the seated pull-ups and lying hamstring extensions, I found the session a lot more tiring than the previous weight session. The increased weight caused me to begin to fatigue after 3 sets of both exercises. The increased number of pull-ups per set also resulted in me beginning to fatigue during sets, i.e. after 16-17 pull-ups in each set.
To incorporate progressive overload whilst attempting to avoid fatigue, in the next weight session I will increase the number of sets of pull-ups from 4 to 5, and keep the reps per set at 20.
Likewise, I will not increase the reps of the other two exercises, but increase the weight of both by 2Kg. By not increasing the reps or sets I hope to avoid fatigue in my next session.
The Exercise Programme
Session 5
Sprint session
Aim of session
I hope to be able to complete the session without going over the 45 seconds time period that I have designated between sets.
Warm up: See Warm Up
Main body:
5 x 40 metres at 100% pace, with 15 seconds light jog active recovery between reps.
5 sets with 45 seconds complete rest between sets.
Cool down: See Cool Down
Evaluation of session:
After this session I felt fatigued. In fact I began to fatigue after the 4th set. I believe this to be due to a reduced rest period between sets. However, I was still able to maintain 100% pace in all sprints and I was more than capable of the light jog between reps. Because of this, in my next sprint session I will increase the light jog to a half-pace run. This will increase the intensity of my active recovery and aid in simulating a specific match situation, where I might be required to sprint with the ball in attack, then run back to field a kick.
I carried out my entire session (warm up, main body and cool down) on a rugby pitch, wearing my rugby boots. This incorporated specificity into the session and my PEP.
The Exercise Programme
Session 6
Weight session
Aim of session
The aim of this session is to be able to successfully complete all sets now that I have further increased the weight. I also aim to be able to complete 5 sets of pull-ups, as oppose to my previous 4.
Warm up: See Warm Up
Main body:
Lying Hamstring Extension – 10 x 62 Kg reps (1 set)
4 sets of 10 reps with 30 second rest between sets.
Pull-ups – 5 sets of 20 reps with a 1 minute rest between sets.
Seated Pull-downs – 10 x 42Kg reps (1 set)
4 sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest between sets.
Cool down: See Cool Down
Evaluation of session:
With an increased weight on the seated pull-ups and lying hamstring extensions, I again found the session a lot more tiring than the previous weight session.
The increased number of sets of pull-ups also made it more difficult to successfully complete the session. However, I was able to complete the pull-ups, with some difficulty. So, in the next weight session I will decrease the time between sets, rather than risking an increase in reps or sets, as that may cause me to fatigue even more than in this session.
In order to progress sufficiently, in my next session I intend to increase the number of reps of lying hamstring extensions and seated pull-downs from 10 to 15 per set. I will also decrease the rest period between sets from 30 seconds to 20 seconds.
The Exercise Programme
Session 7
Sprint session
Aim of session
I hope to be able to maintain 100% pace when sprinting and 50% pace during my active recovery between reps.
Warm up: See Warm Up
Main body:
5 x 40 metres at 100% pace, with 15 seconds half pace active recovery between reps.
5 sets with 45 seconds complete rest between sets.
Cool down: See Cool Down
Evaluation of session:
After this session I felt rather tired. This was probably due to the increase of pace during my active recovery. It meant that I was only able to perform at 100% for 4 sets and 2 reps of the 5th set. However, because it was only 3 reps that I slowed down during, I will not decrease this number. I will, however, do the opposite, and increase the number of reps from 5 to 6 reps per set. This is to use progressive overload so that I can progress sufficiently. It will also decrease the risk of tedium, as I will have a reasonably difficult aim to achieve.
I am quite unhappy with not reaching my aim in this session. This will increase my determination to perform better in my next sprint session.
The Exercise Programme
Session 8
Weight session
Aim of session
My aim for this session is to be able to fully complete the session now that I have increased the number of reps for the lying hamstring extension and the seated pull-downs, and decreased the rest period between sets for all exercises.
Warm up: See Warm Up
Main body:
Lying Hamstring Extension – 15 x 62 Kg reps (1 set)
4 sets of 15 reps with 20 second rest between sets.
Pull-ups – 5 sets of 20 reps with 45 seconds rest between sets.
Seated Pull-downs – 15 x 42Kg reps (1 set)
4 sets of 15 reps with 20 seconds rest between sets.
Cool down: See Cool Down
Evaluation of session:
With the increased number of reps and decreased rest between sets, I found that I became tired and fatigued reasonably quickly in the session. I began to tire after 3 sets of each exercise, but not extremely.
I found that although I was tired, I could still complete the session with difficulty. This shows that my strength is improving, as I could still lift heavy weights, as I was tiring.
For my next weights session I will increase my weight for the two exercises by a further 3Kg and the number of sets of the two weight exercises from 4 to 5 sets.
I will increase the number of sets of pull-ups from 5 to 6, but I will keep the reps and rest the same.
The Exercise Programme
Session 9
Sprint session
Aim of session
The aim of this session is to successfully maintain the required pace when sprinting and recovering. I hope to be able to manage with an increase in reps per set from 5 to 6.
Warm up: See Warm Up
Main body:
6 x 40 metres at 100% pace, with 15 seconds half pace active recovery between reps.
5 sets with 45 seconds complete rest between sets.
Cool down: See Cool Down
Evaluation of session:
After this session I was very tired. I completed the session successfully, even though I experienced fatigue and tiredness. This tells me that I should not introduce and overload if I were to have another sprint session. After the 4th set I felt tired and used a tremendous amount of energy to complete the 5th set and the session. However, despite my fatigue, I was able to maintain 100% during all of my sprints and 50% pace during my active recovery.
After this session I am satisfied that my speed has sufficiently increased to allow me to improve my performance when playing rugby.
The Exercise Programme
Session 10
Weight session
Aim of session
I aim to be able to fully complete all exercises without going over the rest period designated. Now that I have increased the weight, I hope to be able to manage it without fatiguing too much/quickly.
Warm up: See Warm Up
Main body:
Lying Hamstring Extension – 15 x 65 Kg reps (1 set)
4 sets of 15 reps with 20 second rest between sets.
Pull-ups – 6 sets of 20 reps with 45 seconds rest between sets.
Seated Pull-downs – 15 x 45Kg reps (1 set)
4 sets of 15 reps with 20 seconds rest between sets.
Cool down: See Cool Down
Evaluation of session:
Despite an increase of weight, I found this session slightly easier than the previous weight session. This could have been because I am progressing and my muscles are showing signs of hypertrophy.
I still experienced fatigue after the hamstring extensions and the pull-ups, but it did not significantly hinder me in completing the session.
Although I struggled to complete the session, I still managed to successfully achieve my aim. With this being my last session, I will say that I am happy with my progress since starting the programme, and completing this session shows me that my training has been effective. This is because my strength has increased, which will increase my sprinting speed.
Summative EvaluationAim
The aim of my PEP has been to improve my sprinting speed for rugby. I will now evaluate my programme, and look at the effects it has had. I feel that throughout the duration of the programme my rugby has improved massively and I have been playing much better than previously. This could be down to my increased speed, so to find out if my sprinting speed has improved, I re-tested my 40 metre sprinting time.
Retest results
This shows an 11.3% improvement in my 40 metre sprinting time. This shows that the training programme has been effective in improving my speed.
Effectiveness of training
The implication of interval training has been very effective. This is because the way I perform whilst interval training, is similar to the way I perform in a game situation. The sprint interval training has directly improved my technique and running style and speed. Whereas, the weight interval sessions have improved my power, therefore improving my speed.
The interval training has allowed me to develop my anaerobic energy system efficiently, therefore allowing me to sprint more efficiently.
If I were to do the programme again, I would make improvements with regards to the training methods.
I would still use interval training, but I would also incorporate the use of fartlek training. This would be so that my acceleration from jogging to sprinting would be improved, as this would help me in my games.
Appraisal Of PEP
Training principles
I believe that my application of the training principles was generally very effective throughout my sessions. For example, in Session 2, I found that the weight I was lifting was too light for me. So, in order to progress, I used the principle of overload, corresponding to the FITT principle of intensity. I increased the weight I was lifting in my next weight session (session4).
Another example of utilising the training principles was in between sessions 1 and 3. After session 1 I found that I had not been working hard enough. So in session 3 I increased the number of reps per set to accommodate for overload again.
I accommodated for the principle of recovery in all of my sessions by allowing for time to rest between reps and sets.
I accounted for tedium during my sessions by setting aims which I tried to achieve in the particular sessions. This gave me something to strive towards and helped avoid tedium. However, during the weight training sessions, tedium occasionally set in due to slight fatigue and lack of motivation.
Modifications
If the programme was to be used in the future, there are a number of modifications which could be made to improve its effectiveness.
The programme could have been longer with an increased number of sessions. This would allow for a better increase in performance. Also, the number of exercises could have been greater, giving more variance to the sessions. This would aid in decreasing tedium.
The overload during sessions could be greater in order to improve performance further and at a greater rate. A greater increase of weight rather than repetitions could be used in the weight sessions. This would be more effective for developing strength and power in the muscles, rather than endurance.
