Programme Justification
Exercise Selection
Lower body resistance exercises (back
squat, stiff leg deadlift, leg extension and leg curl) were included within the
programme to maintain pre-season strength gains (Ronnestad, Nymark &
Raastad, 2011), whilst also linked with sprint speed and vertical jump
(Wisloff, Castagna, Helgerud, Jones & Hoff 2004). Furthermore, the power
exercise (push-press) was included to enhance acceleration, a primary
requirement for wingers. Upper body
exercises (bench press, bent over row, bicep curl, tricep extension, shoulder
press and lat pull down) were included in the programme to maintain pre-season
strength gains, whilst also assisting the player to hold off opponents
(Rathinakamalan & Senthilvelan, 2011), create space for a pass/shot
(Jandacka & Uchytil, 2011), and improve vertical jump height (Harman,
Rosenstein, Frykman & Rosenstein, 1990).
Core stability exercises (wood chop,
cable core rotations and leg raises) were included in the programme to support
the transfer of force across the body (Brown, 2006), an important factor in the
generation of kicking power. In addition, isometric exercises (plank, side
plank and superman) were included to encourage maintenance of posture, whilst also
aiding change of direction and sport technique (Hibbs, Thompson, French,
Wrigley & Spears, 2008). Flexibility exercises were included in the
programme as they aid range of movement and reduce the risk of injury (Sayers,
Farley, Fuller, Jebenville & Caputo, 2008), which has also been found to
aid deep squat performance (Kathiresan et al., 2010).
Finally, pre-habilitation exercises
(proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching and lower body
plyometrics) were included in the programme due to research having suggested
these exercises aid the prevention of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament
(ACL) injuries (Alentorn-Geli et al., 2009).
Exercise
Frequency
Sessions where split into several
categories; resistance training, high intensity training, core &
flexibility, and finally pre-habilitation. This led to a training frequency of
seven sessions per week, in line with recommendations by Baechle & Earle
(2008). Strength training was completed twice per week in order to maintain the
strength, sprint and jump gains made during pre-season (Ronnestad, Nymark &
Raastad, 2011), without leading to overtraining or effecting match performance.
Furthermore, a split programme design (upper body-lower body alternated) was utilised
to maximise recovery time during the in-season (Baechle & Earle, 2008). A
further two high intensity training sessions where completed each week
totalling 40 minutes work, as this was found to increase speed endurance,
without affecting match performance (Dupont, Akakpo & Berthoin, 2004).
Exercise
Order
The resistance training programme
began with power exercises followed by the core exercises, as these exercises
have been shown to require a greater level of concentration and effort in order
to be performed correctly (Kraemer & Ratamess, 2004). Single joint
assistance exercises followed power and core exercises to ensure each muscle is
trained heavily without compromising the training benefit of core exercises
(Ebben & Blackard, 1997).
During the core stability session, the
isometric exercises preceded the isotonic exercises as they have been shown to
greater replicate football movements (Willson, Dougherty, Ireland & Davis,
2005). Furthermore, during the pre-habilitation session, the plyometric
exercises were placed before proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretches
due to their increased neuromuscular demand (Ball & Scurr, 2009), whilst PNF
stretches have also be found to reduce short-term explosive performance
(Yamaguchi, Ishii, Yamanaka & Yasuda, 2007).
Exercise
Load
The primary goal of the in-season training
programme was to maintain strength and power gains accumulated during
pre-season. In order for this to be achieved, a low repetition range was used
(5) at a high percentage of 1 rep max (75-80%), as literature suggested this method to be most effective for
strength training (Baechle & Earle, 2008). An upper and lower body split
programme was introduced in order to maximise recovery time between sessions
and reduce session length through enabling resistance training sessions on
successive days; whilst a push-pull session design was utilised to maximise
in-session recovery (Baechle & Earle, 2008). A three minute rest between
resistance exercise sets was used (Ahtiainen, Pakarinen, Alen, Kramer &
Hakkinen, 2005) as it was found as effective
as a five minute rest period, whilst allowing sessions to be completed in a
more timely manner.
Volume
Training
volume was prescribed to the athlete by way of goal repetitions (as opposed to including
the weight lifted), this allowed for more flexibility in weight lifted as the
client progressed through the training plan (Fleck & Kramer, 2004). As
shown above, five repetitions are optimal for increasing strength, however it
has also been found that in order to achieve the greatest effect a multiple set
routine should be implemented (Starkey, et al., 1996), and as such, a three set
routine was utilised. Multiple set routines have also been found to increase the quality of the exercise
(Herrick & Stone, 1996).
Rest and Unloading Periods
Full rest days were scheduled
immediately after the majority matches during the in-season to allow the player
to fully recover. Although the athlete has been given the day off, the a player
has the scheduled option to undertake a low intensity run or swim in order to relieve
fatigue or muscle stiffness. An unloading period was also scheduled once every
mesocycle to lower training volume significantly (Zatsiorsky & Kraemer,
2005) to allow the athlete to fully recover from previous bouts of high
intensity training and benefit from supercompensation (Kraemer et al., 2003)
Periodisation and Peaking
The annual periodization plan was divided
into month long mesocycles consisting of multiple week-long microcycles.
Although a mesocycle may represent a longer time period (6-8 weeks; Bompa &
Carrera, 2005) this plan decided to shorten the mesocycle
to one month (4-5 weeks, calendar dependent) to allow for more frequent
unloading periods and recovery due to the high volume of games the athlete will
be involved in. This also in line with the primary training goal of maintenance,
thus a reduced volume of workouts will still be able to adequately achieve the
training goal (Kraemer, et al., 2003). Schlumberger and Schmidtbleicher (1998)
found that one weight session a week over a four-week period will maintain
strength and even make gains in some individuals.
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