Fartlek training involves varying the speed and intensity at which you walk or run and over which terrain you train. A Fartlek session usually lasts for at least 30 minutes. Fartlek training is used to improve aerobic and anaerobic fitness and to enable you to enjoy moving quickly. This type of training is suitable for anyone looking to improve their fitness. This would also be suitable for me in order to improve my speed and general fitness. Interval training consists of using alternate periods of very hard exercise and rest. The rest periods are essential for recovery and they enable you to train for longer.
During interval training you can vary different aspects to suit what you’re training for. You can vary the time or distance of each exercise, the amount of intensity you put in to each exercise, the type of activity you take part in during each rest period and the number of exercise and rest periods you train for in each exercise. The aim of interval training is to improve your aerobic and anaerobic fitness. This is a suitable training method as it would help me improve my speed. Circuit training is a training method which involves performing a series of exercises in a specific order (a circuit).
A circuit is usually made up of 6-10 exercises which take place at stations. At each station a specific time is given to complete each exercise and the trainer must complete as many repetitions as possible in that time. After each exercise and circuit a rest period is used unless an advanced trainer is training, in which case there is no rest time. As fitness improves, the circuit can be made more difficult by increasing the number of stations, increasing the time spent at each station, increasing the number of complete circuits and by decreasing the rest periods.
Circuit training can be easily adapted to suit the trainer just by changing the stations. It can be designed to improve aerobic fitness, anaerobic fitness or both. It is suitable for all sports and can almost be designed to improve any aspect of fitness including speed. There are a number of training methods that I could follow that would enable me to improve my power. These methods are: Weight training can be used to improve muscular strength, muscular endurance and muscular power. In order to improve power I would need to use weights that work on improving muscular power.
Muscular power is improved by at least three sets of 10-15 repetitions. This should be done at speed and by using weights 60-80% of your 1 repetition maximum. Your 1 repetition maximum (1RM) is the heaviest weight you can lift once, for example if your 1RM was 100kg for a certain exercise and you were training for muscular power then you would lift 60-80kg 10-15 times and repeat at least three times. Weight training is suitable for any sportsman and is easily designed to work on a particular part of the body.
Circuit training once again is suitable for any aspect of fitness and is also suitable for improving power as well as speed. Both aspects of fitness could be improved in one session simply by adding appropriate exercises to each station and by including heavier weights in the circuit. Plyometric training involves a series of explosive movements like bounds, hops onto and off of boxes, leaps, skips, press ups with claps and throwing and catching a medicine ball all of which are designed to improve muscular power.
When doing plyometric training it puts great stress on joints so it is vital for beginners to warm up first. The aim of plyometric training is to improve muscle power by training the muscles to contract strongly. No extra weight is needed because the training involves using your own body weight in movements similar to those found in specific sports. It is suitable for all game players and in particular helps to improve the height you can jump which is good for me in order to win headers during football matches.
To become better at playing centre back I will need to concentrate especially on improving my weaknesses. The weaknesses I find I have are cardiovascular endurance, passing with my left foot and heading. Continuous training consists of working for sustained periods of time which uses all major muscle groups of the body. Continuous training requires working at the same pace for about 30 minutes – 2 hours. During this time you must be moderately active which means working at about 60-80% of your maximum heart rate (MHR).
Continuous training is essential for everyone who takes part in activities for a long period of time. Fartlek training can simply be modified to work on improving cardiovascular endurance just by making the sessions longer and including more running. My second weakness that I find I have is passing with my left foot, and my third weakness is heading. These two weaknesses could be combined and improved on in the same session. Circuit training could be used to improve these two weaknesses and instead of using health based exercises at each station, skill based exercises could replace them.
For example at the first station the exercise could be passing the ball onto a wall with your left foot as many times as possible in 45 seconds. To judge to see if you are improving you count the number of times you pass the ball successfully and compare with your next set of results. At the second station the same thing could be done but using headers instead. Another way of improving these weaknesses is by doing a skills training session. For this it is best to involve other players so they can help you improve. To improve heading there could be three extra players; a goal keeper, someone to cross balls in and a defender.
First a player would cross the ball in and I would be trying to win the header and header at goal, the job of the defender is to win the ball and the goal keeper’s job is obviously to save it. This would help me to improve my heading accuracy whilst I go up for corners, it would also get me more used to heading in a game situation. Once about 15-20 balls have been delivered I would then swap with the crosser and then cross balls in with my left foot in order to improve it. I could keep swapping the two positions 4 or 5 times until I show an improvement.