Topic 2 (HRF, PRF etc.)

• The 5 Health Related Fitness Components are:

  1. Cardiovascular Endurance
  2. Muscular Endurance
  3. Muscular Strength
  4. Body Composition
  5. Flexibility

  These components are essential to maintain a person's health so they can carry out everyday activities.
• The 6 Performance Related Fitness Components are:

  1. Agility
  2. Balance
  3. Coordination
  4. Speed
  5. Power
  6. Reaction Time

  
  

  These components help to enhance athletic performance.
• Having good health means:

  1. Maintaining a good general level of fitness
  2. Eating a balanced diet
  3. Maintaining a healthy weight
  4. Avoiding alcohol and drugs
  5. Getting regular good quality sleep
  6. Looking after your mental wellbeing
• Cardiovascular endurance is the ability to deliver oxygen and nutrients to muscles over a sustained period.

  • Sports such as long distance running and triathlons require high levels of cardiovascular endurance.
  • The general population require a certain level of cardiovascular endurance to be able to carry out everyday tasks such as climbing stairs.
• Muscular Endurance is the ability of a muscle to generate force repeatedly without fatiguing.

  • Sports that require more muscular endurance are boxing, basketball, tennis, etc...
  • Everyday tasks require a certain level of muscular endurance, such as carrying shopping bags, etc...
• Muscular Strength is the amount of force a muscle can produce on a single rep with maximal effort.

  • Everyday tasks: Opening jars, lifting items, etc...
  • Sports examples: Long jump, shot putt, weightlifting, etc...
• Flexibility is the range of motion about a joint.

  • Everyday tasks require a certain level of flexibility, e.g. if a person loses flexibility in their ankle joint, their walking ability will be affected.
  • Sports such as diving and gymnastics require a high level of flexibility.
• Body Composition is the percentage of body weight that is fat, muscle or bone. The lower percentage of body fat and higher percentage of muscle, the better.


  The general public need to be careful that they do not have too high percentages of body fat as it can lead to chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, etc...

  Athletes look to reduce their body fat in order to maximise their speed, endurance, strength and many other components of fitness.
• Agility is the ability to change direction at speed.


  Sports that require good agility are: American football (running backs), soccer players (goalkeepers), basketball, etc...
• Balance is the ability to maintain equilibrium while stationary and dynamic.


  Sports that require good balance are: horse riding, gymnastics, soccer (dribbling), basketball (jump shots), etc...
• Coordination is the ability to use two or more body parts together in a controlled manner.


  Sports that require good coordination are: tennis (serve), hurling (striking the ball) [hand-eye coordination] - rugby (drop kick) [foot-eye coordination], badminton, darts, etc...
• Power is the ability to exert maximum force in the shortest time possible.

  • Power = Strength/Time


  Sports that require a lot of power usually involve sprinting/jumping/throwing; weightlifting, 100m sprinting, javelin, shot putt, etc...
• Speed is how fast a body can move in relation to time.

  • Speed = Distance/Time


  Sports that require speed: sprinting, Gaelic football, volleyball, orienteering, etc...
• Reaction Time is how quickly a body can initiate a response to a stimulus, e.g. reacting to a starting gun.


  Sports that require quick reactions: sprint starts, soccer/Gaelic football/hurling/handball goalkeepers, American football quarterbacks, etc...
• Components can differ within sports.

  • Positions such as goalkeepers would have different components compared to a midfielder, such as more emphasis on reaction time and agility whereas the midfielder would emphasise more on power and muscular endurance.
• A needs analysis is the process of determining what qualities are necessary in a certain sport.


  Conducting a needs analysis allows players and coaches to focus the training on the physical qualities that are needed more.
• A fitness test battery is a series of tests designed to evaluate the demands of a particular sport.

  • You might look at your needs analysis to design a battery of fitness tests.
  • There is no point in testing something that is irrelevant to your sport.
• Principles of Training

  • Specificity
  • Progressive Overload
  • Reversibility
  • Recovery and Adaptation
  • Tedium
• Specificity means that the performer's training must be specific to their physical activity and training goals.

  • E.g. the intensity and training type of a soccer goalkeeper may be different to that of a midfielder.
  • Position may impact on specific needs.
• Progressive Overload (FITT)

  In order to progress and improve our fitness, we have to put our bodies under additional stress, gradually increasing the:

  • Frequency
  • Intensity
  • Time
  • Type


  Our bodies adapt to an exercise, so if you do not progress, your fitness levels may not improve.
• Reversibility is the concept that if you stop training, then the improvements you have made will be reversed.
• Recovery and Adaptation

  • Recovery is the time required for the body to repair the damage from training.
  • Adaptation occurs during the recovery phase, e.g. your bench press may increase by 2.5kg


  If you continue to train without adequate recovery and allowing for adaptations, you will hit a plateau (no progress being made).
• Tedium (Boredom)

  Training methods need to be varied to avoid tedium and keep motivation levels high.

  • E.g. A rugby team may have a game of soccer at training for enjoyment purposes as a once-off event.
• Principle of Diminishing Returns: The rate of fitness improvement diminishes over time as fitness approaches its peak.
• • Normative Data: Data that characterises what results are usual in a specific population
  • Ipsative Tests: Test protocols used to measure a performance against a previous individual performance. Sometimes tests need to be modified for performers based on their individual needs.
• Health Related Fitness Tests

  • Cardiovascular Endurace: Multistage Fitness Test or Cooper Test to calculate VO2 max (maximum rate of oxygen a performer's body is able to use during exercise [ml/kg/min])
  • Muscular Endurance: Push-up Test (upper body) or Sit-up/Squat Test (lower body) following a cadence/rhythm.
  • Muscular Strength: Standing broad jump (lower body) or Medicine Ball Throw (upper body). Hand grip dynamometer or 1/3 rep max tests can be used.
  • Flexibility: Sit & Reach (lower body) or Shoulder Flexion (upper body)
  • Body Composition: BMI, by dividing mass in kg by height in m^2.