There’s a big difference between training for sport and general exercise.
In a nutshell training for sport means preparing for performance. It will generally involve highly-structured periodised programs, focusing on specific goals at specific times. The training must be relevant to your goals within your chosen sport. Where as general exercise should be viewed as improving your overall health and wellbeing, whilst maintaining or increasing your fitness levels. If you are just exercising your program can be less structured, less planned out, and you can have a lot more flexibility and fun within your training.
Whatever sport you get into whether it’s running, cycling, swimming, rugby, tennis, it doesn’t matter what the sport is, eventually you will start to look for ways that you can get better at it. Initially, and for most people, simply playing more of your sport will see improvements. But that progress won’t last. There will come a time where the only way you can continue to make improvements is to do some supportive work, i.e some highly specific training.
“Your training must be tailored to your chosen sport, with both yourself and your coach having an understanding of the demands of the sport, and how impactful it will be on the body.”
This training should be designed to help you stay fit, healthy, and injury free whilst also aiding your performance.
THE BENEFITS OF SPECIFIC TRAINING
Training specifically for a sport allows you to gradually build up your strength, endurance, and skill levels, alongside your mobility, flexibility, agility and stability all to cope with the demands of the sport on your body. It will also facilitate better circulation, and can improve the rate of removal of waste product build up in the muscles that cause fatigue.
THE SEVEN METHODS OF TRAINING FOR SPORT
The training method used depends on the sport and the individual needs of the athlete. Each training method is unique and certain types of training complement specific sports. Such as steady state, or continuous training, works well with long distance running. You can even use a number of different methods in order to improve all areas of performance. This is especially important if you participate in a sport which requires you to able to cope with working in different training zones, or repeating high intensity efforts.
Training zones are the target ranges that would be used to determine your intensity level during training and competing. To utilise these zones you may be making use of heart rate, pace and power output, or even RPE (rate of perceived exertion). They are important to understand because they will determine whether you are pushing hard enough during intervals, or whether you are racing at a sustainable output for the duration that is required. To explain training zones fully is a whole other blog post, maybe that will be the next one?!
The point is that what ever training method is used, it should be performed at an appropriate level to facilitate improvement and prevent injury. It also helps if the training is enjoyable.
So what are ‘The Seven Methods of Training for Sport’?
Steady State Training aka Continuous Training
This is a form of training that maintains your heart rate at a desired level for a sustained period of time without breaks or rest periods. The aim of this training is to enhance your respiratory and cardiovascular system, i.e improve your aerobic endurance. If your sport is swimming, running, cycling, and even triathlons, a large bulk of your training will be performed using this method.
Fartlek Training
Fartlek is a Swedish term that means ‘Speed Play’. It’s a training method that combines elements of both continuous and interval training. It should always consist of both high and low intensity exercise. This helps to develop both your aerobic and anaerobic systems, which as an example will help you acclimatise your body to run faster over longer distances. This method is beneficial for runners, cyclists, and team sports that involve variations in speed.
Circuit Training
This method combines endurance training and resistance training in a high intensity style aerobic circuit. When you plan a circuit aim to ensure that you work a variety of muscles as this method of training is ideal for whole body conditioning. Be aware that if the circuit is not well designed it can cause too much fatigue which you may then struggle to recover from.
Interval Training
Interval training alternates between short bursts of high intensity work followed by periods of rest and recovery. This helps to improve your repeatability, speed and your lactate threshold level. As with Fartlek Training, Interval Training works on developing both your aerobic and anaerobic systems. One of the key benefits to this training method is that it is very time efficient. It allows you to do more work in a limited amount of time, which can help to reduce the risk of overtraining.
Flexibility and Mobility Training
This type of training will help you increase the range of motion in a joint or set of joints. It should be incorporated into each training session as it will help improve your technique and skill development. It’s highly beneficial for all sports, especially sports such as gymnastics and Olympic Weightlifting.
Weight Training
Weight training helps to develop various components of fitness such as muscular strength, muscular endurance, power and speed. Weight training is essential for the overall development of the body, and can be beneficial to all sports.
Plyometric Training
This method of training is not suitable for beginners. It involves high intensity exercises/stretches aimed at improving muscular speed and strength. Some primary exercises used for this method of training would be box jumps, bounding, and depth jumps. It’s a method of training that is perfect for sprinters, high jumpers, and basketball players.
As you can see when it comes to training for sport there are many methods that can be utilised to provide the catalyst to help you achieve your desired result and performance.
Try to focus on the knowledge that there should be a purpose to all your training, especially if you are looking to improve sports performance. The key is to understand the whys, when’s and how you periodise your training to make the most of the various training methods. Going through the motions simply won’t cut it.