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SECTION III - DESIGN

LESSON 14 - FLEXIBILITY TRAINING   LESSON 15 - ENDURANCE TRAINING 

 LESSON 16 - STRENGTH TRAINING   LESSON 17 - SKILL TRAINING 

 LESSON 18 - BODY COMPOSITION TRAINING   LESSON 19 - ENERGY TRAINING  

LESSON 20 - NUTRITION TRAINING   LESSON 21 - STRATEGY TRAINING

Lesson 21  

STRATEGY TRAINING

Evaluating Complete Fitness Training Programs

Objectives  

Upon completion of Lesson 21 students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the principles of sports fitness in the following ways:

v   Describe how the body responds to physical activities and exercise in
      accordance with the levels of structural complexity and the phenomenon
      of homeostasis.

v  Explain the factors that determine decreases, maintenance, and
      increases in levels of fitness for each of the four components of fitness
      introduced in this course.

v  Describe the principles of fitness training and explain why they are
      essential for success.

v  Explain how energy is processed to produce work and fatigue.

v  Explain the importance of proper skill development in fitness trainings.

v  Define flexibility and explain how it compliments and improves sport performance.

v  State the meaning of cardio respiratory endurance and explain how it can
      be improved.

v  Differentiate between muscular strength and muscular endurance and describe
      how each of these forms of strength can be improved.

v  Define the two types of mass comprising the body and explain how they may be
      managed to improve a person's ability to perform in sports.

v  Define the principles of fitness and demonstrate how they are used to
      plan, implement, and evaluate a complete fitness training program.

v  Demonstrate how to develop, implement, and evaluate a complete
      personal fitness training program, by following five steps used in this course to
      develop a complete fitness training program: health screening, assessment,
      goal setting, program design, and evaluation .

Introduction

An understanding of the physiological basis of the fitness components and how they may be improved is a prerequisite to understanding how to plan and implement an effective and  balanced fitness-training program.  There are many different activities and sports that will require fitness training for a person to excel.  Each activity or sport of interest can be evaluated in terms of the components of fitness that are predominate to develop an appropriate training program.  Training activities that are specific to the sport that is to be participated in are selected according to the principle of specificity.  Some sports require high levels of anaerobic fitness, while others will require high levels of cardio respiratory endurance.  On the other hand, there are sports that require great strength, while others require a high degree of flexibility.  However, all components of fitness must be addressed for every sport because they are interrelated.  It is just that in any given sport, one component of fitness may be more emphasized than another.

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Developing Your Individualized Fitness Plan

No matter what the specific fitness requirements are for a particular sport, all fitness training programs should  include conditioning for  the seven components.  For instance, while participation in gymnastics demands development in all seven of the components of fitness, they are not equally important.  Likewise, training for participation in basketball should include all the components of fitness, but emphasis should be placed on aerobic and anaerobic conditioning.  Participation in tennis requires the development of high levels of cardio respiratory endurance and upper and lower body power.  Therefore, to be knowledgeable of how to plan and implement a complete fitness training program that is capable of  helping a person achieve higher levels of fitness for his or her chosen sport,  knowledge of the following is essential: 

    1)  Muscular strength and endurance are developed by training against resistance and 2 to 5 times per week
        at an intensity of 3 to 6 RM for muscular strength and 10 to 25 RM for muscular endurance; the percent
        of RM should be from 70% to 90% for strength development and 60% to 70% for endurance development.

    2)   Cardio respiratory endurance is developed by activities such as walking, cycling, and aerobic activities
         that involve  continuous rhythmic movements of large muscle groups like those in the legs with a range
         in intensity from 60 to 90% 3 to 5 times per week;

    3)  The safest way to improve flexibility is to use static stretching to the major muscle groups for 20 to 60
         seconds during every training  session.  It is important to remember that an athlete can have less than or
         more than the amount of flexibility desired, which can increase the risk or injury and interfere with
         performance. 

    4)  Body composition can be developed by combining a sensible diet, as indicated by the U.S. Department
         of Agriculture Food Guide Pyramid), and regular exercise.  Emphasis should be place on a wide variety
         of foods, aerobic activities, and resistance training; no supplementation is needed.

When the FIT Model is used in conjunction with the knowledge above and the five steps for developing a complete fitness training program, a realistic and objective program can be developed.

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Implementing Your Fitness Plan

You should not be discouraged by the way your performance vacillates.  Some days you will perform better than you will on other days.  The key know what you are able to do and to continue stimulating the body to adapt with consistent exercise.  As long as you avoid long periods without training, you can expect gains even though your performance varies from one day to another or from one week to the next.  You will observe that this effect is particularly true after you have achieved high levels of success.  Plateaus are to be expected and they are expected to be overcome.

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Evaluating the Progress of Your Fitness Plan

Any program of exercise requires a generous amount of common sense to minimize risk and prevent injury.  Listed below are eight guidelines for evaluating a training program:

1.  Know your limitations.  Observe and sense what is happening to your body as a result of your training
    program.

2.  Keep your training outcome in balance.  The goal of an effective training program is total body development;
     no part of the body should be ignored.

3.  Check your equipment and supplies.  Avoid taking risk with worn equipment and depleting supplies.

4.  Apply the principles of training, particularly, the principles of progressive overload and adaptation.
     should not proceed too rapidly.

5.  Use proper techniques while exercising.  Good technique improves performance in the safest and most
     beneficial ways.

6.  Get adequate rest.  The body must rest to avoid over-training effects.

7.  Consume a wide variety of foods, grains, fruits, and vegetables, and limit the amount of red meat
     consumed.  The amount of fat eaten must also be carefully managed.  Also, supplementation is not
     necessary.  However, many experts believe that it is okay for athletes to use supplements, if they are
     feel they are helpful.  That is they may offer psychological benefits.

8.  Include all dimension of your being in your developmental program: spiritual, mental, physical, emotional,
    and social.  Physical gains may sometimes be limited by other dimensions, such as the spiritual, emotional
    and mental dimensions; thus development of the physical perspective alone does not allow one to achieve
    his or her full potential.  Other dimensions must also be developed.

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A Sample of A Complete Fitness Training Program

A sample of a complete fitness training program that was prepared by a student in a health fitness class has been mailed to you.  If you have not received this mailing, please contact me.  Unlike the sample, when you describe your exercises, you must use specific measurements not a formula.  For example, 3 sets of 10 repetitions of bent over dumbbell row with 50 lbs. and 1:30 rest on Tuesdays and Thursdays, instead of 3 sets of 10 repetitions of bent over dumbbell row with 70% of 1 RM.  Percentage values are not acceptable descriptions; they are guidelines.

The Complete Fitness Training Program

Your complete fitness-training program should look like the sample of the student’s work that was sent to you.  However, yours should be more specific, as the sample was an assignment in a lower level fitness course on health fitness.   The finished project should show evidence of your knowledge and understanding of the five steps for developing a fitness program and the principles of fitness training.  It should be outlined with a Table of Contents, which in addition to an introduction must include an example of the informed consent form and the five steps for developing a fitness training program: health screening (hypothetical or real statement regarding results of the PAR-Q, see textbook), fitness assessment (flexibility, cardio respiratory endurance, strength, and body fat composition), Goal Setting (flexibility, cardio respiratory endurance, strength, and body fat composition), Program Design based on principles of fitness training for four components of fitness, and Evaluation (flexibility, cardio respiratory endurance, strength, and body fat composition). 

The training program that you design should be based upon the fitness assessment of each component of fitness (flexibility, cardio respiratory endurance, strength, and body fat composition) as provided in the lab section of your textbook; the results of each test should be listed.  Also, you should use actual measurements, not percentages, for exercises. 

For instance, 60%of 1 RM could mean .60 x 150 pounds, which is 90 pounds.  Percentages can only be understood by your client/athlete if he or she knows the exercise at hand.  Therefore, the instructions to the athlete would be 3 sets of 12 repetitions. at 90 pounds with 90 seconds of rest, Tuesdays and Thursdays.  This would eventually become 3 sets of 15 reps at 90 pounds.  After 4 weeks of training the emphasis could be changed to muscular strength: 3 sets of 4 reps at 120 pounds with 2 Min. 30 sec of rest, Tuesday and Thursday.  This exercise could eventually become 3 sets of 6 reps at 120 pounds with 2:30 of rest.  An example of guidelines for a five-day training session is provided below:

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 FIRST CYCLE (WEEKS 1 AND 2)

WARM-UP 

M, W, F

Specific aerobic activities/exercises            

Specific flexibility activities/exercises

T AND R

Specific aerobic activities/exercises            

Specific flexibility activities/exercises

WORKOUT

Specific flexibility activities/exercises

Muscular endurance training  

   Plus other muscular endurance exercises

M, W, and F

Exercise/activities designed for intense cardio training

COOL DOWN

M, W, F

Specific aerobic activities/exercises            

Specific flexibility activities/exercises

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FIRST CYCLE CONTINUED (WEEKS 3 AND 4)

WARM-UP 

M, W, F

Specific aerobic activities/exercises            

Specific flexibility activities/exercises

T AND R

Specific aerobic activities/exercises            

Specific flexibility activities/exercises

WORKOUT

M, W, F

Specific flexibility activities/exercises

T and R

Specific flexibility activities/exercises

Muscular endurance training                                    

  Plus other muscular endurance exercises

M and F

Other exercise/activities designed for moderately intense training

COOL DOWN

M, W, F

Specific aerobic activities/exercises             

Specific flexibility activities/exercises

T AND R

Specific aerobic activities/exercises            

Specific flexibility activities/exercises

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SECOND CYCLE (WEEKS 5 AND 6)

WARM-UP 

M, W, F

Specific aerobic activities/exercises            

Specific flexibility activities/exercises

T AND R

Specific aerobic activities/exercises            

Specific flexibility activities/exercises

WORKOUT

Specific flexibility activities/exercises

Muscular strength training

  Plus other muscular endurance exercises

Other exercise/activities designed for intense training

COOL DOWN

M, W, F

Specific aerobic activities/exercises            

Specific flexibility activities/exercises

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SECOND CYCLE CONTINUED (WEEKS 7 AND 8)

WARM-UP 

Specific aerobic activities/exercises

Specific flexibility activities/exercise 

WORKOUT

Specific flexibility activities/exercises

Muscular strength training

   Plus other muscular endurance exercises

Other exercise/activities designed for moderately intense training

COOL DOWN

Specific aerobic activities/exercises

Specific flexibility activities/exercises

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