Strength
Flexibility
Endurance
Training For Sports
Corey Rumley
9th Grade
Webster’s Dictionary defines sport (n.)- a
specific diversion usually involving physical
exercise and having a set form and body of
rules.

Sports have been
played by people of
different genders,
ethnicities and social
class
Sports
have been a part of the human
culture since the ancient Greek Olympics

They
Over the years,
successful athletes in
sport began to train
their bodies for
competition
have done this through strength,
flexibility and endurance training to
enhance their abilities.
Strength Training

Strength involves the maximal force a
muscle or muscle group generates at a
certain speed. (p.21, Wiksten & Peters)

Includes your muscles ability to complete
a full range of motion (ROM) of a joint
against resistance.

Building strength can
be done by using
different resistance
sources

The most popular are
free weights (barbells,
dumbbells), machines
(Cybex, pulleys) and
calisthenics (pushups,
sit ups)
There are two types of training
Multi-joint
– involves the action of
two or more joints
Single
joint- involves the action of one joint
Each
method is used to develop the
upper and lower body
An example of a multi-joint
exercise is the military
press. (Uses the shoulder
and elbow joint)
A single joint exercise would be the
arm curl. (Uses only the elbow joint)

You also need to have
good FLEXIBILITY

Flexibility is the ability
of a joint to move
throughout the range
of motion. (How far a
muscle can stretch)
Flexibility

Flexibility training can
lead to improved
performance, quicker
recovery time between
exercise sessions and
injury prevention,
(Wiksten & Peters)

The way to increase
flexibility is to perform
stretching exercises!
Flexibility

There are three types of stretching
1. Static
2. Dynamic
3. P
NF

Static stretching is holding a
position over a short period of time
(15-30 seconds)

Dynamic stretching involves
bouncing as you stretch (not
recommended)

PNF stretching is done with a
partner, includes contract-relax and
hold-relax methods
“When performing any type of flexibility
exercise, body position, posture, and
technique of performance are critical to the
success of the exercise” (Foran).

Having good flexibility
also helps reduce
injury to your muscles
such as strains, tears,
sprains and pulls.
Now that we have strong flexible
muscles for sports,

By doing endurance training
What’s endurance training?
Endurance

Refers to the cardio
respiratory system (heart,
lungs and blood vessels)

“The greatest amount of
oxygen an individual can
consume while performing
physical exercise”, (p.193,
Foran)
Endurance

This is known as aerobic capacity

It includes the lungs, hearts and blood
vessels that work together to covert
oxygen (O) into fuel (CO2) for working
muscles
How Can We Improve Our
Endurance?

By increasing aerobic capacity through
exercise over time

This can be done by increasing the
workload, intensity and frequency
Endurance

Work load is how much of an activity you
perform

Intensity is how hard you perform an
activity

Frequency is how often you perform an
activity
Workload, intensity and frequency
are the key to a successful training
program for sports
All training can be described in this
manner (p.201, Foran)





Running / Jogging
Dancing
Cycling
Jumping Rope
Swimming
When To Do Endurance Training?

Begin during your sport’s off season

Continue to work towards the pre-season

Also continue to do endurance training
during the competitive season
Some of the Sports We Train For







Football
Soccer
Basketball
Baseball / Softball
Tennis
Golf
Track & Field
When we combine strength,
flexibility and endurance to
our training for sports,
References

Foran, Bill (2001) High Performance Sports Conditioning.
Champaign : Human Kinetics

Peter, C. & Wiksten, D. (2000) The Athletic Trainer’s
Guide To Strength and Endurance Training.
Thoroughfare, NJ : Slack Incorporated