NSCA Performance training Journal
After reading article #1 by Cissik in the NSCA Performance training Journal, you are to compare and contrast the Principle of Specificity of Training and the Principle of Progressive Overloading. What are the differences between each approach? What are the benefits and drawbacks? Have you used either or both of these approaches in the past or do you have plans to use in the future? ****************************************************************************** Basic Principles of Strength Training and Conditioning John M. Cissik, MS, CSCS .0\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image002.jpg"> it one - the This cor-to effi- - the d . NSCA’s Performance Training Journal .0\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image004.jpg">7 Volume 1 Number 4 | www.nsca-lift.org/perform Failing to apply it will result in wasted energy and time, and it will result in frustration as gains do not materialize. When developing a conditioning program, you should con-sider the following: the movements to be trained; the muscles and joints to be trained; the energy system(s) to be trained; and the speed of movement. Strength and conditioning programs can be designed to enhance movements that are performed in athletics. This is important because this may improve an athlete’s perform-ance. It may do this by strengthening the movement; it may also accomplish this by allowing the athlete to practice the movement with resistance. It is also important because it can maximize an athlete’s training time and be used to help pre-vent injuries in the athletic event. A number of questions should be considered to help with this: 1. Is the activity performed standing? 2. What joints perform the activity? 3. Do the joints work together or sequentially? If sequen-tially, what is the sequence of movement? 4. What motions are performed by each joint? For example, basketball players want to become better verti-cal jumpers. The vertical jump is performed stand- .0\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image006.jpg"> include: the back squat, the front squat, the power clean, the power snatch, and the jerk to name a few. While exercises like the leg extension and the leg curl may strengthen the knee flexors and extensors, they do not involve exerting force against the ground and do not prepare the athlete to use his or her hips, knees, and ankles together. While movements are important, there are times when you may want to address specific muscles or joints in a condi-tioning program. This may be to prevent injuries, to rehabil-itate injuries, or to achieve a certain appearance. For example, a baseball pitcher may want to train the rotator cuff muscles, or a sprinter may want to address the hamstring muscles. You may want to target certain muscles to make them hyper-trophy for appearance, for example a body builder’s biceps. While movements are important for designing a condition-ing program, addressing specific muscles or joints may be necessary at times. Addressing movements, muscles, or joints assists with select-ing exercises. Things like workload, rest, and intensity are driven by the energy system(s) that you want to train. Energy system training is critical to improving athletic per-formance. Often performance is limited by your energy stores and your ability to replenish them, both of which are trainable. You can design conditioning programs to enhance the energy system(s) that are used in an athletic event. To do this, consider the following: 1. How long does the event last? 2. Is the event performed continuously? Or does the athlete get to rest? - . is for - NSCA’s Performance Training Journal .0\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image004.jpg">8 Volume 1 Number 4 | www.nsca-lift.org/perform acid. A hundred meter sprint that lasts ten seconds will rely heavily on the available stores of ATP and will be limited by the amount on hand. The length of the event can deceptive, however. For example, football game might last two Just looking at the length of might seem to indicate that aerobic energy system needs to be trained for football play-ers. In this case one needs to consider if the athletes are moving continuously. In the case of football the answer is the athletes rest between plays have a chance to recover their gy stores. In this case one consider how much time the actually spends moving before to rest. The average play may five or six seconds, which would cate that the sport is dependant upon the levels of in the muscles. Energy system training is important consideration because it helps to dictate how much weight to use, how many repeti tions to perform, and the amount of recovery time. If you interested in increasing the stores of ATP, then training will involve heavy weight, low repetitions, and lots of rest Glycolytic training will involve moderate reps, moderate weight, and little rest. Aerobic training means lighter weights, many repeti-tions, and no rest. A final consideration with specificity concerns the velocity of movement. The gains from exer-cise are specific to the velocities that the exercises are performed at. If exercises are performed at slow speeds, then we become stronger at slow speeds; however, there is lit-tle transfer to faster speeds. If exercises are performed stronger at faster athletics because few sports are performed .0\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image008.jpg"> at slow speeds. If one is designing a conditioning program for a sport that is performed at high then one will need to exercises that make ath-high speeds. These variations of the clean, the snatch, and exercises, and sprints. specificity is important gains are made. The because it ensures make gains from your of states that in order from an exercise pro-some way to make it because bodies adapt to is that once your workload, it will not unless the workload is you do not continue you will plateau is necessary to make more difficult, one kept in mind: you must when applying the Performing a set of a way of making the difficult, but if you need phosphagen energy are violating speci- NSCA’s Performance Training Journal 9 Volume 1 Number 4 | www.nsca-lift.org/perform .0\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image009.jpg"> There are a number of ways to apply the over-load principle to a strength and condition-ing program: 1. increase the weight lifted; 2. increase the volume of work; 3. change the exercis-es employed; 4. modify the order of the exercises; and 5. alter the rest periods. Increasing the weight that the workout more difficult. will force your muscles, bone and nervous system heavier weights will also perform fewer repetitions Increasing the volume of ber of sets, number of combination thereof—will body having to adapt to it. main ways to elicit larger nective tissue adaptation training. One should be method of applying overload; is too great will train the tem. Changing the exercises increase overload that many reluctant to use. Many exercises they are performing ones that can elicit certain so. Changing the exercises benefits, including keeping interesting and requiring nervous system to adapt imposed in a totally different There are many exercises movement and the same this means that you do not have to rely on one exercise to train a given area. For example, the back squat trains the muscles of the hip, .0\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image011.jpg">knee, and ankle in a manner that involves exerting force against the ground, it loads the bones of the vertebral column and body, and is per-standing up. There are a exercises that do the same may be substituted for squats; and squats. above exercises may be lower-body strength also loads the bones of lower body and is per- up. exercises are per-way to provide over-when exercises are make some exercises to perform and others example, in your current exercise order may look press, incline press, Now, let’s change the exercises so that the new like this: dumbbell flies, bench press. The result is that you will be able weight on the dumbbell press, because they while you are fresh-lift less weight on the NSCA’s Performance Training Journal .0\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image012.jpg">10Volume 1 Number 4 | www.nsca-lift.org/perform bench press, because it will be performed while you are fatigued. Not only will you become stronger on the first two exercises, but you will also keep your workouts interesting and this will also help your body to adapt in a different man-ner because you are focusing on the first two exercises instead of the bench press. A final way to provide overload is to modify the amount of rest. This must be used carefully to ensure that you are observing specificity. By increasing the amount of rest in between sets, you allow your body to recover more complete-ly. This means you will be able to lift heavier weights with a greater number of repetitions. The benefit oft this approach to training is that it allows you to increase your strength on exercises. Conversely, if you shorten the amount of rest in between sets, you do not allow yourself as much recovery. It becomes more difficult to lift a given amount of weight. While this does not do as good a job of increasing strength, it does force the muscles to grow to adapt to the rest period. Overload is not something that only needs to be applied on a daily basis, it must be applied over a lifetime of training. The final principle deals with the importance of applying over-load logically over time. The Principle of Progressive Overload Progressive overload involves two areas: The exercises that are employed in a training program; and The total amount of work that is done in a training pro-gram. The exercises that are performed by an individual beginning his or her training career should be less complicated than one who has been training for a longer period of time. A begin-ner should be expected to master certain fundamental skills in the training program. Once those skills are mastered, they may be applied to more complicated exercises. Failure to master these skills may result in injury, wasted time in the weight room, and incomplete development. Two examples of learning fundamental skills before progressing to more com-plicated ones concern the back squat and the Olympic-style lifts: The back squat is typically learned before the front squat, overhead squat, or other variations. This is because the back squat teaches correct posture when squatting, foot placement, keeping the heels on the ground, squatting by pushing the hips back and then flexing the knees, ascend-ing with the hips and shoulders moving up at the same speed, etc. If one does not posses those skills then the front squat, overhead squat, pause squat, eccentric squat, etc., will be much more difficult to learn. Generally the Olympic-style lifts are learned from the top down. This breaks down a complicated exercise and makes it easier to master. For example, by learning the power clean initially with the bar above the knees, we learn to explosively extend the hips while shrugging the shoulders up and plantar flexing the ankles. We learn to receive the bar in a quarter squat and how to recover from that position. This is difficult to learn. Adding correct starting posture with the bar on the ground, lifting the bar from the ground to the knees, getting the bar around the knees, and then explosively extending the hips while shrugging the shoulders up and plantar flexing the ankles will prove too much for many to master initially. In order to make gains from training over time, you must find a way to perform more work. This may be more weight lift-ed, more repetitions performed, more sets, or some combina-tion of the three. As we discussed in the overload section, this is necessary to keep your body making adaptations. This also needs to be conducted with caution, as progressing too quickly can result in injury and burnout. The best way to do this is to apply some type of systematic approach to training. The one most commonly used is periodization of training, which essentially consists of breaking the training process down into smaller, more manageable units. Periodization is a way to organize your training over your career; this includes the weight lifted, the volume of work, the exercises employed, rest, recovery methods, etc. All of this is done in a way that ensures that you are in the best possible shape when it counts—during the competition. The principles of exercise that this article have covered are very important for making sure that you get the most out of your strength and conditioning programs. Applying speci-ficity means designing conditioning programs to elicit the development of desired qualities. Applying overload means that strength and conditioning programs will be difficult enough to be effective. Applying progressive overload allows for strength and conditioning programs to be effective over your training career. About the Author John M. Cissik, MS, CSCS is the Director of Wellness Services at Texas Woman’s University. He also owns and operates Fitness and Conditioning Enterprises, which provides speed and agility instruction primarily to children and teens. He is the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s State Director for Texas. NSCA’s Performance Training Journal .0\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image012.jpg">11Volume 1 Number 4 | www.nsca-lift.org/perform
