Specific training methods
Continuous Training
• Is training without stopping for a rest.
• The performer maintains the same speed
and intensity throughout
• It should last at least 20 mins
What energy system will this develop?
AEROBIC ENERGY SYSTEM
Common examples of
Continuous training
Advantages & Disadvantages
Advantages:
- Keeps you fit and healthy
- Good method to improve aerobic and all-round
fitness
Disadvantages:
- If the activity is not high enough to raise the
heart rate of the performer then the method is
ineffective
- If the activity is too hard too soon then the
performer will most likely exhaust themselves
due to the large demand for oxygen
Fartlek Training
• Fartlek is a Swedish word that means ‘speed
play’
• It involves continuous training designed to
exercise and stress the aerobic energy
system
FARTLEK TRAINING SESSION:
30 MIN
•
•
•
•
•
Walk - 3 mins.
Jogging - 5 mins
Fast run 50m sprints every 200m - 4 mins.
Jogging for recovery - 3 minutes
Even run with 10 fast strides every 3rd. Lamp
Post - 5 mins.
• Up hill jog 10 fast strides at markers - 5 mins
• Jogging on the spot with high knee lifts - 5
mins
Fartlek Training
• Involves training using a variety of
activities, such as running, walking,
sprinting or cycling over varying
distances, terrain and speeds without
stopping
• The order in which we place the activities
together will produce either an aerobic or
anaerobic training effect
Q. Who would benefit from this type of
training?
Sport performers who need to change pace during play and
need to employ both aerobic and anaerobic systems
Interval Training
• Alternating between hard exercise and
rest
• The rest period gives us time to recover
• Uses fixed patterns of fast and slow
exercise.
• Longer periods of work and more
repetitions develop ENDURANCE
• Shorter periods develop SPEED
Interval Training
• Allows us to train for longer periods of time and
can be used to develop both anaerobic and
aerobic fitness depending on how we organise
our training sessions
• The following can be varied :
Time or distance
Amount of effort exerted
Rest time
Activity during rest
An Interval Programme
400m runner
Personal best = 1 min
Target time = 50 sec
Schedule: 6 x 100m: 3 min rest
6 x 100m: 2 min rest
6 x 100m: 1 min rest
3 x 200m: 3 min rest
3 x 200m: 2 min rest
3 x 200m: 1 min rest
N.B. This routine may take many
weeks to complete and show any
signs of progress
Advantages & Disadvantages
Advantages:
• It is physically beneficial because you are mixing both aerobic
and anaerobic exercise together
• Good method to set personal targets and goals to enhance
fitness, performance and motivation
Disadvantages:
• It can be repetitive and dull if new targets are not set
• It can be disheartening if the performer cannot reach the
required goal. Must ensure that the targets set are achievable to
the individual
Weight Training
• Improves Muscle Strength and Tone and can
also be used to improve certain aspects of
fitness
• We use either free weights or machine weights
to develop muscles and we should always be
supervised when using them
WEIGHT TRAINING
• Weights can be increased gradually.
• We can OVERLOAD muscles in a safe
manner over a sensible period of time.
• Our individual strength training
programme can be designed for a
SPECIFIC sport.
• It can take into account our current
state of fitness.
Advantages & Disadvantages
Advantages:
• Strengthens the muscle throughout the range of movement
• Easily adaptable to suit most sports
• Muscles gain strength evenly throughout the range of movement
• Fastest way to increase muscle strength
Disadvantages:
• Equipment is very expensive and can be difficult to use if
accessibility is low
• Muscles can become sore because of the stress they’re under
when lengthening and there isn’t a sufficient cool down period
• It is not a good method of training if you have heart problems.
Blood flow to the muscle is reduced during exercise, so the
blood pressure rises, putting more strain on the heart for little
improvement in fitness
Altitude training
This type of training occurs at places where
the height above sea level is much greater
than the athlete is used to.
What the training develops
At altitude there is less oxygen in the air so
the body has to produce more red blood
cells to carry enough oxygen around the
body.
This helps athlete’s endurance levels as
there is more oxygen in the body to use
up.
Implications for athlete
• For athlete to perform they need sufficient
oxygen transported to the working
muscles
• Oxygen is carried within red blood cells
• To compensate for the lack of oxygen the
body produces more red blood cells
• This therefore increases amount of oxygen
getting to the muscles
Implications for athletes (cont)
• Athletes body adapts and has greater capacity
for carrying oxygen
• When back at normal sea level, athlete still has
the increased number of red blood cells to utilise
aerobically
• Improves the athlete’s level of endurance /
stamina
• Therefore improves performance for longdistance events, eg. Paula Radcliffe
• Blood cell level eventually returns to normal
Long-distance performers benefit from
this type of training.