FITNESS

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this topic you should be able to:-

1] Know the Four principles of training.

2] Know the differences between Aerobic and Anaerobic Fitness.

3] Know how to improve Aerobic and Anaerobic Fitness.

4] Know the Four basic training methods suitable for improving Fitness.

Fitness is the ability of the body systems to cope with the demands placed upon them. The more efficiently the body copes, the fitter the person is said to be.

Fitness is improved by gradually increasing the demands placed on the body systems by means of a specific exercise programme (or training schedule). The body systems will then adapt and fitness will increase. The more stress the body is subjected to, the more it will adapt, and the fitter, the stronger, and faster the person will become.

There are 4 principles of training:-

1] THE PRINCIPLE OF OVERLOAD - To become more efficient, the body systems have to be overloaded - or worked harder than normal. Overload can be achieved by:-

Increasing intensity e.g. heavier weights or faster running.

Increasing frequency, i.e. train more often but not more intensely.

Increasing duration, i.e. each training session is made longer.

Overload training must not be done daily. This type of training damages muscle fibre and so time must be allowed for the damage to heal. However, it has been shown that light training assists tissue healing.

2] THE PRINCIPLE OF PROGRESSION - The body cannot become fit overnight. It can only become progressively fitter. Training must also be progressive, i.e. the first few sessions should be fairly easy and then progressively become harder. In the early stages the body adapts quite quickly so that even with light training, fitness will improve quite quickly. But as the body gets fitter it becomes harder and harder to improve, and the only way is to make the training harder and harder

3] THE PRINCIPLE OF SPECIFICITY - Training will only improve those parts of the body being trained. Cross-Country running will improve cardio-vascular fitness, but will do nothing for arm strength. In other words training is specific to the parts being trained. When training for a specific event, an athlete must work specifically on the type of fitness required for that event.

4] THE PRINCIPLE OF REVERSIBILITY - Just as the body adapts to more stress by becoming fitter, so also does it adapt to less stress by becoming unfit, i.e. it becomes less efficient at coping with the demands of exercise. This reversibility of fitness happens quickly. It only takes 3-4 weeks for a trained athlete to become unfit. The quickest reverse takes place in aerobic fitness. Muscles quickly lose their ability to use oxygen efficiently. Strength losses occur much more slowly so anaerobic activities are not so badly affected by breaks in training. The wasting away of muscle tissue is called atrophy.

Cardio respiratory Fitness -

Cardiovascular Fitness -

Stamina -                           All these terms are used to describe

Endurance -                         the same type of fitness, i.e. the ability

Aerobic Fitness -                   to carry out prolonged steady work.

There is no point in a shot-putter having superb aerobic fitness.

There is no point in a marathon runner being able to bench press 300 pounds.

Training should reflect the type of fitness required for whatever sport being trained for. Some sports require mostly aerobic fitness and only a little anaerobic fitness, whilst other sports require a high degree of anaerobic fitness together with a good aerobic base.

Most ball games are an even mixture of aerobic and anaerobic movement. The game is spread over 80 or 90 minutes which makes it essential to have good aerobic fitness, but included in the game will be frequent bursts of anaerobic activity, e.g. a run for a try in rugby, three successive rebounds in basketball, a rally in tennis where both players are at the net.

Any activity where the body has to work at a continuous steady pace for a long period of time will improve aerobic fitness. Such activities should be whole body activities, e.g. running, swimming, cycling.

For effective improvement, aerobic training should be done three times a week, and each session should last for between 20 and 30 minutes. The heart rate should be raised to about 70% of its maximum for the whole of the session. For further improvement, longer sessions at a higher heart rate would be needed.

(Max. Heart Rate is given by subtracting a persons age from 220)

1] To improve the body's ability to re-charge Creatine phosphate, work flat-out to 15 secs then rest for 4 to 5 minutes. 'Resting' means very slow jogging.

2] To improve the body's ability to dispose of lactic acid from the muscles, work flat-out for 1 minute, then rest for 4 to 5 minutes. Not only does this type of training improve lactic acid disposal, but it also increases the body's levels of haemoglobin and myglobin - both essential to oxygen transport.

3] To improve the body's ability to tolerate high levels of lactic acid in the muscles and blood, work flat-out for up to 2 minutes (or as long as possible), then rest for up to 2 minutes.

WHAT IS AEROBIC FITNESS?

It is the ability of the body to work at a steady rate for a considerable length of time. A person with good aerobic fitness could comfortably work for 30 minutes at a heart rate of 70% of his maximum.

WHAT IS ANAEROBIC FITNESS?

It is the ability to:-

1] Re-charge Creatine phosphate quickly and efficiently,

2] Dispose of lactic acid in the muscles and blood.

3] Tolerate high levels of lactic acid in the muscles and blood.

To improve (1), work flat-out for 15 secs and rest for 4-5mins.

To improve (2), work flat-out for 1 min and rest for 4-5mins

To improve (3), work flat-out for as long as possible and rest for 1-2mins.

To improve anaerobic fitness, the training programme must include all 3 factors.

1] LONG SLOW DISTANCE TRAINING (LSD)

2] FARTLEK TRAINING

'Fartlek' is Swedish for 'Speed Play'. In this training the athlete varies greatly the speed at which he is moving - anything from walking to flat-out sprinting. The training is designed according to the type of fitness required, i.e. aerobic or anaerobic fitness. A typical programme might be:-

10 minute jog

30 secs medium pace

30 secs sprint

Walk for 3 minutes

Medium pace for 1 mile

Jog for 5 minutes with 50 metre sprints every 30 secs.

Walk for 1 minute

(Repeat 3 times)

3] INTERVAL TRAINING

Similar to Fartlek but in more definite pattern. There are three intervals,

fast, slow and recovery. Interval training can be aerobic or anaerobic depending on the number and length of each interval. An anaerobic

programme might be:-

50 metre jog

50 metre sprint x 3

50 metre walk

100 metre jog

100 metre sprint x 3

100 metre walk

This pattern is repeated for 200 metres then 100 metres again, then 50 metres.

4] PICK-UP SPRINT TRAINING

In this, speed is split into 5 categories:-

Walking

Jogging

Striding

Three-quarter

Flat-out or sprinting

The athlete does 50 metres of each, repeating the pattern as often as

possible.

SUMMARY

* Fitness is improved by increasing the body's ability to cope with harder

demands

* The principles of training are:

1] Overload

2] Progression

3] Specificity

4] Reversibility

* There are four other terms for cardio-vascular fitness.

* Aerobic and Anaerobic fitness are not the same.

* Aerobic training differs from Anaerobic training.

* There are four training methods:

1] Long Slow Distance

2] Fartlek

3] Interval

4] Pick-up

THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ARE BASED ON THE INFORMATION

GIVEN IN THIS BOOKLET. ANSWER IN SENTENCES.

2] SUGGEST A SIXTH....

3] SUGGEST TWO REASONS WHY A MARATHON RUNNER SHOULD NOT WEIGHT-TRAIN WITH HEAVY WEIGHTS.

5] WRITE DOWN ONE ASPECT OF PLAY IN THE GAME OF ROUNDERS WHICH IS HIGHLY ANAEROBIC. IN WHAT SENSE IS ROUNDERS A GAME WHICH REQUIRES A GOOD 'AEROBIC BASE' DESPITE ITS MANY ANAEROBIC BURST OF ACTIVITY?

6] WHY IS STEADY-PACED SWIMMING SO EFFECTIVE FOR ACHIEVING AEROBIC FITNESS?

7] HOW IS 'MAXIMUM HEART RATE' CALCULATED?