Example personal exercise programme
Athletics: 3000m steeplechase
1 Introduction
Who am I?
[Brief introduction including name, age, build, fitness level]
About my sport
My chosen sport is the 3000m steeplechase.
The event covers 7½ laps of the running track. They feel longer the closer you get to the
finish!
It’s not just the distance I have to worry about either; there are 35 three-foot high barriers
to clear. Eight include a water jump, so it helps to be happy to run in wet trainers as the
jump is hard to clear without stepping in the water.
Attributes needed to excel in my activity
(health-related fitness and skill-related fitness)
To succeed in this event you have to have the speed of a 1500m runner and the endurance
of a long-distance one. [Go into specific details of the demands of your activity]
Few would disagree that this is one of the most gruelling track events around.
[Identify the health-related and skill-related fitness factors of your chosen sport
and how you would improve your own performance with reference to them]
My strengths
[Say what makes you a good steeplechase runner]
My weaknesses
[Highlight the main weaknesses that you need to target in order to improve]
What I hope to achieve from this PEP
[Say why you have designed a personal exercise programme for your chosen sport]
2 Aims and targets
[Think about your aims and targets. It might help to go through the factors in skill-related
fitness (CRABSP) and health-related fitness (the five Ss). An example is provided here]
i Improve my VO2 max
My current VO2 max score is [XX]. If I increase the maximum amount of oxygen that my
lungs can absorb, I will be able to increase the speed I run at without getting so out of
breath during the race. I hope to achieve level [XX] on my final multi-stage fitness test
(MSFT).
ii Improve my muscular endurance over the last kilometre
I hope to improve my muscular endurance over the last kilometre of my race. If my
muscles can improve their tolerance to lactic acid build-up, I should be able to maintain a
faster pace for longer. I will keep a record of all my times for each track session and
monitor any improvements made.
iii Increase my flexibility
If I can increase my flexibility through a series of stretching sessions, I should be able to
hurdle the steeples more efficiently, and therefore improve my time and not feel so
exhausted.
3 The programme outline
[State the principles of training you will refer to and relate each one to your own exercise
programme]
In planning my PEP, I will use the SPORT and FITT principles of training.
My specific aim is to exercise to improve my aerobic endurance (VO2 max). I will
therefore include interval training on the track and continuous training on the paths
around where I live.
I will progress the times that I spend on each session. I will monitor my progress and
adjust the training according to how I cope.
I will automatically move into overload when I do my Friday circuits session and during
the sprint phase of my Monday Fartlek sessions.
As long as I keep to the programme, I will not reverse any fitness gains. If I have
planned to train, and it is unsafe, or I injure myself, I will simply use a different training
method or be flexible enough to train on a different day.
I have planned a variety of activities to avoid tedium, such as listening to my MP3
player during continuous sessions, training with others on track nights and going to
circuit classes at my local sports club.
Initially, I will train for a frequency of three sessions a week, hopefully incorporating the
multi-stage fitness test (MSFT) as a fourth session when I feel fitter.
The intensity levels will vary from session to session. I hope to be close to my anaerobic
threshold when doing the interval work and circuit sessions, but will intersperse this with
less intense sessions of Fartlek training and continuous runs.
The harder the session, the less time I will spend on it. For example, my Fartlek session,
which contains no rest periods, will last for 26 minutes, whereas the interval session,
which has many recovery stops, will last a total of 43 minutes.
I will use all the types of training mentioned above: interval, circuit, Fartlek and
continuous training.
4 The six-week PEP
[Outline your six-week programme, making sure each week gets progressively harder.
An example week is given below]
Day
Workout
Method of
Training
Aim
Level
Evaluation
Mon
Jog for 1 min
Run for 3 mins
Sprint for 20 secs
Repeat x 6 sets
Total: 26 mins
Fartlek
Improve anaerobic
threshold
14/20
Could reduce the jog time or
increase run/ sprint time for
next session
Tue
Rest
Recovery
Wed
2 miles of light
running
Continuous
Improve aerobic
endurance
12/20
7 min mile pace = slightly too
easy; went up to 3 miles
3 reps x 200m with
walk-back recovery
inbetween
5 mins recovery
2 reps x 400m with
walk-back recovery
5 mins recovery
1 x 800m
5 mins recovery
2 x 400m
5 mins recovery
3 x 200m
cool down
Total: 43 mins
Interval
(pyramid
track
session)
Improve muscular
endurance
Improve efficiency
of muscles’ ability to
remove lactic acid
18/20
Very hard session. Other
runners helped to keep
training competitive. Last set
of 400m was hard. Need to
focus endurance on that part
next week. Time to aim for is
70 secs
Thu
Rest
Recovery
Fri
10 stations
40 secs work
20 secs rest
Circuit
Improve muscular
endurance; boost
motivation and allround muscular
strength
20 mins stretching
Flexibility
Improve flexibility
Sat
Rest
Recovery
Sun
Bleep test (MSFT)
Fitness
testing
Stiff calves
Stiff hips; refuelled with
carbohydrate drinks
19/20
Take more water and a towel
to next session
Add PNF stretches
Feel good
Measure VO2 max
20/20
Level 15.4
5 Fitness testing methods used
[These should be related to your aims, stated in section 2. Say how you measured your
fitness to find out whether you reached your goals. An example is provided here]
Multi-stage fitness test for VO2 max
Session 1 MSFT score:
Date: 17/09/2006
Time: 11 am
Level: 15.4
VO2 max: 65.1
Session 2 score, etc
Record of times for track sessions
[This is the best way to gauge real improvements in fitness. Compare your times for each
session over each part of the pyramid interval session, or the weights/reps lifted in each
circuit session]
Sit and reach test for flexibility
[Insert pictures of all stretches performed and record your progression in how long each
was held for, eg first session 1 min, sixth session 4 mins, etc. Give all scores and then
chart your improvements]
6 Evaluation and conclusion
[For your personal exercise programme to have any meaning, it must relate to your
original aims and targets (given in section 2). You could ask the following questions:
Did I achieve my aims?
Did my multi-stage fitness test score improve, and if so what improvement in VO2 max
score did I make? [Aim i]
Can I feel an improvement in hurdling over the steeples as a direct result of my improved
hamstring and hip flexor mobility? [Aim iii]
Has my flexibility improved as a result of the extra time spent stretching at the end of my
circuit session? [Aim iii]
Has my muscular endurance improved as a result of the Fartlek and interval training?
[Aim ii]
Have I improved on my best 3000m steeplechase performance?
What further training can I do to continue to make improvements in my sport?]