PEP Planning and monitoring a personal exercise programme

The individual and their requirements

What is the individual trying to achieve? To lose weight To maintain a healthy heart For general health and well-being, to feel good about themselves To regain fitness after an injury To get properly fit to play a specific competitive sport

Take into account individual’s background/history Male or female? Young or old? Previous exercise experience? Medical clearance?

Which fitness components? Based on the individual’s requirements and what you are trying to achieve, you then decide which fitness components you are going to train to improve.

Physiological fitness components Physiological Fitness components Cardio- Vascular Endurance StrengthSpeed Muscular Endurance Flexibility

Skill related fitness components Skill related Fitness components AgilityBalancetiming Speed of reaction Co- ordination

Which fitness components?

Fitness testing and measurement When you have decided which fitness components to address, it is a good idea to do some fitness tests to ascertain the starting level of fitness. You can then re-test every so often to check that fitness levels are improving and to modify your training programme where necessary.

The multistage fitness test Tests cardiovascular endurance Gives a fairly accurate estimate of VO2 max (how efficiently our heart and lungs can get O2 to our muscles over a period of time). Good test for games players

The 12 minute run (Cooper test) Also tests cardiovascular endurance Good test for events which require continuous steady activity

Sprint tests Measure speed 30m acceleration test 60m sprint test 30m ‘flying’ sprint test The running based anaerobic sprint test (RAST)

Sit and reach test Measures flexibility (hips, hamstrings & lower back)

Press-up / sit-up test Test muscular endurance

Illinois speed and agility test Tests speed, agility and balance

Stork stand test balance

The training programme When developing a training programme you need to follow certain important principles

FITT Principles Frequency Intensity Time Type 3 x per week How hard we work 30 minutes Must reflect the needs of the sport

Training principles Overload Specificity Progression Peaking Reversibility Working beyond present limits – body adapts Training must be specific to the intended activity Easy -> difficult General -> specific Quantity -> quality Coincide with major event Improvements lost at about one third the rate gained

Which training methods? Circuit training Continuous training Fartlek training Flexibility training Interval training Weight training