Research Paper on "Training Programme for Female Athlete"

Research Paper 12 pages (3508 words) Sources: 8 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Strength training norms suggest that this woman should be able to complete at least three-to five traditional pull-ups given her previous level of athletic activity (Baechle & Earle, 2008), and after administering the pull-up test a total of three times, it will be possible to determine her baseline level of arm, back and shoulder strength. The second strength test to be utilized during the pre-implementation stage involves the athlete performing a basic strength training circuit. By utilizing a standard arrangement of 12 repetitions of various resistance training exercises to target the major muscle groups at an intensity between 40% and 80%, along with a one-repetition maximum lift (RM) to assess the core strength level of our 20-year-old female athlete, it will be possible to determine her natural ability to perform bicep curls, lat pulls, and pectoral flys (Kraemer & Knuttgen, 2003). A rest period of between two and three minutes will be provided between each set of exercises on this strength testing circuit, which will allow her muscles to properly recover from the resistance training, and a total of two to four sets will be used to target each major muscle group.

In order to test the athlete's relative level of muscular flexibility, I would administer a series of stretching tests designed to gauge both her endurance and her muscle lengthening. Research on flexibility training has consistently demonstrated that stretching exercises promote the natural lengthening of one's muscles -- along with the tendons associated with each muscle group -- while reversing the phenomenon of shortened or tightened muscles which may occur directly following a course of vigorous strength training (McArdle, Katch & Katch, 2006). Through the act of stimulating the natural lengthening of crucial muscles, a warm-up routine of basic stretching exercises encourages a greater level of muscular flexibility, a term which describes the ability of the body's joints to effect a full range of motion. Numerous comparative analyses of warm-up routines that are based on static stretching against those that do not include static stretching have revealed that pre-exercise static stretching improves flexibility to the point where one's risk of becoming injured during intense bouts of strength training are drastically reduced (Nobrega, A.C., Paula, K.C., & Carvalho, 2005). To test this young athlete's relative level of flexibility, she would be asked to perform a series of basic to intermediate level stretching exercises, while being timed for endurance and measured for range of movement in the joints. The objective of this test would be to determine how long she is able to hold a particular stretch of any given muscle, as well as the scope of her joint's natural range of motion, and this data would provide the baseline against which further progress would be measured.

Implementation Stage

a. 12-week schedule (Point 4(a) will probably require many pages)

To begin the 12-week training schedule, I would have our 20-year-old female athlete report to the gymnasium at 9:00am, and the regimen would begin with a series of simple yet effective stretching exercises designed to enhance muscular flexibility. Here, the athlete will stand erect with their arms elevated and outstretched to the side, before slowly undulating her shoulders in a circular motion. This stretch would target her trapezius muscles in the shoulder, as well as many muscles in the arms and neck. The next stretching exercise would involve the athlete performing one set of 20 jumping-jacks, followed by a brief one-minute rest period, and another set of 20 jumping jacks. This exercise -- wherein the athlete stands erect and spreads her legs apart, while holding her arms overhead clapping her hands together to the beat of alternating jumps -- works to increase the body's heart rate and stimulate blood flow to several of most important muscle groups to be targeted later via strength training. A warm-up consisting of stretching exercises like this is an excellent way to stimulate cardiovascular activity at the beginning of the workout (Miller, Balady & Fletcher, 1997), while also loosening various core muscles throughout the arms and legs (including the calves, hip abductors and adductors, shoulder abductors and adductors, and the abdominal core). The 12-week training programme would be divided into four distinct sections, with activity levels increasing on a progressive basis, so that during the first three-week period the athlete will perform warm-up stretching for a period of ten minutes, with the stretching increased to 15 minutes during the second three-week period, 20 minutes during the third quarter, and 30 minutes during the last four weeks of training. This escalation and progression is intended to match the athlete's expected increases in muscle mass and muscular strength, while also preparing her for the more intense strength training aspects of the programme which will be integrated during the last six weeks.

After this series of warm-up stretches has been completed, the athlete will rest and recover for a period of three minutes, before moving on to the strength training portion of the regimen. Beginning with a set each of ten pull-ups and twenty push-ups, the athlete will use her own body weight to provide natural resistance, strengthening her biceps, triceps and trapezius muscles through the repetitive act of forcing them to contract. During the first quarter of the 12-week programme, these manual resistance exercises will be carefully monitored to ensure that the athlete is capable of performing at or above her expected baseline levels, and if so, the expectation will be to double the amount of reps in each set every three weeks.

Transitioning from manual resistance training using the athlete's natural body weight to more intensified strength training exercises using a circuitous machine represents the next step in this programme's physical progression. After resting and recovering for seven minutes after the previous pull-up and push-up session, making sure to adequately rehydrate with both natural water and electrolyte-infused sports beverages, the athlete will move to a basic weight training circuit machine. Utilizing an interchangeable series of weights, cables and pulleys, these weight training machines provide the most efficient and effective way to stimulate the entire musculature during a single workout, because transitioning from a pec fly which builds chest strength to a leg extension press which builds quadriceps strength takes less than a minute. The following exercises -- along with the major muscle groups to be built, and the set/rep combination for each exercise -- will be included in the circuit training portion of this strength training programme:

Leg extension/leg press - Quadriceps -- 2 sets of 12-15 reps

Hamstring curl -- Hamstrings - 2 sets of 12-15 reps

Seated row - Rhomboids - 2 sets of 10-12 reps

Bench press/chest press -- Pectorals - 2 sets of 12-15 reps

Biceps curl - Biceps - 2 sets of 15-20 reps

Triceps extension - Triceps - 2 sets of 12-15 reps

Abdominal crunches - Rectus abdominus -- 2 sets of 20-30 reps

Back extensions - Erector spinae -- 2 sets of 10-15 reps

By carefully monitoring the athlete's progress and performance during the programme's first three-week quarter, I would expect to increase the number of sets for each of these strength training circuit exercises to 3 in the second three-week quarter; and 4 in the next quarter; with the number of reps being doubled in the last three-week quarter of the programme.

b. How progression was implemented in the programme (explain in 1 short paragraph)

The fundamental physiological exercise principle of progression was integrated throughout this 12-week programme, because a baseline level of performance was identified during the pre-implementation (testing) stage, with subsequent additions to the athlete's workload being made only when she was ready to perform at that level. For example, during the first three-week quarter of the programme, the athlete would be expected to perform stretches for a period of 10 minutes, followed by 15 minutes during the second three-week period, 20 minutes during the third quarter, and 30 minutes during the last four weeks of training. This steady escalation of expectations forces the athlete to continually challenge themselves on a mental level, while also providing her muscles with increasingly intense contractions and refractory periods, which is the foundation of healthy muscle growth. The element of progression was also integrated within the strength training portion of the programme, as the athlete's sets and reps were continually increased along with her ability to lift additional amounts of weight.

c. How specificity was implemented in the programme (explain in 1 short paragraph)

Specificity was implemented within the programme by choosing a carefully designed set of weight training exercises and circuit machine activities to target as many muscles as possible. Each exercise focuses exclusively on a fundamental muscle or muscle group, allowing the athlete to focus her energies fully on developing strength in the bicep, abdominal region, quadriceps, etc. By arranging the exercises in such a way as to provide the athlete's muscles with unanticipated challenges -- by changing the order of the circuit training routine, for example -- the concept of specificity… READ MORE

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