5.4 Principles of Training in Sports

A coach designs a different training strategy for each of the athletes in her team based on their most up-to-date game analysis data. This is an example of

• duration.

• intensity.

• specificity.

• variety.

An athlete who is deciding how often they should train to get the best results is applying the principle of training known as

• duration.

• frequency.

• intensity.

• specificity.

The specific muscles (or parts of the body) that are targeted during a particular training session influence the frequency of training sessions in a microcycle because

• you can train your lower body more often than you can train your upper body.

• you can train your upper body more often than you can train your lower body.

• you can only ever train the same muscles or body parts every third day.

• if a training session targets particular muscles or parts of the body on one day, it is possible to train different muscles or parts of the body the next day.

Some of the ways in which intensity can be measured include

• the relative percentage of maximum heart rate, the relative percentage of VO_{2} max, the lactate threshold, and the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale.

• the relative percentage of maximum heart rate, the relative percentage of VO_{2} max, the lactate threshold, and the length of a session.

• the lactate threshold, weights/reps/sets, and the length of a session.

• the lactate threshold, weights/reps/sets, and the type of activity completed.

Training to meet personal goals and training objectives are examples of which principle of training?

• individuality.

• intensity.

• progressive overload.

• variety.

Duration is a principle of training that states

• the number of times training occurs should be appropriate for the selected sport or physical activity.

• the time spent completing a particular activity within a training session should be appropriate for the selected sport or physical activity.

• the magnitude of exertion should be appropriate for the selected sport or physical activity.

• the length of training time should be appropriate for the selected sport or physical activity.

Darcy is developing a training strategy for high jump that aims to develop the efficiency of her ATP–PC system. Which of the following is most suitable for measuring the intensity of her efforts during training sessions?

• The relative percentage of maximum heart rate

• The height of the bar

• The speed of approach

• The Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale

Over several microcycles, an athlete gradually increases the physical demands of his training in order to drive physiological adaptations. This principle of training is known as

• (A) progressive overload.

• (B) specificity.

• (C) intensity.

• (D) selective overload.

Including a variety of different activities in a training program is important as it

• (A) increases the chance of physiological adaptation.

• (B) prevents automation.

• (C) makes it easier to apply progressive overload.

• (D) improves the specificity of training.

For a chronic physiological adaptation to be achieved (and result in measurable improvements in performance), a training program should generally run for a minimum of

• (A) 4–10 weeks.

• (B) 6–10 weeks.

• (C) 8–12 weeks.

• (D) 10–14 weeks.