Recently I was going through some of my files from the certificated strength
conditioning and personal training which I used to offer at my former
university in South Africa and I came across some notes that I used to supply
to students. One in particular, which I called the Training Statute of
Limitations, I also used at several fitness conferences in the USA in the
1980s. It may be of interest to members of this group, since it offers some
simple guidelines to anyone who prescribes exercise professionally.
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TRAINING STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS
Mel C Siff PhD
University of the Witwatersrand
The principle of progressive gradual overload has been known and applied for
millenia, reputedly going back in recorded history to Milo of Crotona in
Italy who started lifting a calf as a child and continued to do so until the
animal and Milo both had matured into fully grown adults.
Research and practical experience has shown that this principle is by no
means linear, which means that, with continued time of use, one can increase
the load only to a gradually diminishing extent - the so-called Law of
Diminishing Returns. One's strength tends to approach a limit, an individual
asymptote, which one never really reaches or exceeds. However, factors such
as age and motivation intervene and one's progress begins to stagnate, cease,
recede and decrease the way it came. Later research indicated that progress
appeared to be superior and better sustained if the load was not
progressively increased, but cycled up and down in phases or waves, according
to a principle known as periodisation (details of which will be covered later
in the course).
Now, it is important to note that the principle of gradual progressive
overload (or gradual cyclical progressive overload) was simply used to
control the load or intensity of the training. We may extend this principle
to cover many more of the variables that are involved in all sports training,
according to a method that I call "Training Statute of Limitations".
It is very easy to apply. When you are training or rehabilitating someone,
always begin with:
1. Limited load
2. Limited speed
3. Limited acceleration
4. Limited duration
5. Limited range
6. Limited complexity
7. Limited density (mean reps per minute)
Thus, one begins with each of these factors being limited so that they are
easy for the athlete to cope with and gradually you reduce the limitations
and increase each of these factors, not necessarily in the above order at
all, but in an order which suits the individual at a given stage of fitness.
Some factors may have to be kept limited for longer than others, but the same
approach of gradual progressive cycled 'overload' applies, with progress
being monitored according to:
A. Perceived Rating of Effort (RPE) ....... done by the athlete
B. Rating of Technique (RT) ..................... done by the coach
Both of these ratings are most commonly judged on a scale from 1 to 10. If
the rating in each case becomes unfavourable, the progression is halted or
decreased slightly, especially if the RT drops below about 7 or 8 (where 10
is perfect technique). All changes in limited factors are recorded in a
daily diary, along with these two subjective ratings, so that this
information may be used to plan the degree of gradual increase (or occasional
decrease) in progression.
This same approach may be used for novices, athletes at a point of stagnation
or even with any clients undergoing rehabilitation after serious illness or
injury.
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Dr Mel C Siff
Denver, USA
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Supertraining/
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