The level of physical fitness is necessary to take on the demands of regular sporting activities. Although we may be fit from a health related point of view we may not be fit for sport. The purpose and aim of my training programme will be to work over a period of six weeks to improve my overall fitness and particularly my muscular endurance and strength for my chosen sport which is horse riding.
I will be using circuit training, and jogging mainly in the programme but I will incorporate a bit of swimming into it to help build up the strength in my muscles and also stamina. Having this bit of variety in my programme will also help to prevent the tedium that may occur whilst training. Before embarking on my training programme, I need to know what my general fitness level is. With this and taking my chosen activity into account I will be able to design an appropriate programme with the right amount and type of training.
At the present time my current level of fitness has decreased from its usual level, as I have not been attending the usual sports practices I would normally do. At the moment I would get the bus up to the stables and walk briskly for the ten minutes to the yard, then ride for up to an hour everyday, also working with the horse before and after actually getting on. I take part in sports in class without any problem and I’m never pushed by these activities.
But this is all, I would have usually attended two athletics practices a week or Netball practices on top of this, but due to other commitments this has stopped. We did some fitness tests not long ago just as I had stopped my extra sports activities. I was testing speed, agility, balance, coordination, reaction time and the various components of strength. These were my results: I’m aware that safety is very important in any sport or training that you do.
This is to prevent injury, whether that is minor, irreversible or even fatal as some sports can be. Safety is not only for you but others too so if you are irresponsible it could result in someone else being injured, not just you. One of the main things in sport is a good warm up and cool down. The warm up should include: a gentle exercise for the whole body, such as light jogging-this gradually increases heart rate, breathing and blood supply to the muscles, it also warms up our muscles and prepares us mentally for the session.
Gentle stretching to prepare muscles, ligaments and joints, and practicing techniques and skills that might be used in the session should all be completed at this point. Then the cool down should be done after the session to avoid going from hard exercise immediately to rest. The light exercise will: shorten the recovery time by removing carbon dioxide, lactic acid and other waste products, keeps the blood circulating well through the body and prevents the blood pressure from lowering too much which may cause dizziness.
The slow decrease in exercise will prevent muscle soreness and stiffness. Warm up and cool down are not the only safety points we have to take into consideration though, the correct clothing and equipment are also very important. People should wear clothes that are comfortable and safe. Some sports may require protective equipment such as shin pads in football, helmets for horse riding and padding for the batters in cricket.
Footwear should be comfortable and safely support the foot, also no jewelry should be worn to save it catching on clothing or equipment and ripping your skin. Also we must think about the equipment we use. We need to learn how to use pieces of equipment properly so we don’t damage it or harm ourselves. For example we must take special care when using free weight not attached to a machine, as they can cause injury if not lifted, carried or placed down in the safe manner in which you should have been taught.