Pep

Personal Exercise

PlanBy Alex Davies

Scenario

I was born in 1994 and I enjoy playing many sports, especially tennis. Recently, I have began to play tennis at a more competitive level but have realised that I am not as competitive in the last set as I am in the first. I have been able to test many factors that would affect my game.

Test Result Quality of Result

Cooper test 1600 Below Average

30 metre test 4.6 Above average

Sit up test 30 Excellent

Sit and reach test 46 Above average

Bouncing ball test 20 Below average

I found that my aerobic endurance and my coordination were the two most alarming results. I used the Cooper 12 minute run as my endurance test and the bouncing tennis ball test as my coordination measurement. I have identified that my endurance and my coordination are average but need to improve to be able to compete at a higher level. As a result, I wish to focus my PEP on improving my aerobic endurance and my coordination.

Training methods and Principles of Training

Interval - Interval training is usually defined as repetitions of high-speed/intense work followed by periods (the periods are the actual intervals) of rest or low activity.

Fartlek - Training in which the pace is varied from a fast sprint to slow jogging.Weights - Development of strength with the use of weight lifting which is based on the overload principle.Circuits - A timed or measured sequence of athletic or game related exercises usually designed to improve personal fitness and individual skills.Continuous - Continuous training means the person training uses 60-80% of their energy for a set period of time multiple times a week.Altitude - Altitude training traditionally referred to as altitude camp, is the practice by some endurance athletes of training for several weeks at high altitudes.Specificity - training must be matched to the needs of the sporting activity to improve fitness in the body parts the sport uses.Progression – start slowly and gradually increase the amount of exercise and keep overloading.Overload - fitness can only be improved by training more than you normally do. You must work hard.Reversibility – any adaptation that takes place as a result of training will be reversed when you stop training. If you take a break or don’t train often enough you will lose fitness.

Tests

Cooper test The objective of this test is to monitor the development of the athlete's aerobic endurance and to obtain an estimate of their VO2max.

How to conduct the test

The athlete conducts a 10 to 15 minute warm up. Using the track the athlete runs/walks as far as possible in

12 minutes The assistant records the total distance covered to the

nearest 100 metres The athlete conducts a cool down.

30 metre test The objective of this test is to monitor the development of the athlete's ability to effectively and efficiently build up acceleration, from a standing start or from starting blocks, to maximum speed.


The test comprises of 3 × 30 metre runs from a standing start or from starting blocks and with a full recovery between each run. The assistant should record the time for the athlete to complete the 30 metres.

Sit up testThe objective of the Sit Ups Test is to monitor the development of the athlete's abdominal muscles - core strength.


Lie on the mat with the knees bent, feet flat on the floor and the arms folded across the chest

Assistant can hold your feet on the ground Start each sit up with back on the floor Raise yourself to the 90 degree position and then return to

the floor The feet can be held by a partner Record the number of sits up completed in 30 seconds

Sit and reach test The objective of this test is to monitor the development of the athlete's lower back and hamstring flexibility.

How to conduct the test The starting position is sitting on the floor with shoes

removed, feet flat against the table, and legs straight Reach forward and push the fingers along the table as far as

possible The distance from the finger tips to the edge of the table

represents the score for that person As the 'sit and reach' table has an overhang of 15 cm, a

person who reaches 10 cm past their toes scores 25 cm It is important to have several warm-up attempts first, and to

record the best score

Bouncing ball testThe objective of the test is to monitor the athlete's Hand Eye coordination skill.

How to conduct the test1. Stand two metres away from a smooth wall 2. Throw a tennis ball with your right hand against the wall

and catch it with the left hand 3. Throw the ball with your left hand against the wall and

catch it with the right hand

4. Repeat 2 and 3 for 30

seconds counting the catches

Injuries and health problems

Muscle weakness – I am in decent fitness apart from my ankles. I suffer from them being too flexible meaning that they are more susceptible to injury.

Family health problems – Of course the members of my family have had injuries but we do not have any hereditary health problems.

Planning

I will initially test my coordination by using the wall-toss test and test my aerobic endurance using the Cooper 12 minute run. The tests will be repeated every three weeks and the results recorded. The program will require me to train three times a week for about one hour each session. I will have at least one recovery day between each session. The program will be for nine weeks and will be based on a three week cycle – easy week, hard week and test week. Access to a set of tennis courts with a wall are necessary. Each session will commence with a warm up. I will achieve this through light jogging and dynamic stretching exercises. Each session will be ended with an appropriate cool down of jogging and static stretching. The program will require me to record my attendance for each session and obtain verification of the testing undertaken. This will take the form of a training diary, which will be filled in as progress is made.

ScheduleFor my PEP this cycle would be repeated three times to give me

the 9 week training schedule.

Week 1

Day Activity Verification

Monday Circuit training – 6x10min with 5 min

break *

Yes

Tuesday Rest Yes

Wednesday Continuous - 2x1/2hr with 10min break

Yes

Thursday Rest Yes

Friday Rest Yes

Saturday Circuit training – 5x12min with 5 min

rest*

Yes

Sunday Rest Yes

Week 2


Monday Circuit training – 4x15min with 5min

rest*

Yes

Tuesday Rest Yes

Wednesday Continuous - 1x 1hr no rest

Yes

Thursday Rest Yes

Friday Rest Yes

Saturday Circuit training – 3x20min with 5min

rest*

Yes

Sunday Rest Yes

Week 3

Day Test Verification and Result

Tuesday Cooper test 1700-average

Friday Bouncing ball test 26-average

Evaluation

This first session has gone very well, I have slightly improved where I have wanted but I need to improve more if I want to compete at a higher level.

Week 4



break *

Yes

Tuesday Rest Yes


Yes

Thursday Rest Yes

Friday Rest Yes


rest*

Yes

Sunday Rest Yes

Week 5



rest*

Yes

Tuesday Rest Yes

Wednesday Continuous - 1x 1hr no rest

Yes

Thursday Rest Yes

Friday Rest Yes


rest*

Yes

Sunday Rest Yes

Week 6


Tuesday Cooper test 1900-above average

Friday Bouncing ball test 29-above average

Evaluation

I have improved even more and I am target to become more competitive. I am now above average, I will try even harder to reach the optimum score.

Week 7



break *

Yes

Tuesday Rest Yes


Yes

Thursday Rest Yes

Friday Rest Yes


rest

Yes

Sunday Rest Yes

Week 8



rest*

Yes

Tuesday Rest Yes

Wednesday Continuous - 1x 1hr Yes

no rest

Thursday Rest Yes

Friday Rest Yes


rest

Yes

Sunday Rest Yes

Week 9


Tuesday Cooper test 2100-excellent

Friday Bouncing ball test 31-excellent

* The circuits consisted of: weights, sit ups, press ups, star jumps and cross runs.

Evaluation

I am very proud with how much I have improved. I have excelled my target and now can be more competitive in matches. I stuck to my training scheme and have pushed myself to the limits. The first three weeks were the hardest but I stuck with it. I must now keep my fitness level up to remain competitive. I enjoyed performing my PEP and am considering doing other ones to improve the rest of my game.

Education

Pep