6 Month Periodized Plan

1) My client is a 20 year old female. She is 5 foot 6 and ways 120 pounds. This

means that her BMI is 19.4, well within the means of average. My client does

not have any physical conditions that would hamper any training; also she has

no physiological conditions. Although her family has had history of some

heart problems, and breathing problems, mostly in the air passage, not any

problems with the lungs them selves. My client had a broken ankle when she

was younger, but has not been affected in the since the healing of the injury.

My client in the past played sports in high school such as volleyball and was

on a swimming team. Recently in the last two years she has not played sports

regularly and does not exercise regularly. I would rate her as a healthy, but

low fitness level female.

2) My client is training to become a Winnipeg police officer and is looking to be

able to complete the POPAT in the time required to pass the test. The test

includes first, an agility course which includes 400 meters of running during

which there will be obstacles of fences, stairs, and mat jumps. The next step is

the push/pull station where you will have to push and pull 80 pounds of

weight. The last section is the fifty foot dead lift, where you will lift 80

pounds of weight in your arms in front of you and carry it fifty feet. So her

overall goal is to pass the POPAT test. My objectives for her in the training

period are first; to increase upper and lower body strength by 20-25%. Second

is to increase range of motion/flexibility in lower body by 10%. Third is to

increase aerobic capacity (V02max) by 10%.

3) The macrocycles that I am going to be using are preparatory/base, general

competition/build, and specific competition/peak. The reason that I am using

these three macrocycles is because of what her main goal is. Her goal is to

pass the POPAT test, which in this training plan will constitute the major

competition at the end of her training. The preparatory macrocycle will be

used to introduce her to the resistance exercises that we will be doing in the

workout gym. It will also be used to give all the basic techniques, and get her

use to all the exercises that she will be doing in the gym. The last thing it will

be used for is to introduce her running plan. These will not be long runs as her

test only requires her to finish the agility in less than 4 min and 15 seconds.

This means we will start with moderate intensity for around ten, this way not

to push to hard. The general competition state will be the hardest macrocycle

in the sense of intensity. In this stage we will have the most amounts of

hypertrophy and growth for upper and lower body strength. Also we hope to

attain the objective of the range of motion in this stage. Finally in this stage

we hope to have her running intensity increase greatly and finish at the point

where she can run about 800 meters in around 3 minutes, which should reach

our objective of aerobic capacity. The last stage is specific competition, in

which we hope to add the skill part of her training, maintain strength and

range of motion. We will be introducing skill component to the cardiovascular

running part of her training program, such as stairs, hurdles, and mat jumps.

This will allow her to get use to the feeling of the agility test. We will also be

making her do dead lifts with movement. We will be decreasing intensity for
 the last stage this way we can maintain strength and range of motion, increase

skill component and decrease fatigue. This way she will be in optimal shape to

take the test.

4) The five factors that are possibly used in a training regiment are; strength,

speed, stamina, suppleness, and skill. I will be using four out of these five. I

will not be using a speed component since there is no part in the test where

sprints or very quick movements are needed. The major factor that I am going

to be emphasizing early is strength. Strength will be trained during the first

two macrocycles, with a peaking in intensity and workload during the second

marcocycle, and then will be maintained through the last mesocycle. This

factor is most important for reaching our 20-25% increase in upper and lower

body strength objective. Stamina will be trained during the first two

macrocycles, with peaking intensity during the second macrocycle. We will be

maintaining stamina through the third and last macrocycle. This factor will be

most important in obtaining our increase of 10% in aerobic capacity.

Suppleness will be trained throughout all three macrocycles but will change in

type, where static and passive stretching will be used through the entire first

and half of the second macrocycle. We will then change to dynamic and

ballistic stretching for the last half of the second and the entire third

macrocycle. Intensity and workload will be relatively constant through out the

training plan. This will be most important in reaching our objective of an

increase of 10% flexibility in the lower body. The last factor is skill, which

will be the most important factor towards the end of our training program. We
 will start training this skill half way through the second macrocycle and

continue until the end of the training program. This will allow all the other

factors to be relatively trained before starting the skill factor. The skill factor

will have the most workload out of any other factor in the third macrocycle to

allow my client to get ready for the test. This factor will have the most impact

on whether my client will reach her overall goal of passing the POPAT test.

5) Mesocycle 1

- The focus of this mesocycle was to introduce her to strength training,

cardiovascular activity and flexibility exercise. We have low intensity with

high volume that way learning can take place. In this cycle we wanted to

make sure technique is perfect for higher intensities.

Mesocycle 2

- The focus of mesocycle two was to increase the intensity, and overall

workload of the first cycle. We wanted to build on the basics. This cycle

was all about gaining muscle mass, increasing body strength, and

increasing intensity of running.

Mesocycle 3

- This mesocycle has the most intensity and the most workload of any other

cycle in the program. I introduced power to strength to gain more muscle,

and to increase specific strength. Also I introduced threshold training to

push the limits of V02. I also introduced active stretching so that my client

gets use to moving in more flexible poses.

 Mesocycle 4

- This cycle is meant for two reasons, first is to test the objectives that we

set at the start of the plan. We have stopped our major increases in

strength and aerobic capacity, so testing can happen at this point. The

second is to start to introduce the skill component of our actual

competition, where volume is high and intensity is low. She would be able

to learn skill at low intensity to perfect skill for latter.

Mesocycle 5

- This cycle is all about training specifically to the competition. We train

our strength for endurance purposes, and specific drills. We use our

aerobic capacity in intervals of high intensity for around 4 minutes, just

like our competition. Also our flexibility is changed to dynamic and

ballistic drills for very competition like movements.

Mesocycle 6

- This last cycle is has very little workload as we want to reduce fatigue

going into the competition. At this point we are making the course and making

her run through it. We are incorporating agility in any aerobic activity. At this

point we are maintaining our major factors, and increasing skill to our

maximal point for our competition.

6) The test that I will be assessing with goes as follows:

- Lower body flexibility test

- 1) Sit and reach test

- Strength test
 - 2) 1RM bench press

- 3) 1 RM squat

- V02 max test

- 4) Sub-max V02 test – single stage treadmill walking test

Protocol

1) - Sit on the floor with your back and head against a wall. Legs should

be out straight ahead and knees flat against the floor.

- Have someone place the box flat against your feet with no shoes. Keeping

your back and head against the wall stretch your arms out towards the box.

- Have someone place the ruler on the box and move the zero end towards

your fingertips. When the ruler touches you fingertips you have the zero

point and the test can begin.

- Lean forward slowly as far as possible keeping the fingertips level with

each other and the legs flat. Your head and shoulders can come away from

the wall now. Don’t jerk or bounce to reach further.

- Slowly reach along the length of the ruler 3 times. On the third attempt

reach as far as possible and hold for 2 seconds. Have your training partner

read the score. Repeat twice and compare your best score with the table

below.

- There are charts available to see what percentile your client is in, but in

this instance we are just referencing on past test.

2)

- Instruct the client proper technique for flat barbell bench press.
 - The instructor will stand at the head end of the bar at all times to help with

failed attempts or to put bar back on stand.

- Let the client to a specific warm-up with around 5-10 reps of moderate

load.

- Have two heavier sets of 2-4 reps before actual 1 RM’s start.

- If 1 RM is completed, raise weight and try new 1 RM until max is found.

3)

- Instruct client proper technique for 90° 1 RM max squat

- You will have two instructors, one on either side of the client, this will help

if the client fails and also to help putting the bar back on the stand.

- Let the client to a specific warm-up with around 5-10 reps of moderate

load.

- Have two heavier sets of 2-4 reps before actual 1 RM’s start.

- If 1 RM is completed, raise weight and try new 1 RM until max is found.

4)

- Prepare the client with a heart rate monitor, and determine the resting heart

rate. Determine the client’s 50-70% HR max range.

- Have the client straddle the treadmill. Start the treadmill to 0% grade and

2.0 mph.

- Have the subject start walking and ask them to adjust the speed so that they

are at a brisk walk, with a max speed of 4.5mph. Start the watch for a four

minute warm-up.
 - Make such the client is within the 50-70% range, or adjust the speed

accordingly.

- After warm-up, increase the grade to 5%, and start the stopwatch for a four

minute test phase.

- In the last 10 seconds of each minute record heart rate.

- Ensure the client reaches steady state by 4 minutes, if not then add a minute

to allow for steady state.

- After steady state let there be a cool down for 2-5 minutes.

- Use formula to calculate predicted V02max.

7) I have two very good examples that show how life events influence the training

plan developed. The first example is the written exam that my client has to take for the

police force. This test takes great mental focus and helps to have a low fatigue level. I

had planned to have shock phase during this month, which I did incorporate but moved

them to the front of the month rather then the middle. This allowed for a regular week of

work, and a rest week during her test, which would allow her to have focus for her test.

The second example is Christmas and New Years. I know that my client has a big family

and is 20 years old. This means that there will be a little amount of time during this week

or so for work. This is why I changed to give her extra days off instead of three, but to

increase the intensity during these weeks. Life events did change the training plan but did

not change what I wanted to do, just in what order I wanted to do it,