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In order to get the most out of your training, you must follow some basic simple training principles which are overload, specificity, reversibility, and variance.
Overload means we must put our bodies under more stress than normal in order for adaptive changes to be made. Specificity relates to ensuring the training done is specific to the sport or activity. Reversibility means if you don’t keep it up you will lose it and variance relates to varying the training activities.
What are the basic principles of training?
The basic training principles for all physical exercise are:
Overload
In order to progress and improve our fitness, we have to put our bodies under additional stress. Applying this training principle will cause long-term adaptations, enabling our bodies to work more efficiently to cope with this higher level of performance. Overloading can be achieved by following the acronym FITT:
Frequency: Increasing the number of times you train per week
Intensity: Increasing the difficulty of the exercise you do. For example, running at 12 km/h instead of 10 or increasing the weight you are squatting with.
Time: Increasing the length of time that you are training for each session. For example, cycling for 45 minutes instead of 30.
Type: Increase the difficulty of the training you are doing. For example progress from walking to running.
Specificity
This principle of training relates to the type of training that you do. It should be specific to you and your sport. You should train the energy system which you use predominantly (i.e. don’t run 5,000 meters in training if you’re a sprinter!) and the fitness and skill components most important to your sport, for example, agility, balance, or muscular endurance.
Another example is to swim a lot in training and then expect your running to improve significantly. Your general fitness will improve so therefore your running may also improve, not nowhere near as much as if you focus on running instead of swimming.
You should also test the components which are important in your sport to see your strengths and weaknesses. With this information, you can focus on improving your weak points.
Reversibility
Use it or lose it! Basically, if you stop training then the improvements you have made will be reversed. So if you are ill or have a holiday and do not train for a period of time (even as little as a week) you may not be able to resume training at the point where you left off.
Variance
Try to vary your training. This keeps you interested and gives your body different challenges. Remember a change is as good as a rest with this training principle. Many professional athletes will play a completely different sport in-between their main season, to keep their fitness up whilst still having a rest!
Principles of training quizzes
Training principles External links
- Sports injuries at Sportsinjuryclinic.net
The principle of specificity states that sports training should be relevant and appropriate to the sport for which the individual is training in order to produce the desired effect. Additionally, training should progress from general conditioning to specific training for the particular skills required in that sport or activity.
Essentially, specificity training means that you must perform the skill in order to get better at it. It is the principle behind that old saying, "practice makes perfect."
In order to perform most sports and physical activities, you need a base level of fitness. The specificity principle of sports conditioning comes into play when an athlete wishes to excel in a specific sport or activity. Your training must go from highly general—such as lifting weights and cardio—to very specific so it includes performing that exercise or skill. For instance, to be a good cyclist, you must cycle. A runner should train by running, and a swimmer should train by swimming.
In sports that require a wider set of skills, a training program may break down different components. For example, in baseball you would train for batting, catching, throwing, or pitching. In basketball, training would consist of agility and bursts of speed as well as shooting accuracy.
Training mimics the action and skills that will be needed in the game or activity. It may concentrate on any combination of fitness components, such as strength, power, and endurance. For instance, while a marathon runner will train more for endurance and strength, a weightlifter is more concerned with strength and power.
The primary goal of specificity of training is to condition the muscles that will be used in the target activity. Over time, you develop muscle memory for specific actions so you can perform them without having to concentrate on them.
As you train, you are able to master the skills you will need and learn the best form to use. You can also progress to learning variations of those skills, which may be even more useful during a game or activity.
If you are training to run a race, for instance, you will work on your speed and endurance. But you also want to train under conditions that will mimic the race itself. This includes training in the same sort of terrain with hills, pavement, and weather conditions to build up to the distance and pace required.
While you could simply run on a treadmill, that would not prepare you mentally and physically for the varied conditions you will find in a road race.
A well-designed training program does not neglect aspects of fitness that aren't specific to a sport. You still need to maintain overall fitness and balance the development of opposing muscle groups.
If you focus only on drills and skills specific to your sport, you may end up unbalanced. This may inhibit your athletic ability and performance in the long run.
The six principles of sports conditioning are the cornerstone of all other effective training methods. These cover all aspects of a solid foundation of athletic training.
- Individual differences: Everyone is unique, so training must be adapted to the individual.
- Overload: In order to improve your fitness, you need to increase the stress or load the muscles are exposed to.
- Progression: As your fitness level improves, your training should become more difficult and the workload greater.
- Adaptation: Your body's ability to adapt over time to an increase in exercise can dictate your training.
- Use and disuse: To maintain conditioning, you need to keep using your muscles.
- Specificity: Training for a particular athletic activity.
Once put together, the most logical training program involves a periodized approach that cycles the intensity and training objectives. The training must be specific not only to your sport but to your individual abilities. This includes your tolerance to training stress, recoverability, and outside obligations, among others.
It is also important to increase the training loads over time, allowing some workouts to be less intense than others. Training needs to be regular as well. Sessions should be frequent enough to prevent a detraining effect and to force an adaptation to what you may encounter on game or race day.
The best athletic training programs offer a well-rounded schedule that applies to the principles of sports conditioning. The specificity of your training is going to depend on your sport of choice as well as your individual needs. Keep in mind, however, that developing great athletic skills should not be too focused and should include elements that work on your overall fitness.