It appears that many athletes are now striving to train anywhere from 4 to 8 hours a day. The reason for this is that some professional athletes brag about their workouts that last six hours a day in these workouts they do just about everything. They usually include strength, speed, explosive, technique, game practice, and endurance training.
Much of the training is done when in a fatigue state which, as has been well proven, does not produce effective results. Is a detriment to good technique execution, specialized strength and explosive training and for improvement of speed. It is however, effective for development of endurance and mental tenacity. But there are more effective methods for this.
For greater effectiveness a typical training program should last no more than 2 to 3 hours. Every training session should be structured so that it provides for an initial warm-up followed by the main workout and then a cool down or recovery phase. The length of the warm-up depends upon the main work to be done. In general, it should be approximately 2 to 10 minutes in duration.
The warm-up can include some light all-around activity to increase circulation or it can consist of sport specific dynamic stretches that prepare the muscles for the forthcoming activity. The exact warm-up should be determined by the sport, the athlete’s physical condition and the athlete’s preferences.
In the main workout the following sequence should be used: Strategic and technical skills, speed and agility training, strength training and then stamina or endurance training. Exactly how much of each is done depends upon the training objective and where the athlete is in the annual training plan.
If the athlete will only be doing strength training then there is no need for strategic and technical skills, speed or agility training. Thus after a warm-up he or she should begin with light weights and then go directly into the main strength training.
For better team sports play, it is usually necessary to practice certain elements of technique. In this case, it should be the first thing that the athlete does. If preparing to play, then the athlete should execute the main skills to fine tune the central nervous system and bring the execution up to the level needed for the practice or competitive play.
In the main workout the largest muscle groups should be exercised first. For example, the thigh, buttocks, back and chest muscles should be exercised before those of the calves, arm, hand and neck. Also, the lower back erector spinae and abdominal muscle exercises should be done near the end of a workout. In this way they function without fatigue when doing upper and lower body exercises in the main workout.
If dealing with a high-level team sport player, emphasis can be placed on the smaller muscles before the major muscles. This happens when the major muscles are sufficiently well-developed and the athlete needs more fine tuning of the smaller muscles. Using the large muscles first applies mainly to beginners and intermediates. But, once a certain level of mastery is achieved, the workout can begin with some of the smaller muscles.
Regardless of the type of training done, the athlete should progress from the easy to the difficult, from the light to the heavy, from the known to the unknown. There are however, exceptions to this as for example, when learning a complex sports skill. These skills should always be done early before any fatigue sets in.
In the beginning phases of a year-round cycle the athlete should do many all-round exercises for general conditioning. If, however, the athlete is in the main phase of his or her training cycle then the number of exercises should decrease and become more specific to the sport. This is especially important since most sports have complex skills.
The cool down period is very similar to the warm-up. The key at this time is to bring the heart rate and other body functions back to normal. This should be done in a gradual manner going from the heavy workout to lighter and lighter activities until your body returns to normal. For example, doing the same exercise but with 25 to 50% of the main workout intensity.
Especially important for most team sport players is to stretch the spine in the cool down period. This is especially needed when following a heavy strength training program or when doing many jumps or depth jumps in practice. Most effective for this is to stretch with a Back Stretch Strap. This stretch targets the lower back and lower latissimus dorsi muscles in a dynamic manner.
For more information see Build a Better Athlete. For more information on sport specific stretches and sport specific specialized strength and explosive exercises, see www.DoctorYessis.com