SJ Sports: Fundamental Fitness

Mind Over Matter
In the fitness business, there are a few fundamental things to understand. There will be days when athletes will be pushing instead of pulling. There will be days when the motivation to train is at peak levels and others when it will be at all time lows. There are times when athletes will walk right in, and still others when they will sit outside the training facility getting into the right frame of mind. These fluctuations could be caused by many different reasons, but more often than not, it’s due to a lack of desire and/or focus.

The question that athletes ask most of trainers and of themselves is, "What adjustment needs to be made?" When asked with regards to motivation, that question is the first sign that certain aspects of your training protocol need to be re-examined. What is missing from your routine? Lack of a plan, loss of fun, confidence, focus? If you find that you are missing any or all of these elements, it could be the root of the decrease in your motivation to train. But in order to create a positive change, you must first identify which causes are the concern, determine a way and work to correct it.

If you are no longer having as much fun as you use to, the first place to look for change is in the activities with which you are involved. Some prime examples: athletes who are strictly weight trainers might want to get outside and try to do something totally different; tennis players might want to spend time on the basketball court or on the soccer field. Athletes need not be afraid of doing something unrelated to their original activity of choice. That's one of the great things about exercise. It comes in so many different forms and that can all be equally effective. That is, as long as you focus.

Focus is thought of as an individual's ability to concentrate. If you find that your mind is constantly wandering or you just don't feel "with it," know that the best way to combat the resulting lack of effort is to relax and learn to trust. That means sitting down to develop a comprehensive training protocol. One that takes personal goals into account and reflects a step-by-step plan on reaching those very goals.

The determined workout routine should keep trainees on track as far as which body parts are the focus of each session, the number of sets, repititions, and of course the appropriate amount of rest. Then simply trust in your ability to have done this appropriately and let a successful training regimen happen. Know that minor adjustments will likely be neccessary, but by establishing a training protocol, you will have laid the groundwork for future success. Prior to each session, from warm-up to cool-down, athletes should refer to their personal protocol. By adhering to your predetermined routine, nothing will be able to interfere with your ability to reach your goals.

If desire is lacking, you might find yourself doubting your ability to reach the goals you have set for yourself. This is where confidence comes into play. Confidence is a choice that is grounded in commitment. Without true commitment to the process of your fitness regimen, your ability to succeed will be greatly impaired. Commitment to personal protocol comes only with analysis of your strengths and weaknesses. Making sure that your protocol fits and fills your needs will make your life that much easier. Also, be positive. If you miss a session or a goal, you can either get angry, or you can choose to learn from the episode and work to insure that it won’t happen again. When that little voice in your head starts to talk back, telling you to work harder or focus or get organized, how you respond to that voice is completely under your control.

Ultimately, the process of reaching your training goals will undoubtedly have motivational peaks and valleys. These valleys provide an opportunity to revisit your plan and make physical and psychological adjustments. In the end, believing in yourself and your choice will allow you to make gains continuously and efficiently.

Terminology
For the years, it was believed that athletes were inherently fast or slow. Consequently, it was thought that speed was impossible to teach. Another wide-held assumption was that, in order to become faster, an athlete must run, run, run — practice was the key. Speed training counteracts all of those beliefs.

With the help of modern science, it is now known that every individual is born with a certain percentage of fast twitch (fast) and slow twitch (endurance) muscle fibers. Maximizing an athlete's fast twitch potential is the objective of speed development. Speed development training focuses on maximizing three areas related to an athlete's movement: speed, quickness and agility. Often, those three qualities are thought of as being one in the same — it's that six of one, half dozen of the other syndrome. However, they are really three distinct skills that require individual attention.

Techinically, speed is a term used to describe the velocity at which an athlete is moving. It can be measured going forward, backward, laterally and diagonally. Speed and time go hand in hand. Athletes must increase their speed in order to decrease the amount of time it takes to get from point A to point B.

Agility is the athlete's ability to change direction suddenly with minimal loss of speed, balance, and body control. Agility is a complex skill that involves all six fundamental aspects of sport movement: speed, strength, timing, rhythm, balance and body control.

Quickness is the third aspect of an athlete's training. The term quickness is often used vaguely, like in the context "the athlete is as quick as a cat." Simply defined, quickness is the term that describes an athlete's body limb movement speed, acceleration, reactive ability, and explosiveness. The more athletes are able to improve their limb speed, reaction (agility) and acceleration (quickness), the greater the athlete's potential to increase their overall speed.

Content provided by South Jersey Sports Club.

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Author: SJ Sports Club-Graig White & Duane Carlisle