American Fitness Professionals & Associates

By: Bob Smith

Many authors, sports scientists and sports coaches follow similar patterns when assessing the programming needs of various sports performers. Some scientists, for example, Professor Dal Monte and Doctors Fleck and Kraemer, have identified a categorisation system based on certain needs.

What is important is that no one categorisation system is regarded as a ‘tablet of stone’, but that the training programme for each individual sportsperson is thought out and prepared thoroughly and systematically using good sound principles.

A useful start point is to analyse the needs of the individual performer in the context of the sport they are preparing for, and the following criteria may profitably be employed:

1. An analysis of the demands of the activity provokes.
2. Identification of which muscle groups are involved.
3. Identification of the dominant muscle fibre recruitment.
4. Prediction of which energy systems are dominant.
5. Analysis of the duration of the effort.
6. Awareness of which ‘period’ the performer is in.

Regarding point 6, a ‘period’ is a unit of time from the concept of ‘periodisation’. Periodisation involves splitting the sportsperson’s year up into convenient blocks of time. It may have the following format:n The Macro cycle, as defined as long term, usually a performer’s year. (Sometimes this period is longer - up to 4 years if the cycle spans from one Olympic games to the next, for example).

The Meso cycle, as defined as a middle term time span, for example, 3 months. Micro cycle, as defined as the short term which can be a week, or sometimes a month.

The nature of the training session, and the major emphasis of the session may change according to the period and there should be progression and development through the periods ultimately leading to a major objective or a peak performance. Let us now return to point 1, identifying the demands of the activity. Below is an example taken from what are called Multiple sprint games, examples of which might be hockey, netball, soccer or basketball.

Game Demands:

Intermittent sprints (5 secs to 1 min)

Power bursts (1 sec to 10 secs)

Prolonged high intensity (1 - 3 mins)

Steady state (general training and match play)

Agility

Specific and general strengthen

Flexibility

Clearly, not all of these demands can be met in one session, nor indeed in one week when one acknowledges that practice time is also vital. The value of periodisation, therefore, can immediately be seen. Each of these demands can be addressed in a progressive manner over time, with some aspects like flexibility training and skill practice continuing all through the year except in the holiday period when a complete rest is recommended.

A general guideline for where to begin is to start with a period of induction or acclimatisation, followed by a period of base training, as the programme begins to develop (developmental phase); the next phase is more specific as it addresses the demands that make the performer really peak (specific phase). The final phase might be ‘the season’, in the games example.

The induction phase is most important and used by most top level performers as they have normally just finished a period of rest lasting 2 - 4 weeks. It would be unwise to launch straight back into full blown training so this period is a time for re adjustment and re establishing a routine. Gentle aerobically biased training is often used along with light weight training and flexibility. The main aim is re establishing the base, the solid and broad foundation upon which all performance is based.

As the performer enters the developmental phase and the base building becomes the central focus, our multiple sprint games player will focus on aerobically biased training, but he or she will not require the same base as a marathon runner, for example. With this in mind, 20 - 40 mins of steady running 2 - 3 times per week, at a moderate intensity should be sufficient.

At the same time, strength development can proceed with a low volume programme on a wide range of exercises. Low volume refers to 1 - 2 sets, and I would recommend 12 - 16 repetitions, twice per week. The emphasis at this stage is on good technique, and combining exercises which will be of direct relevance to the sport, for example, lunges, squats, calf raises and bench press; with exercises designed to provide a strong and stable base in potentially weak areas. Such exercises might include internal and external rotation, abduction and adduction; abdominal and low back exercises; and work for the hamstrings. In the next issue, I will give more specific guidance on the training for the developmental phase.

Towards the middle of this phase, prolonged high intensity aerobic training can be introduced once per week in the form of interval training with work periods of 1 to 3 minutes. Initially, 6 x 1 minute intervals will be more than enough. These can be gradually progressed to 8, 10, then 12 x 1 minute; or 6 x 2 mins; 4 x 3 minutes, etc.

The strength work can also progress from low to more moderate loads as the period progress, and the repetitions reduced to 8. the weights should correspond to about 70% of 1RM, or subjectively so that the last 3 repetitions in a set feel hard. Work volume can increase to 2 sets if required.

As the specific phase approaches and certainly within the specific phase, shorter, more sprint based work can be introduced. These can take the form of intermittent sprints (5 secs to 1 min); power bursts and agility, performed within circuit training. It may be necessary to substitute one weight training session for one circuit training session in this phase so that specific movements (see below) can be included. These may be specific power movements or agility movements specific to the position, that is goalkeeper, midfield, striker, etc.

In the specific phase the aerobically biased training should take the form of maintenance, that is 1 -2 sessions per week only; high intensity (1 - 3 min ) sessions maintained once per week, supplemented by the power burst and intermittent sprint sessions. The specific phase is clearly demanding, and the emphasis should certainly be on quality not quantity, but if the training has been progressed gradually, the performers will begin to reap the benefits, and start to feel really sharp.

Some performers prefer to juxtapose some high intensity sessions because they find it all too much in one week. Therefore, they might do high intensity (1 - 3 min efforts) one week and intermittent sprints the next. Clearly this differentiation for each individual will be very important.

Strength training will proceed in this phase by focusing on quality, one session per week of 10 - 12 repetitions to failure will maintain the strength developed over the previous phases, but because this is only one session per week, will not interfere with the sprint or high intensity aerobically biased sessions.