Training principle
Training principles are laws with high general validity that must be taken into account during training . These are mainly based on biological principles and represent trend-setting and practically-oriented principles for training.
Important training principles
Principle of the training stimulus
In order to trigger an application-specific triggering of the adaptation reactions, the respective load components must be coordinated with one another in such a way that the effective load dosage exceeds the critical threshold value. This principle is an extension of the stimulus threshold law. The load dosage is composed of the following load components:
• The intensity describes the load requirements (degree of exertion) facing the athlete and can be specified as a percentage of the sport-specific maximum performance. Absolute measured variables are speed, maximum heart rate, weight, jump height, impact force, etc.
• The duration corresponds to the period during which the stimulus or series of stimuli acts on the athlete.
• Density describes the relationship between stress and recovery in its overall time context. A high stimulus density is therefore characterized by a shortening of the pauses, while a low stimulus density follows the counterexample. A higher density increases the overall exercise intensity, since the recovery time is less.
• The scope corresponds to the sum of all individual stimuli, e.g. B. the sum of all repetitions in the respective series, the total distance covered, the sum of the weights moved or the total exercise time.
Principle of optimal design of exercise and recovery
After an effective training load (training unit), the organism needs a certain time to restore ( regeneration ) before the next similar load should take place. The biological basis is the phenomenon of supercompensation , according to which, after a correspondingly strong stress stimulus , not only the restoration of the initial level but also overcompensation occurs. It is now a matter of waiting for the right time to achieve a summation of supercompensation effects. In practice, finding the optimal time for a new stress stimulus is difficult, as a number of other factors, such as individual adaptability, diet and other training-accompanying measures, play a central role.
Principle of progressive increase in load
In the case of training loads that remain the same over a longer period of time, the body adapts in such a way that training stimuli that remain the same no longer have a strong supra-threshold effect or even become sub-threshold. Therefore, in order to increase performance further, it is necessary to increase the training load at certain time intervals. The increase in load can occur continuously or abruptly.
The continuous form is mainly used in health-oriented fitness training. In competitive sport , the increase in the load occurs at times by leaps and bounds in order to be able to achieve an adjustment even at a high level of performance. However, there is a higher risk of exceeding the limits of resilience.
The fact that the increase in load has to be progressive can be justified biologically with the fact that the biological curve of the adaptation shows a not linear , but parabolic course, because the organism gives less response reactions at a high level of adaptation.
Principle of the effective stress stimulus
In order to be effective for training, a training stimulus must exceed a certain intensity threshold, otherwise no adaptation reaction is triggered. A distinction is usually made between four different stimulus thresholds ( stimulus level rule ):
- Subliminal stimulus - remains ineffective.
- Over-threshold, low stimulus - maintains the training level.
- Over-threshold, medium to strong stimulus - is the optimal stimulus intensity.
- Excessive, too strong stimulus - damages the system.
The individual threshold depends above all on the athlete's level of training, but is in part also genetically determined.
Principle of load variation
Similar training stimuli over a longer period of time can lead to stagnation. This can be prevented by changing the stress stimulus. It is not only possible to vary the intensity, but also the training content, the movement dynamics and the design of breaks (including training methods and load components ).
Biologically, variations for the area mentioned ( muscles , vegetative nervous system ) represent an interruption of the stress monotony (the muscles are "irritated") and cause new homeostasis disorders with subsequent adjustments as unusual stress stimuli .
This principle plays an essential role in high-performance training because there, due to the required specialization, there is no longer any variation in the load components, content and methods; on the other hand, the occurrence of performance barriers virtually demands variation in the training. The variation is then possible and also effective within a predetermined intensity range.
Principle of repetition and continuity
A one-off training does not yet trigger any recognizable and, above all, no permanent adjustments. Regular training is necessary because the organism first has to go through a series of adjustments to individual functional systems in order to be able to achieve stable adaptation.
The metabolic (metabolism) and also enzymatic change processes take place relatively quickly (two to three weeks). For structural ( morphological ) changes, longer periods of time (at least four to six weeks) are to be set, the controlling and regulating structures of the central nervous system require the longest adjustment time (months).
Principle of periodization and cyclization
Especially in competitive sports , the problem arises that an athlete can not be year-round in the high power state, as it so is at the limit of his individual capacity. It is therefore necessary to divide the training year into different, systematic focus phases (macro cycle). The following classification is typically made:
- Preparation period (building phase)
- Competition period (stabilizing phase)
- Transition period (reducing phase)
These phases of the macro cycle are in turn divided into load-increasing, load-maintaining and load-reducing phases (meso and micro cycle).
Principle of individualization and age
All training stimuli must be designed in such a way that they correspond to the individual resilience, acceptance and needs of the athlete. This includes the following factors:
- Individual training goals (e.g. improvement of performance, fat reduction, body shaping, muscle gain)
- Individual load tolerance, both in the orthopedic area (e.g. exercises that are gentle on the spine for back problems ) and in the internal medicine area (e.g. avoidance of high blood pressure values in older athletes)
- Biological age (this may well contradict the calendar age)
- Previous training experience and training status
- Psychological components (e.g. training motivation or willingness to perform)
- Gender (e.g. menstruation in women)
- Genetic prerequisites (e.g. predominant type of muscle fiber slow or fast twitch)
Principle of the correct loading sequence
Central nervous system fatigue occurs during a training session. These signs of fatigue must be taken into account within a training session. Therefore, it makes sense for the athlete to focus on exercises that are extremely stressful for the central nervous system after warming up . This strain should decrease more and more in the course of training.
Basis of the training principles
The model of homeostasis and supercompensation
The basis of the above principles are biological adaptation processes in the body. These are represented in the so-called model of supercompensation and relate to the processes of energy supply in the body. The ability to adaptation (adjustment) is in humans (and other animals) a basic phenomenon of survival are. The model goes homeostasis and super compensation (even overcompensation called) on the assumption that the body is in a constant balance, the so-called homeostasis. After a supra-threshold training stimulus (see principle of effective stress stimulus (stimulus threshold law) ), the structure of homeostasis is unbalanced. The body is therefore in an imbalance ( heterostasis ). Heterostasis is followed by the adaptation process and ultimately leads to homeostasis again, but now on a higher level.
Distributed vs. Massive learning
Especially when training is about the development of skills, in addition to the biological adaptation processes, learning processes also play a role. While supercompensation is about a wave-like increase in performance, learning processes lead to learning plateaus that can only be broken up by massively training. Here, one often uses block training to get to a higher level of learning.
Further training principles
Further training principles that are not explained in detail here can be found in the literature:
- Principle of the regulating interaction
- Principle of priority and targeted coordination
Individual evidence
- ↑ Günter Schnabel, Hans-Dietrich Harre, Jürgen Krug (eds.): Training theory - training science: performance, training, competition . 2nd updated edition. Meyer & Meyer, Aachen 2011, ISBN 978-3-89899-631-0 .
- ↑ Arnd Krüger : How does block periodization work? Learning Curves and Super Compensation: Special Features of Block Periodization. In: Fd Snow. 32 (2014), 2, pp. 22-33.
literature
- W.-U. Boeckh-Behrens, W. Buskies: Fitness-strength training. Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, Reinbek 2006, ISBN 3-499-19481-3 .