Fitness

Training
Principles

Key Knowledge
Fitness

training principles including

intensity, duration, frequency, overload,
specificity, individuality, diminishing
returns, variety, reversibility,
maintenance and de-training

Specificity
Of all the principles of training, specificity is the most important.
Without your training efforts matching what you will need in
your competitive setting, you will be wasting your training time.
There are four aspects of activity analysis that specificity must
address:
the predominant energy systems
the fitness components used
the muscle groups used
the skills performed.

It would be silly for a volleyball player to be completing a lot of

continuous training. What would be more appropriate training
for them?

Applying specificity.

Looking at your activity analysis for your activity analysis

identify the specific fitness components/physical
requirements of the sport and list them. E.g muscular power
in legs

Use example in textbook on netball to help you.

Now apply the principal of specificity by selecting an

appropriate fitness tests.

Now list a few suggestions of how to train these fitness

components/physical requirements.

Learning activity: specificity

Choose four different physical activities, for
example:
athletics sprinting
triathlon
horseback riding (all day)
downhill running
water polo
skateboard riding.
For each activity, identify specificity in
training for the four categories listed in
Specificity. Discuss your ideas with
members of the class in small groups.

Your turn

Define specificity In your own words.

What is the best way to determine training intensity

What are the HR training zones for

Aerobic Anaerobic ATP-PC systems -

Intensity
To

match the athletes required use of the three energy

systems, training intensity needs to be at the following levels:

ATPPC

energy system 95100 per cent of maximum

heart rate (MHR)
Anaerobic Glycolysis energy system 8595 per cent of
MHR
Aerobic energy system 7085 per cent of MHR.
Therefore,

to improve the phosphate energy system by doing

50-metre sprints, the athlete needs to perform the sprints at
95100 per cent intensity (maximum effort) or the system is
not trained.

 List

the advantages and disadvantages

of using Max HR and VO2 max to
measure intensity?

Duration
Length of training session.
You will not make fitness gains unless you are
working at the required intensity for at least
20 minutes within a single exercise session.
For example, this is important for aerobic
training, where improvement requires a
minimum session of 20 minutes with the athlete
operating at 7085 per cent of their maximum
heart rate. This does not include warm up and
cool down

Duration continued
Duration

can also refer to the length of

time a training program can run for
to see results.
To see noticeable improvement in a
fitness component a training program
needs to be 6 weeks minimum in
length

Training
principle

Aerobic
training

Anaerobic
training

6 weeks
minimum

6 weeks
minimum

1216 weeks

8 weeks

Frequency

37 times per
week

35 times per
week

Intensity

7085 per cent

MHR

85100 per cent

MHR

Duration

Duration continued
Flexibility

gains can be made after a

minimum number of sessions as long as
the correct training principles are
followed for this training method.

Duration - Periodisation
Periodisation

is simply organising a training

program into manageable blocks of time that
include
Tapering (reducing training volumes) and
Peaking to ensure prime physiological and
psychological states for major events.
Macrocycle = Long Term goal e.g Aerobic
conditioning 6 weeks
Mesocycle = Medium Term e.g 3 weeks
Microcycle = Short Term 1 week Specific training
sessions

Periodisation example

Frequency
Maintenance

=2
training sessions a week
Improvement = 3 or
more sessions a week

Frequency
A key to frequency for anaerobic
training is to have rest days after an
anaerobic session.
The reason for this is muscle recovery is
important for this type of training.
A good session may be followed by a poor
one if the individual is not recovered.
Find a balance between training and
recovery.

Your turn

What is the minimum time is a training zone for you to see benefits?

What is the minimum number of weeks for a training program to show

measurable gains?

How many times a week should I train for maintenance?

How many times a week should I train to see improvement?

Progressive Overload
There

can be no improvement in
personal fitness levels without
progressively increasing or overloading
the existing training levels.
Overload must be done with the FITT
principal in mind.

Progressive overload
Progressive

overload
should be 1 variable
by not more than
10%

Progressive Overload Must

Sufficient

overload but not that an

athlete will get injured.
Maintain the original aim
Appropriate to the level of fitness of
individual.

What we can do to overload

Increase

the number of repetitions

(Frequency)
Increase the number of sets (FITT?)
Extra training sessions (FITT?)
Decrease recovery (FITT?)
Increase from 75% to 90% efforts
(FITT?)
Increase distances (FITT?)

Choose two separate examples of how we

could overload this training program
Interval

training session

Frequency

3 x per week
Intensity 90% max HR
Duration 25 minutes
Intervals Work 30 seconds: Rest 60
seconds

Examine the figure below and explain

the progress of each of the six subjects
in their application of progressive
overload. Consider:
For each one has the load been

Too Easy?
Just Right?
Too Hard?
Any other issues?

Variety
Training

can become boring, and the

athlete may drop out of the program if
there is insufficient variety.
What are some ways we can incorporate
variety into our programs.
Be careful when incorporating variety to
keep the principle of specificity.

Diminishing Returns
As

you develop your fitness it becomes

harder to see returns from training.
At the start you may see quick and big
returns but this will decrease the fitter
you get.
The fitter individuals are, the less likely
they are to improve further.

Detraining
Can

be described as a loss of fitness

when you stop training
Loss of fitness happens much faster
than gains.
The longer the training period the longer
it will take to diminish.
Aerobic degeneration is much faster (24 weeks) then anaerobic degeneration

Maintenance
Once

a required level of fitness has

been obtained the level of effort
required to maintain that level is not as
much as it took to get there.
Acquired fitness levels can be
maintained by carefully altering the FITT
principle

Individuality
All

individual responses to training will

be highly varied between different
people.