Section 1 - Introducing "The Athlete Inside"
Section 2 - Athletic Training & Conditioning Class: The
First Week
Section 3 - Need to Know! Fitness Terms & Exercise
Principles
Section 4 - Athletic Training Workout Design
Section 5 - Sports Lectures & Workouts
Section 6 - Another Game/Student Projects
Section 7 - More Sports!
Section 8 - It's All in Your Mind (at least 75%)
Section 9 - Personal Trainers & Group Instructors: How to
Use this Information
Correspondence Course Assignments
Online Course Descriptions
"How to Order."
Sports Seasons
Rest Periods Are Essential to Workouts
Two Ways to Train Your Anaerobic Threshold
Interval Workouts
Sample Interval Workout
Exercise Analysis for Individual Program Design
By this time the students have a basic understanding of movement and possibly their aerobic, strength and anaerobic needs. I have them discuss the aerobic movements their favorite activities use. This helps them analyze the base moves and select complimentary exercises that will train those moves. They also learn to consider muscle balance.
In discussing how to design sport specific routines I include the following topics.
Modern techniques of sports training can be applied by any exerciser. Sports training with a year-round program is safe and effective. The year is often broken into four seasons: post-season, off-season, pre-season, and in-season.
It isn't necessary to develop more strength than is needed for the sport, so evaluate the muscular demands of the sport you intend to play and develop the resistance program in those areas. All athletes should also make sure they get sufficient flexibility training.
People who are involved in a regular or daily fitness program see progress and with it they often get a desire to challenge the body to even better fitness. It's fine to increase the intensity of your workouts; however, there is an aspect to fitness that many exercise advocates forget. Scheduled rest and recuperation time is vital for your workout program.
As mentioned earlier, high intensity training can cause a need for longer recovery time. In fact, even moderate aerobic training or resistance training can create a need for more rest. Many people fall into overexercising due to good intentions but poor information. Many reason that if three training sessions per week are necessary for good fitness, then six must promote super fitness. In reality, BETTER training, not more training, produces better fitness, which is why I mention correct exercise technique so often.
Sports or fitness conditioning is achieved by applying stress, then waiting (resting) for the response. Rest builds up the body to a higher level of strength. During the rest periods, your body also recovers the energy it lost during a workout and builds up some extra energy for future workouts.
Without enough recovery time, you run the risk of overtraining. Overtraining is characterized by persistent soreness or stiffness, a rise in the resting heart rate, fatigue, lack of motivation, irritability or depression. If these symptoms are ignored, an injury will eventually force you to rest, and much longer time will be needed than if you were already scheduling recovery time. It is important to cooperate with your body's cycles of work and recovery.
The anaerobic or peripheral system is the muscles. Strenuous exercise tears down the muscles on a microscopic level, placing stress on muscles, tendons and connective tissue. Proper rest builds up the muscle stronger than before the workout. Each muscle group needs 24-48 hours of rest in between workouts, to recover, repair, and rebuild muscle tissues, replace energy stores and remove exercise waste products. If you train the whole body with weights in one session, you can workout three times a week with at least one day of rest in between sessions. Some more advanced exercisers train more often, but they alternate the muscle groups they work, such as the upper body one day and the lower body the next.
The aerobic system is the central system composed of the heart, lungs and blood vessels. This system recovers fairly fast in a conditioned person. If you are at a high fitness level and you want daily aerobic exercise, vary the activity by choosing from walking, biking (stationary or outdoor), swimming, aerobic dance, stair machines, or running. At least one or two days a week take a complete rest from cardiovascular training. For beginners three workouts a week with a rest day in between is a good start until the body is used to a fitness routine. Once some conditioning has been achieved, a daily walk or other aerobic activity can be a fine goal.
The type and length of your activity will affect the amount of recovery you need. Marathon runners may need days of recovery after an event. Aerobics class participants who exercise every other day get enough rest from that schedule. Depending on the nature and intensity of the aerobics performed, recovery may take from 24 to 72 hours.
One tool that can help your exercise program is a training log. With it you can record your progress, spot trends and patterns that may lead to injury, and schedule needed rest. Some of the areas that you may log are suggested here.
Using a training log and observing basic exercise guidelines, including the need for rest, will enhance your fitness program. By giving your body the recovery time it needs after exercise, you will be able to have real enjoyment in your workouts.
An athlete needs to know the energy source required of his or her sport, whether it is aerobic or anaerobic. All training begins with a good aerobic base, and anaerobic training is added on as needed.
Many sports that are commonly enjoyed require a combination of aerobic and anaerobic capability. Cardiovascular training usually focuses on aerobic training, but training the anaerobic system also has its benefits. Anaerobic exercise does not supply the muscles with oxygen and produces the burning sensation due to lactic acid building up in the muscle being worked.
Training the anaerobic system requires high intensity exercise. It is based on the overload principle that the body adapts to harder loads and then becomes more conditioned as a result. It is most important to note that high intensity exercise is not for everyone. Individuals with a history of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, joint related injuries, or who have been sedentary for more than a couple months should center their fitness programs around moderate intensity workouts.
A strong, healthy exerciser who has been active for at least six months can participate in high intensity training, however, it is not easy, and will probably produce the need for a longer recovery time. During high intensity exercise, correct and safe form is mandatory to avoid injury. High intensity training results in cardiovascular improvement and great increases in strength and endurance. Anaerobic training teaches the muscles to tolerate a much higher level of lactic acid and perform longer at higher intensities.
The most common limitation for the serious recreational athlete is the anaerobic threshold, the point at which breathing first becomes labored. Training specifically at this anaerobic threshold will make a difference in performance. Here are two ways to train your anaerobic threshold.
I like to teach my Athletic Training students how to do interval workouts. The objectives the students reach from this lecture/workout are:
Basic interval training consists of high or low cardiovascular or aerobics movements, including step training, and resistance exercises performed in an alternating fashion. The movement speed is alternately increased and decreased, using both the aerobic and anaerobic systems.
There are a number of benefits this type of training produces. Interval training optimizes the development of cardiorespiratory fitness. The muscles develop a higher anaerobic threshold with a greater tolerance to lactic acid, producing the ability to exercise faster and longer. The fast twitch muscle fibers responsible for speed become tuned up and ready to go. The number of blood vessels in the muscles increase allowing a greater oxygen supply. Interval training also provides variety and a time efficient workout.
The components of interval training are Work Intervals and Recovery Intervals. A work interval is 85% of maximal heart rate or higher, depending on the individual's fitness level. During the active recovery interval the intensity slows down as much as 60%, low enough to facilitate lactic acid removal. The three programming considerations are:
Interval training is a good choice for people training for sport activities when the precautions are followed. The very dynamic style of training must be performed correctly in order to increase aerobic fitness, muscle efficiency, and maintain the motivation to exercise. Some of the safety considerations are that each individual sets his or her own pace for intensity and recovery. Maintaining good form and technique is extremely important. Students should feel free to slow down if they become too fatigued and fail to recover during the active recovery intervals. However, they should also expect to feel breathless, tired and challenged during the work intervals.
The choice of movements is almost endless in variety. The cardiovascular intervals for a group of Athletic Training students may include single aerobics steps ( jogging, marching, knee lifts, leg curls, jacks, kicks), equipment such as jump ropes, slide, and cardiovascular machines, and step aerobics (single steps or easy combinations).
Resistance training exercises are usually self-resistance (pushups, dips) and dumb bells. I also use plyometrics in most of my interval sessions. Plyometrics are power moves designed to work the anaerobic system. These exercises are so intense that they are performed no more often than once a week for advanced students, and less frequently for beginners and intermediate. Some examples of plyometric moves are power hops onto a step, scissor jumps, log jumps, squat jumps, fast step touch, high and big heel digs, and ski jumps.
Music is optional. I prefer to accompany a group interval session with music. It provides some motivation and makes the time go faster. I often ask Athletic Training students to bring in some of their favorite tapes.
I call the following Interval Equations. There are many ways to design interval training sessions and these ideas will give you a starting point.
Key:
Equations:
| Upper Body Exercises | Lower Body Exercises/Plyometrics |
| Push-ups w/ Bands | Standard Squat - hand weights |
| Overhead Press - weights | Squat Jump |
| Chest Flye - Bands | Lunge/Squat - bands |
| Single Arm Row - weights | Scissor Jumps |
| Bicep Curl - band | Side Squat - weights |
| Tricep Kickback - weights | Log Jump |
| Lateral Shoulder Raise/band | Back Lunge - weights |
| Chest Press - band | Plyometric Heel Dig |
| Rear Deltoid - band | Squat/Abduct - band |
| Double Touch wide | Fast Step Touch |
| Tricep Kickback Straight - weights | Front Lunge - weights |
Aerobic Cool-down, Abdominals, Final Stretch
Exercise Analysis is important to designing an effective conditioning program. I encourage the students to answer the following questions for different exercises they are considering for their routines:
This checklist is useful in helping the students evaluate their programs for balance.
CARDIOVASCULAR TRAINING
MUSCLE CONDITIONING
FLEXIBILITY
SPECIAL NEEDS
MOTIVATION
Section 1 - Introducing "The Athlete Inside"
Section 2 - Athletic Training & Conditioning Class: The
First Week
Section 3 - Need to Know! Fitness Terms & Exercise
Principles
Section 4 - Athletic Training Workout Design
Section 5 - Sports Lectures & Workouts
Section 6 - Another Game/Student Projects
Section 7 - More Sports!
Section 8 - It's All in Your Mind (at least 75%)
Section 9 - Personal Trainers & Group Instructors: How to
Use this Information
Correspondence Course Assignments
Online Course Descriptions
"How to Order."