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The
Principles of Training
Competitive sport operates at such a high level in today's world such that you
can't simply compete regularly, and supplement this through routine
practices
that relies on doing more of the same basic workouts and be competitive.
Baseball players need to do more than just bat, runners need to do more
than just run, cyclists need to do more than simply ride their bikes for
longer distances, swimmers need to train outside of the pool…
Why are so many committed, hard-working athletes struggle to achieve
their very best … because they’re unable to identify which aspects of
fitness they may be lacking in. And this means they can’t adjust their
strengthen and conditioning training to address their weaknesses.
Study and analyze your sport
specific muscle mechanics requirements. This means knowing your
sport specific mechanics by position and define which muscle groups need
to be develop to achieve higher performance for your sport.
Develop a workout plan tailor to address the development of your sport
specific muscles. Schedule the plan with progress testing every
two weeks.
Large Muscle ... the large muscles in the body
are the foundation for stabilizing the smaller fast twitch muscle during
high intensity athletic activity.
The relationship between large muscle strength and fast twitch muscle
power capabilities is all interconnected. Athletes must have strong
large muscles to handle the power and speed generated
from the smaller fast twitch muscles. Otherwise, an athlete
ability to generate high rates of speed and power while controlling,
balancing and coordinating there body movements for high performance
athleticism is impractical.
Fast Twitch Muscles ... the fast twitch muscles, in the
sports world, are considered by most as the muscles that
separates the elite athletes from the others. If you want to be
faster, quicker, jump higher and have more agility, you need to do
exercises that develops the Fast Twitch Muscles.
Type of lift ... you need to know what types of
lifts that will address your sport specific muscle development. For example,
bulking lifting or high repetitions, speed lifting or slow methodical
lifting, free weights or nautilus or a combination of different types of
lifts.
Intensity ... the faster the lift, the greater the intensity.
Volume ... the greater the number of lifts, greater
muscle density will develop for an
increase in muscle size and strength. You can increase the volume by
either training frequently (say, four times per week instead of two) or
else training for longer per session (such as one hour instead of 30
minutes).
Variety ... switching around your workout routine, such as
regularly introducing new exercises, challenges your muscles and forces
them to adapt with increased size and strength.
Progressive overload ... gradually increasing your weights forces
your muscles to grow stronger and larger.
Rest ... you need to rest between sets. If your goal is muscle
size or endurance, rest for two minutes or so. If you want muscle
strength, allow up to four minutes between sets.
Recovery ... muscle needs time to repair and grow after a workout.
A good rule of thumb is to rest the muscle group for at least 24 hours
to allow sufficient recovery time before working the same muscle groups
again.
Type of exercise … Isometric exercises are greater for
developing holding strength and breaking barer, Repetitive exercises are greater
for developing the muscle full range of motion and repetitive pumps exercises are great for
developing range of motion and flexibility
Strength ... the extent to which muscles can exert force by
contracting against resistance (holding or restraining an object or
person)
Power ... the ability to exert maximum muscular contraction
instantly in an explosive burst of movements (jumping or sprint
starting)
Agility ... the ability to perform a series of explosive
power movements in rapid succession in opposing directions (zigzag
running or cutting movements)
Balance ... the ability to control the body’s position,
either stationary or while moving
Flexibility ... the ability to achieve an extended range of
motion without being impeded by excess tissue
Local Muscle Endurance ... a single muscle’s ability to
perform sustained work
Cardiovascular Endurance ... the heart’s ability to deliver
blood to working muscles and their ability to use it ( running long
distances)
Strength Endurance ... a muscle’s ability to perform a
maximum contraction time after time (continuous explosive rebounding
through an entire basketball game)
Speed … the ability to move at a fast rapid
rate of motion
Quickness … a muscle ability to react quickly in short linear or
multi-directional movements
Acceleration … the ability to increase
your speed to a higher velocity
Coordination ... the ability to integrate the above listed
components so that effective movements are achieved
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Basic Rules of Training
Mechanics First - Then
Resistance
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When you are sure you are using proper mechanics you
can safely add resistance to the exercise. Try adding a moderate amount of resistance
first, to insure that there are no unforeseen problems with the motion.
If all goes well with a moderate amount of resistance you should be able
to safely use the appropriate weight for the exercise.
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Muscle Balance
Muscle balance refers to the strength or endurance of one muscle or
muscle group in comparison to another muscle or muscle group.
The rule of balance means that each opposing muscle group (i.e. the
muscles on the front versus the back of a body segment or the muscles on
the right side versus the left) are exercised at a level to keep them at
an appropriate balance.
There is a different ratio that should be maintained for different
muscle groups. An example is the front and back of the thigh. The
muscles involved are the quadriceps muscles on the front of the thigh
and the hamstrings on the back. If the hamstring muscles were as strong
as the quadriceps muscles there would be an improper pull on the knee
joint. The quadriceps muscles should actually be approximately one and
one half times as strong as the hamstrings.
To prevent imbalance muscle group injuries, athletes should take
care to exercise the opposing muscle group to keep the muscles in
balance.
Do not exercise one muscle group and ignore the opposing
group.
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Muscle Development
When beginning a new workout
program, most individual experience a rapid increase in strength, followed
by a 'plateau' or leveling out of your strength improvements. But, after
this initial gain in muscle strength, new muscle strength is hard-earned.
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Breaking Plateau
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Breaking a plateau is one
of the tough challenges in all of athletics. To break a plateau is to
force new muscle grow and then develop it to its full potential. As
you see, this is a reoccurring event and it only stops when the mind
or the body or both fails to take the next challenge.
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When working out you will
rapidly develop muscle and power, but at some point it seems like you
cannot go any further. You might think you can't swing better, run any
faster or jump any higher. It seems like your muscle growth has hit a
wall, a plateau or barrier. Reaching a plateau means that you have
developed your current muscle set to its full potential. No need to be
discouraged, it is actually an encouraging sign.
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You must push yourself
past your limit, force your muscles to grow then develop that muscle
to its fullest potential. Elite athletes have a greater desire to push
themselves, to break as many new plateaus as possible or at least more
than the average athlete. If you continue to push yourself you will
break that barrier and that muscle will continue to grow. This could
take anywhere from 1 to 4 months but you will know when you have
broken that barrier. For example you may run faster, jump higher or
develop a more powerful swing. This is what separates elite athletes
from all other athletes.
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Rest And Recovery
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During bouts of intense exercise, the muscles being used incur very
small micro-tears in the fibers of the muscle. This breaking down and
repairing of the muscle contributes to strength and fitness gains. It is
necessary to rest the muscle for around 24 - 48 hours for full recovery to
take place.
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For instance you may work the upper body on Monday,
Wednesday and Friday; and the lower body on Tuesday, Thursday and
Saturday. You can split it up any way you want, as long as each muscle
gets 24 - 48 hours rest between sessions.
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Simple Rules Of Variety
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When you perform the same exercise, in the same way, at the same
intensity, all of the time, your muscle "learns" the motion. When the
muscle learns an exercise, it becomes more efficient at the motion.
Becoming more efficient is great for skill events such as shooting a
basketball or putting a golf ball.
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But, in terms of training muscles for greater strength and power this
is not good. You will not get the gain in strength that you desire out
of exercises designed to teach the muscle a repeatable motion.
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You must continually "shock" the muscles with new motions or intensities
in order to keep up the efficiency of the exercise. You should change
the intensity, motion, technique, volume or body position often. Do not
change exercises just to change. The focus of the new exercise should
meet the requirements of your workout goals.
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Adding variety to your workout will also keep you from becoming bored
with your routine and will help keep you motivated.
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The rules of variety does not apply to exercises that are being
develop for repeatability and accuracy.
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