The aim of my programme is to improve my stamina and speed and I will do this by doing aerobic training. Our aerobic system provides us with long-term energy. We use it in most daily activities and it gives us energy, which is slowly released. This is released over a long period of time and a lot more slowly than the creatine phosphate system or the lactic acid system. This is used in most sports as it gives us almost limitless energy for long periods of time, however if we do really hard work then we will use our anaerobic system.
When our muscles have enough oxygen they are able to break down more carbohydrate and fat, to get this energy. So, the aerobic system can only work when enough oxygen is being supplied to the muscles. The aerobic system needs oxygen to work, provides energy slowly but enables us to keep working for long periods of time. This is where it is relevant to my programme and why I will be trying to improve my stamina. My football will improve if I can keep going and influencing the game for a longer period of time.
This is how our aerobic system works: ATP energy + ADP ADP + glycogen ATP + pyruvic acid Pyruvic acid + O2 CO2 + H2O This is what I will be training on to improve my aerobic fitness but during the training sessions there will be some work on anaerobic fitness like at the end of my shuttle runs because I would of used up all my energy I will be using either the creatine phosphate system or the lactic acid system. The one thing I must do is make sure that my trainin is effective. If my training is too easy I will not be improving my aerobic fitness. If the programme is too intense I will start using my anaerobic system and will not be training my aerobic system at all.
The level of intensity I need to train at depends on my current fitness levels. My fitness levels are measured doing fitness test, which are in a different parts of the plan. Using these tests I have calculated my VO2 max and this is the maximum amount of oxygen that we can transport, and our muscles can use in exercise. From this I will work out my individual training threshold for both aerobic and anaerobic training threshold. Obviously as I go through my programme I will be able to get a better idea of my threshold.
Aerobic Threshold Above the level of our aerobic threshold, continuous exercise will have a training effect on our aerobic fitness. In other words, we can push our limits as far as we possibly can to get more aerobically fit. Anaerobic Threshold When we reach our anaerobic threshold, it means that we are working so hard that we cannot get enough oxygen to our muscles quickly enough. Our muscles will have to get energy from the anaerobic energy system instead. Lactic acid will immediately start to build up. This causes pain, makes us tired and we will not be able to continue at the same intensity for very long. We will build up an oxygen debt and we will also use up our limited supplies of oxygen.
Although not aiming my programme on improving my anaerobic fitness I will be improving it as my general fitness improves, also having a high anaerobic fitness level will help in my football because it means I will be able to keep going for longer when I have very little oxygen left. What I need to consider When designing my training program there are two acronyms that will be very important to consider and use. To complete the program adequately and efficiently I must make sure that I meet all points. The first one to follow is FITT:
F- Frequency of activity- how often we should exercise. For example if you just want to stay healthy you should exercise for at least twenty minutes twice a week. After each hard training session I should give my body at least 24 hours rest before I exercise again. I -Intensity of activity- how hard I should exercise? T- Time of activity- how long I am going to exercise. Aerobic training sessions tend to last for 20 minutes or longer where as strength training sessions are generally shorter and less sustained. T- Type of activity- what exercise I should use. The second acronym I need to consider is SPORT: S- Specificity- Every person will need a different training program- we’re all different and we all do different things.
1) Train the right parts of the body- there is no point making a weightlifter run 10 miles a day-it wont improve his weightlifting. 2) Train to the right level-if someone is unfit don’t start him or her with a long run. P- Progression- Steadily increase the amount of training that’s done-but only when the body has adapted to the previous training. O- Overload- You’ve got to make your bodywork harder than it normally would. It’s the only way to get fitter. You can overload by increasing any of these three things:
1) Frequency of training (train more often) 2) Intensity of training (lift heavier weights) 3) Duration of training (training for 5 minutes longer each session) R- Reversibility- Our fitness levels change all the time and it will down if we stop training. It takes a lot longer to gain fitness than to lose fitness meaning that we have to keep up with the programme of we will not get fitter. T- Tedium- We must make sure that what we are doing is not boring and tedious and that we are not doing the same thing everyday. If the programme is boring then it is unlikely that I will complete the programme to the best of my ability. It is essential that all these points are met for my program to be successful and I will ensure they are.