Principles of Training

In order to get the most out of your training, you must follow these simple training principles: Overload In order to progress and improve our fitness we have to put our bodies under additional stress. Doing this will cause long-term adaptations, enabling our bodies to work more efficently to cope with this higher level of performance. Overloading can be achieved by following the acronym FITT: Frequency: Increasing the number of times you train per week Intensity: Increasing the difficulty of the exercise you do. For example running at 12 km/h instead of 10 or increasing the weight you are squatting with. Time: Increasing the length of time that you are training for each session. For example cycling for 45 minutes instead of 30. Type: Increase the difficulty of the training you are doing. For example progress from walking to running.  Progression Principle To steadily improve the fitness levels of your athletes, you must continually increase the physical demands to overload their systems. If the training demand is increased too quickly, the athlete will be unable to adapt and may break down. If the demand is not adequate, the athlete will not achieve optimal fitness levels. Specificity The type of training that you do should be specific to you and your sport. You should train the energy system which you use predominantly (i.e. don't run 5,000 meters in training if you're a sprinter!) and the fitness and skill components most important to your sport, for example agility, balance or muscular endurance. You should also test the components which are important in your sport to see your strengths and weaknesses. With this information you can focus on improving your weak points. Reversibility Use it or lose it! Basically if you stop training then the improvements you have made will be reversed. So if you are ill or have a holiday and do not train for a period of time (even as little as a week) you may not be able to resume training at the point where you left off. Variety Try to vary your training, to keep you interested and to give your body a different challenge. Remember a change is as good as a rest. Many professional athletes will play a completely different sport in between their main season, to keep their fitness up whilst still having a rest! Individual Differences Principle Every athlete is different and responds differently to the same training activities. As discussed in chapter 5, the value of training depends in part on the athlete’s maturation. Before puberty, training is less effective than after puberty. Other factors that affect how athletes respond to training include their pretraining condition; genetic predisposition; gender and race; diet and sleep; environmental factors such as heat, cold, and humidity; and of course motivation. As discussed previously, it’s essential to individualize training as much as possible.