Page 1 2

Food for thought
All the tests above are easily accessible and will provide the trainer with the information they need to design the training program. However, you do not need to use them all. Select only those which are relevant to the athletes' sport. Sometimes we can be tempted to use a test because it is popular or because there is data available. For instance, quads/hams isokinetic ratios or lactate profile test in lab. Remember to always question exactly what the test is telling you.

Make up your own tests. Sometimes it does not matter if no one else uses it, if it is relevant to the athlete and you see the progression.

For more high quality information on Sports Fitness Programmes, subscribe to Peak Performance here and receive a bundle of free reports.

The training program>
The assessment results are analysed to establish which fitness areas need to be developed to raise competitive performance. The design of the training program should prioritise these areas to bring them up to scratch. The fitness areas which are already good can simply be maintained. This principle recognises the fact that it is difficult to develop all aspects of physical performance at once. This is both because of practical issues - there may be simply a lack of time to work on all areas during the training week - and physiological issues, in that strength and power development is compromised by endurance training.

The following sections will briefly describe appropriate training methods and their dosage for each of the fitness aspects.

Strength and power
At some stage every athlete needs to develop strength and power. The best results are achieved with 2-4 times a week training, with little concurrent endurance training. In competitive periods, this is not practical for many sports although research has shown strength maintenance and sometimes improvements are possible through a season with regular strength training. The best solution is for strength and power development to be planned for the off season and then maintained through the season.

Receive top quality information about Fitness programmes as well as a bundle of free reports by subscribing to our No. 1 newsletter, Peak Performance

To develop max strength, a weights exercise session should be designed. A typical session comprises 5-10 exercises with 2-4 sets of 5-12 RM per exercise. To develop power, plyometric exercises are most commonly used. A session comprises 5-8 exercises with a total of 100 - 300 foot/shoulder contacts per workout, depending on the athlete's level and time of year. Weights and plyometric exercises can be combined in the same session. This is called complex training and is very effective for peaking (see also PP, issue 114, February 1999).

TIP - Always choose weights and plyometric exercises that are functional to the sport or movement. For example, squats and drop jumps are better for vertical jumping ability than power lunges and standing long jumps, which are better for horizontal jumping or sprints. For another example, choose free weights instead of machines as synergistic muscles are involved to stabilise. Think about the type of contractions involved in the sports movements, e.g., hamstrings' eccentric function, the joint angle and the speeds of movements. The more specific the exercise, in all aspects the greater the crossover into performance. TIP - Sometimes upper body strength is incorrectly over-emphasised. For instance, in tennis upper body power training is more important, as a racquet only weighs 400 grams. If your 1 RM squat is not significantly more than your 1 RM bench press, then you have been doing too much upper body work in the gym.

Aerobic endurance
Aerobic fitness is primary for most sports. However, it is not the only fitness area and if it is focused on too much can be detrimental to strength and power - which are equally, if not more important, in many sports. Trainers must think carefully about the fitness level they believe is appropriate for peak performance and then achieve that. For example, in elite football a high aerobic capacity is key, but for volleyball, a moderate level will suffice. For most games, aerobic fitness governs how quickly one recovers between high intensity sections, and how much distance can be covered in a game.

Effective methods of developing aerobic fitness:
a)    4-6 x 2-5 minutes with 2-5 minutes rest. Proven to be very effective for boosting VO2 max when performed once/twice a week.
b)    20 x 200m with 30 seconds recovery or 10 x 400m with 60-90 seconds recovery.
c)    5 - 10 km steady runs.
The advantage of using interval sessions is that the athlete always runs fast, and the volume of training is kept low. This should help reduce interference with strength and power development. The advantage of steady runs is that they take less recovery time, and are not as psychologically demanding.

To develop aerobic fitness perform session a & b once a week plus two or three steady runs. To maintain aerobic training, perform either sessions a or b once a week.

...and anaerobic
Anaerobic endurance is also important for many sports. This is the ability to work at a high intensity repeatedly. Both the lactate system and the ATP-PC system should be trained, but targeted in the correct proportions for each sport. For instance, tennis focuses almost solely on the ATP-PC system, due to short bursts- and- frequent-rest play pattern, whereas squash requires significant lactate system training as it much more continuous. Anaerobic endurance can be developed with 2-3 times a week training.

Effective methods for ATP-PC development:
a)    3 x 10 x 30 m sprints starting every 30 seconds. 5 minutes between sets.
b)    15 x 60 m with 1 minutes rest.
c)    20 x 20m shuttle run, 45 seconds rest.

Effective methods for lactate development:
a)    5-8 x 300m fast, with 45 seconds rest until pace significantly slows.
b)    150m intervals at 400m pace, with 20 seconds rest until pace significantly slows.
c)    8 x 300 m, 3 minutes rest (lactate recovery training).

Some aerobic benefit will also be gained from these sessions. Full anaerobic training should not take place with full aerobic training as well: one or the other must be prioritised.

Speed and agility
Speed and agility are key to many sports but often in very different ways, each sport having its own particular demands. For instance, fencing requires very quick footwork and acceleration but all movements are linear - forwards and backwards. In contrast, racquet sports are all multidirectional, with as much lateral movement as linear.

In addition, different sports have different speed profiles. Racquet sports require very fast off the mark acceleration, but maximum speed over a longer sprint 30-60 m is less important. Rugby and football require both good acceleration and maximum speed. Therefore max speed and acceleration need to be differentiated in training.

Effective methods for acceleration:
a) All max leg strength exercises improve acceleration, as do leg plyometric exercises. Particularly useful ones are standing long jump, standing triple jump, hurdle hops, combination jumps (horizontal).

b) Sprint starts. For example, 20 x 5 m with 30 seconds recovery. These can be made more specific by incorporating reactions to signals (e.g., the ball) or starting from various positions (e.g., the floor).

c) Foot speed drills. For instance, frappier drills, complete max number of foot contacts in 10 secs.

d) Resisted accelerations. Athlete performs max 10 m efforts with trainer pulling with tubing. Very useful as it is a completely specific way to add resistance sprint start movement. However, must not be overdone as athlete can learn to run with slow cadence. Always finish workout with normal accelerations.

Effective methods for max sprint speed:
a) Hill sprints. 10% gradient up and down. b) Overspeed running. For advanced athletes only but very effective for improving leg speed. Athlete sprints while being towed by tubing or machine.

c) Sprint drills. There is a whole repertoire of these used worldwide by athletics coaches. If used regularly they are very effective at improving running technique, coordination and stability of synergistic muscles involved in running. For instance, the walking drill.

d) Sprint workout. A typical sprint workout could be 5 - 10 x 30 - 80 m max efforts. 3-5 minutes rest in between.

VERY IMPORTANT TIP 1:
Athletes must always be completely fresh for speed training if it is to be effective. Therefore, no heavy weight training or hard endurance training the day before.

VERY IMPORTANT TIP 2:
Speed training sessions must always include long rest periods and focus solely on quality. Speed development is about teaching the neuromuscular system to operate at full speed and power and this is not possible if there is any fatigue. If rests are too short, the training will only develop speed endurance and not maximum speed.

Effective methods for agility:
a) Agility plyometrics. Certain plyometric exercises have an agility component in them. For example, lateral hops, depth jump and 180 turn, line hopping. Customise your plyometric sessions to include exercises that target particular agility requirements of your sport. For example, depth jump and turn would be ideal for basketball.

b) Footwork ladder. Ladder drills are great for foot speed and agility as the ladder forces precision and speed of movement.

c) Agility drills and shuttles. A regular workout should be performed including lateral shuffle, crossovers, back stepping etc., plus shuttle runs and drills which involve turning, e.g., the T drill. Focus on quality movement and technique to increase the athlete's agility and grace. These drills can be customised and made more sports-specific once the athlete has mastered the basics. For example, add catching a ball into the drill.

Balance, coordination and stability
A final area that must be incorporated into a sports training program is balance, co-ordination and stability training. Economy of movement, peak power and agility cannot be optimised unless the athlete has highly developed balance and stability. Balance and co-ordination have to be developed through many different methods as variety is key. Exercises on the wobble board and balance beam are great for this. With a little imagination one can think of many things to challenge an athlete's balance and co-ordination. For instance, balancing on a wobble board while juggling. Stability, especially in the trunk, must also be developed through various methods. I recommend using gymnastic balls, learning some Tai Chi moves, as well as using a medicine ball for the stomach and low back exercises. Particularly effective are static bridging exercises, e.g., The Plank, for developing functional core stability. A stability workout should be performed at least twice a

Receive articles like this as soon as they are printed by subscribing to Peak Performance and make sure that you are at the top of your game.

« back