Factors affecting performance

• All energy is provided in the muscles in the form of the molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Chemical reactions in the body cause ATP to break down and release energy to the muscles for work
• Alactacid System (ATP – PC)

  ·       Used in high intensity performance of maximal effort

  ·       Fuel source is creatine phosphate

  ·       Duration is for 1-10 seconds

  ·       Anaerobic (without oxygen) energy is used

  ·       Activities include 100m sprint, shot put, high jump and discuss throw

  ·       Fatigue occurs when there is no time to break down glycogen to produce ATP and PC is depleted

  ·       No by-products

  ·       Recovery time is 2-3 minutes
• Lactic acid system

  ·       Used for intense activity lasting up to 3 minutes

  ·       Fuel source is glycogen produced from stored glucose

  ·       ATP is supplied quickly by a partial breakdown of glucose to form lactic acid

  ·       Duration is 10-30 seconds of maximal energy and 3 minutes of near maximal energy use

  ·       Activities include 200m sprint, 400m and 800m run and 200m swim

  ·       Fatigue is caused by an accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles as a by-product of energy production in the absence of oxygen

  ·       Recovery takes up to 30 minutes
• Aerobic System

  ·       Used for lower intensity activity lasting for a long time

  ·       Fuel source is carbohydrates followed by fats and proteins

  ·       ATP production is limited

  ·       Activities include walking, jogging, swimming laps and marathons

  ·       Fatigue is when glycogen stores are depleting and tiredness occurs

  ·       By-products are water and carbon dioxide

  ·       Recovery depend on the event and could take up to 24 hours
• Types of training include:

  ·       Aerobic training

  ·       Anaerobic training

  ·       Flexibility training

  ·       Strength training
• Aerobic training includes: continuous, fartlek, long interval and circuit.
• Continuous training is a sustained effort with no rest. The endurance occurs over a long distance.
• Long interval training uses repetitions of moderate to high intensity work followed by short periods of rest for recovery to develop aerobic fitness.
• Circuit training is an athlete selecting different exercises or stations to use for a set interval of time with little or no rest.
• Fartlek training means ‘speed play’ and refers to training methods that combine continuous training with intermittent intervals during the session.
• Anaerobic training uses high intensity work coupled with limited recovery to develop systems of energy supply that function in the absence of oxygen
• Flexibility training types include static, ballistic, PNF and dynamic.
• Benefits of Flexibility training include prevention of injury, improved coordination between muscle groups, muscular relaxation, decreasing soreness and tightness following exercise and an increased range of movement around joints.
• Static stretching is a technique where a muscle is gradually lengthened at slow pace and held in that position for a period of 10 to 30 seconds.
• Ballistic stretching involves repeated movements such as swinging and bouncing to gain extra stretch.
• PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) involves static stretching with another person or an immovable object providing resistance for an isometric contraction
• Dynamic flexibility involves moving parts of the body through a range of motion that gradually increases in range and speed.
• Strength training includes free/fixed weights, elastic and hydraulic.
• Dumbbells and barbells can appear as either fixed or free weights. Free weights allow a greater range of motion than machines and allow for symmetry to occur between both sides of the body when doing resistance training.
• Elastic resistance using bands improves strength because resistance that is generated by tension increases as the band is stretched.
• Hydraulic resistance training is each effort made is confronted by an opposing force where resistance is felt through the entire movement
• Principles of training include progressive overload, specificity, reversibility, variety, training thresholds and warmup/cool down.
• Progressive overload principle implies that gains in fitness occur only when the training load is greater than normal and is progressively increased as improvements in fitness occur
• The principle of specificity refers to the training being targeted towards the goals and objectives of the athlete and demands of chosen sport.
• Reversibility is the loss of adaptions that athletes gained during training because of a prolonged break period.
• Variety of training exercises, facilities and different venues help the individual to remain motivated and stick to goals.
• Training thresholds are two points which indicate the zone for athletic improvements to occur. The thresholds relate to the maximum heart rate of the athlete.
• The purpose of warm up is to increase the body and muscles temperatures, prevent injury, stimulate the cardiovascular system, and to become mentally prepared.
• Cool down's purpose is to return the body's temperature to normal, slowing the exercise intensity and stretching the muscles used.
• Physiological adaptions in response to training include resting heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, oxygen uptake, lung capacity, haemoglobin levels, muscle hypertrophy and the effect on fast/slow twitch muscle fibres.
• Resting heart rate is the number of times a person's heart beats per minute at complete rest.
• Stroke volume is the volume of blood pumped out by the heart per beat.
• Cardiac output is the volume of blood pumped out by the heart per minute.
• Oxygen uptake is the amount of oxygen the body uses per minute and is the maximum capacity of an individual's body to transport and utilise oxygen.
• Lung capacity is the ability of the lungs to absorb the oxygen needed to exercise.
• Haemoglobin levels increase with training, oxygen is carried in the red blood cells which contains the protein haemoglobin.
• Muscle hypertrophy is the growth of a muscle due to an increase in the size of muscle cells.
• Fast twitch fibres work in the absence of oxygen. They have significantly greater power and force production, with greater resistance to short term fatigue during anaerobic work. If an activity last more than a minute, these fibres fatigue due to decreased oxygen supply.
• Slow twitch fibres are efficient in using oxygen to generate fuel, making them resistant to fatigue but unable to produce the power of fast twitch fibres. When the body is engaged in endurance-type activity, these fibres are recruited for the movement because they are more efficient in meeting the immediate metabolic demands of muscles.
• Motivation is an internal state that activates, directs and sustains the behaviours of athletes in their pursuit of a goal.