Where do we start with program
design?
1983 NSCA Journals
Needs Analysis
Program Variables
Needs Analysis
1. Energy Metabolism
Used
2. Biomechanical
Movements Used
3. Injury Profile
Acute Program Variables Define a
Workout and Program Sequence
• Choice of exercise
• Order of exercise
• Resistance/Intensity Used
• Number of sets
• Rest between sets and
exercises
Choice of Exercise(s)
• Define the muscle to
be recruited
• Define the movement
paths and balance
requirements
• Define the types of
muscle actions used
• Define the acceleration
and deceleration
patterns
Activated Tissue
Right and Left foot placement and movement different
Tissue not activated with not adapt to the training program
Lighter pixels represent activation in the squat exercise
MRI ANALYSES
Ploutz and Dudley. Physiologist, 1995
Type of Repetition
• The results indicate that
omission of eccentric
actions from resistance
training compromises
increases in strength,
probably because intensity
is not optimal.
Dudley GA, Tesch PA, Miller BJ, Buchanan P. Importance of
eccentric actions in performance adaptations to resistance
training. Aviat Space Environ Med. 1991 Jun;62(6):543-50.
Impact of Eccentric Component of a repetition
Hormonal Response Specificity
25
#
20
#
*
15
Con
Con/Con
Con/Ecc
10
5
0
Pre-Ex Post-Ex
CON
Pre-Ex Post-Ex
ECC
Kraemer, W.J. Dudley G.A. et al. IGF and GH Research 2001 Apr;11(2):75-83.
Skeletal Muscle Fibers Types
II XA
II X
II A
Myosin ATPase stain, pH 4.6 from Dr Kraemer’s Laboratory
I
Human Muscle Fiber Types
•Type I (Black stain)
•Highly Oxidative
•Slow contraction speed
•Fatigue resistible
•Type IIA (White stain)
•Oxidative
•Glycolytic
•Fast contraction speed
Myosin ATPase stain pH 4.6
•Fatigable
•Type IIX (Brown stain)
•Fiber type composition in humans
•Highly glycolytic
• Most muscles have 40-60 % type I fibers
•Very fast contraction speed
• Mainly genetically determined
•Easily fatigable
 Area ( m2)
Muscle Fiber Cross-Sectional Area Relationships
Staring point for 75% of women….. Training delays in size due to catch up
Factors that Influence of Training on
Skeletal Muscle Fibers
Characteristic
• Number of Muscle Fibers
• Type of Muscle Fibers
Impact on Training
• Limits absolute size of intact
muscle
• Impacts function and repair
and recovery
– Type I
– Are made up of heavy protein bands
(e.g., Z lines, non-contractile
proteins), made for repeated
activation, peak force low
– Type II
– Light protein bands, higher amounts
of contractile proteins, made for
intermittent activation, high peak
force
Fiber Growth Characteristics
• Type I Muscle Fibers
– Emphasis on the
reduction in degradation
of muscle proteins with
less emphasis on
synthesis
– Rapid attainment of cell size
maximum and resistance to
muscle size gains
• Type II Muscle Fibers
– Emphasis on the increase in
protein synthesis and less
importance on the reduction
of degradation of muscle
proteins
– Explains some Type II preferential
cell hypertrophy
Hather BM, Tesch PA, Buchanan P, Dudley GA. Influence of eccentric actions on
skeletal muscle adaptations to resistance training. Acta Physiol Scand. 1991
Oct;143(2):177-85.
• Only group CON/ECC
increased Type I area (14%,
P < 0.05).
• Type II area increased (P <
0.05) 32 and 27%,
respectively, in groups
CON/ECC and CON/CON,
but not in group CON.
• Mean fiber area increased
(P < 0.05) 25 and 20% in
groups CON/ECC and
CON/CON, respectively.
• The single CON/ECC
repetition used in
training is more
effective than
concentric only
repetition.
Order of Exercise
Exercise Sequencing Strategies
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Large muscles before smaller ones
Multi-joint before single-joint for strength training
Weak-point exercises before stronger ones
Total-body lifts before basic strength and single-joint for
power training
Most complex to least complex (Olympic)
High-intensity to lower-intensity for exercises stressing
similar muscle groups
Rotation of agonist-antagonist exercises
Rotation of upper and lower body exercises
Muscle Grouping
• Total body workouts
• Upper/lower body split workouts
• Muscle group split routines
Resistance/Intensity Used
Henneman’s Size Principle
A major governing principle that dictates the
activation of motor units and associated fibers.
Elwood Henneman
Henneman E, Somjen G, and Carpenter DO.
Functional significance of cell size in spinal motoneurons.
J Neurophysiol 28: 560–580, 1965
Motor Cortex Area
Electrical signals arise from
the motor cortex and go
down the brain stem to the
spinal cord and out to
specific alpha motor neurons
that activate a motor unit
and its associated muscle
fibers.
Neural Activation: Size Principle
High Force
HIGH
1 RM
High Power
Activation Threshold
Power
5 RM
10 RM
Motor Unit
Type I
15 RM
Type II
20 RM
LOW
LOW
Force Production
HIGH
(
The future: a growing appreciation for the
brain’s role in performance and recovery
Squat at 95%
MDVC
Squat at 80%
MDVC
Brain activity and acute program variables
Flanagan B, Brain Sciences 2012 from our
laboratory ……
Squat jump at
30% MDVC
Control