Introduction
A well established and design training program is beneficial and significant for all athletes. This is because training program helps athletes to attain more significant gains in techniques, fitness as well as in other areas if the training program is well designed, structured, and goal-oriented. This paper seeks to discuss the 36-week training program designed for 31 years old athlete.
Before designing and structuring the training program for the 31-year-old female athlete, various activities will be undertaken including; Establishing training goals for the client, carry out fitness assessment on the client, Interpret, Translate, and Integrate Results, establish the client-centric plan and finally implement the plan(Medicine, 2019). Besides, before designing the training program periodization, which refers to the logical planning of physical training of an athlete will be established. Periodization entails advanced cycling of multiple aspects of the training program during a particular period. Besides, periodization helps in dividing the training program in various phases that focus on accomplishing different goals. This training program will encompass the following fundamental components; Repetitions, Sets, Training intensity, repetition Tempo, Training volume, rest interval and training frequency.
The 36-week training program for the 31-year-old female athlete will be divided into six phases; Phase 1; Phase 2; Phase 3; Phase 4; Phase 5 and Phase 6. During each phase, various training exercises will be carried out to aid in addressing multiple components such as stabilization, strength, power, flexibility, endurance as well as speed.
Phase 1: Stabilization
Phase1 (stabilization phase) is also referred to as the base period. This phase will approximately take a duration of 12 weeks. This phase is established and designed to help in not only enhancing the current fitness of the athlete but also to develop her aerobic capacity. The plan for this training will include six workouts sheets per week that is two-swim workouts, two bike cycling workouts, and two-run workouts. The athlete will be training for six days for a week while Mondays will be rest days. During phase 1(stabilization) of the training program (1-12) weekly volume will range between 3-5 hours on a daily basis.
During this phase one of the training program the following training exercises will be undertaken to aid in improving the current fitness of the athlete;
Aerobic training exercise: This training exercise will be carried out to help in stimulating the heart of the athlete towards adapting to changes in oxygen levels by becoming more prominent and stronger through the training exercise thus supplying the body with adequate amounts of oxygen. It involves an activity that makes a person to breathe quickly like sprinting or lifting heavyweights. Aerobic exercise helps the heart to become more efficient by pumping blood per beat to the other parts of the body, thus supplying the body with sufficient oxygen. Besides, aerobic training exercise will help to remove lactic acid, which is produced during running activity, and it usually causes fatigue (Medicine, 2019). In this case, the athlete will be taking the following aerobic exercises during the training sessions daily; spinning, cardio machines, cycling, swimming, kickboxing, dancing, and aerobic classes. During the training program, heart rate will be used as a tool for measuring and monitoring the intensity of training activity that will be determined by various mathematical formulas that commonly used in estimating the maximum heart rate.
In addition to aerobic training, the athlete will undertake cardiorespiratory performance training exercise. This training exercise program will help in building the cardiorespiratory base and also enhance the conditioning of the body. These exercises should be carried out repetitively with high intensity to ensure that the athlete is physically fit for athletic sports.
Phases 2; 3 &4(Strength building phase)
Phases 2, 3 &4 will focus primarily on building strength for the athlete. This phase will approximately take 16 weeks. The weekly volume will range between 6-7 hours. During this phase, various balance training exercises will be carried out during the training program to help the athlete in building strength. According to Medicine (2019), balance training exercises represent one of the most fundamental components of an integrated training program. According to various studies, poor posture, dysfunction of joints, and kinesthesia are likely to lead to more significant imbalances. In this regard, it is essential to consider balance training before designing an integrated training program for the athlete.
It is, therefore, imperative to understand that balance training exercises play a significant role in improving the efficiency of neuromuscular muscles, stimulating joints and muscular receptors, thus encouraging maximal sensory to the central nervous system. In this case, to build the strength of the athlete, the following strength-building exercises will be carried out in these phases;
Balance strength exercises; these exercises involve both eccentric and concentric act of moving and balancing legs through a range of motions. The balance strength exercises play an essential in building the strength of an athlete by enhancing neuromuscular efficiency of human movement system (Medicine, 2019). Various movements need dynamic control of our motions with isometric stabilization of mid-motion range. This exercise will help the athlete to increase her speed. The balance strength exercise may involve single-leg squat, single-leg squat touch down or even single-leg squat touchdown with an overhead press.
Through balance strength exercises, the athlete will be able to gain a sense of control of joints and how the body moves. Besides, balance training exercise plays a vital role in giving athletes more power since it enables them to learn on how to use the force of gravity efficiently.
Besides, single-leg deadlift exercise can be carried out during this phase by the athlete to strengthen her hamstring and glutes. Moreover, it will help in challenging the athlete balance and thus forcing to pull her abs more tightly hence building more stability and strength. If balance training exercises are performed with the greater intensity, they help athletes to jump higher and run faster
Phase 5 & 6 (power exercises)
These phases will take approximately a duration of 8 weeks. In this regard, the athlete will be required to undertake balance power exercises. A person performs the balance power exercises by hopping from one foot to another or through performing hoping movements on the same foot. (Medicine, 2019). This kind of exercise requires higher levels of eccentric strength, vibrant neuromuscular efficiency as well as reactive stabilization of joints. This type of exercises is carried out by hopping from one foot to another or hopping on the same foot and holding the landing process for about 3-5 seconds. To implement the balancing training exercises successfully, sports professionals are required to follow the program strategy systematically to ensure safety and also enhance the effectiveness of the program. Balancing training exercises will be selected for the athlete if she reaches the strength level of training that is phase 2,3 &4.
Besides, the athlete will be required to carry out sprint exercises as this will help her build power. Sprint exercises have a lot of benefits including; burning fats, building quads and hamstrings, establishing athleticism as well as in building control.
Moreover, the athlete will be required to undertake sled pushed exercises which should be combined with sprints. In this case, the athlete will be required to load a sled with weight and then push the sled as fast as possible to develop legs power. Also, the athlete should use both and lighter weights in her sled sprints. The athlete will be required to carry out sprints between 10-20 yards. Perform 4-8 sets of these sprints to reap benefits of this exercise. Also, the athlete will be required to perform Lunge jump power exercise. This exercise is great, especially for individuals who do not have room to carry out training.
When carrying out the above exercises, the athlete will be required to perform 3-5 sets of approximately 4-8 reps. When performing power exercises, the athlete is advised to perform them with explosive anger. Besides, the athlete is advised to perform these exercises, particularly at the start of her workout before commencing strength training exercises. Also, the athlete will be required to take some time to rest in between sets and also ensure that she perform power exercises when she is not exhausted.
In conclusion, A well established and design training program is beneficial and significant for all athletes because training program helps them to attain greater gains in techniques, fitness as well as in other areas if the training program is well designed, structured and goal-oriented.
References
Medicine, N. A. (2019). Essentials of Sports Performance Training; 2nd Edition. Burlington, MA: Jones & Barlett Learning.