Please note that the indicative content supplied below is intended as a suggested guide only. It is not meant to be a prescriptive, exhaustive or fully delivered content list.
Questions 1
Collect information: goals (short-, medium- and long-term goals), SMART targets (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound), lifestyle, medical history, and physical activity history.
Principles of training: overload, specificity, progression, individual differences, variation, and reversibility, FITT principles (frequency, intensity, time and type).
Training diary, e.g. progression, attitude, motivation, links to goals.
The student should be able to: Assessment criteria
Develop, carry out and evaluate a fitness programme – case study 1.1 Develop a fitness programme for a client, considering their fitness test results, goals, aims and timescales
1.2 Explain how FITT principles and concepts including specificity, reversibility, overload and progression have been included within the fitness programme (case study)
Scenario:
You are a self-employed personal trainer and have been approached by a client who has requested the design of a 4 week training programme to improve their aerobic fitness.
You have collected relevant information and now need to use your knowledge and skills in order to plan and administer an effective fitness programme.
Initial and anthropometric measurements” Result” Resulting aims and goals (from initial measurements and fitness test results)”
Gender” Male Overall aim: improve aerobic fitness (Max heart rate 195bpm)
Goals:
Improve 5k race time (current PB – 27:30 mins)
Short Term Record a sub 27 min 5k
Medium Term Record a sub 25 min 5k
Long Term Record a sub 22 min 5k
Age” 25
Weight” 70kg
Height” 185cm
BMI &/or Body Fat %” 15%
Components of fitness” Test 1
Description” Test 2
Description” Test chosen
(and rationale)” Result of test (and rating)”
Cardiovascular” Cooper 12-Minute Run – Athlete runs as many laps as they can around a 400m track for 12 minutes and the total distance is measured to the nearest 10m. The assistant announces the time remaining after each lap. Multi-Stage Fitness Test – Shuttle runs completed 20m apart to beeps. Pace starts at 8.5km/hr increasing by 0.5km/hr each level. If the athlete misses a third beep in a row, the test ends. Multi-Stage Fitness Test – Easier to locate space. Can be completed indoors so weather doesn’t affect testing validity Level 9.2 (average)
Muscular strength” Leg Press 1RM – On a leg press machine the athlete completes one repetition at the highest weight they can manage Squat 1RM –
Athlete performs a loaded squat with the highest possible weight they can manage Squat 1RM –
Uses more lower body muscles so more indicative of general strength. Does not require an expensive machine to conduct. 100kg
(average)
Muscular Endurance Squat Test –
Standing in the squat position, the athlete performs as many squats as possible until exhaustion or poor form (as monitored by assistant) (see fig.1). Wall sit test –
Athlete enters a sitting position at a 90 degree angle against a wall. One leg is lifted and the held position is timed to exhaustion. Test is repeated with the other leg Wall sit test –
Not affected by poor form. Can be self administered
Right – 57 seconds
(average)
Left – 50 seconds
(average)
Power” Vertical Jump – Athlete stands and reaches up to mark the wall with a chalked fingertip. They complete a jump without arm swing, from 90 degree knee flexion and mark the wall as high as possible. The distance between the two marks is measured. Ten Stride Test –
Athlete completes a sprint between two cones 20m apart. Assistant 1 records the time taken for 10 strides. Assistant 2 records the distance between strides one and 10. Vertical Jump – Results are less influenced by technical skill. Can be completed without assistance 42cm
(average)
Flexibility” Sit and Reach – Athlete sits on the floor with straight legs in front, feet flat up against a box. They reach arms forward and hold the stretch for two seconds. The distance reached by finger tips is measured starting from 15cm before the box Trunk and Neck –
Athlete lies on the floor with hands at the side of their head. Assistant 1 holds the feet down. Athlete raises their trunk and head as high as possible. Assistant 2 records the distance from the floor to the tip of the nose. Sit and Reach –
Simple to set up and requires less assistance. Less gravitational resistance 11.5cm
(above average)
Agility” Illinois Agility Run – Athlete lies face down and when the time starts they get up and run around the course (see fig.1) as fast as possible.
‘T’ Drill test – Athlete starts at cone D, runs to cone B, sidesteps to cone A, sidesteps to cone C and back to cone B and runs backwards to cone D (see fig.2) Illinois agility run test – More changes of direction so better test of agility. Performed over longer distance so easier to measure change. 16.4 seconds
(average)
Question 1
Assessment criteria 1.1, 1.2
Use the aims and goals provided in the table above (AEROBIC FITNESS) to devise a 4 week fitness programme for the client. Fill in the table below for each day/week.
For each day mention the activity/ies completed (remember to include whole rest days if needed) THIS PART DOES NOT COUNT TOWARDS THE WORD COUNT
Ensure that you utilise the following in the 4 week training programme:
• Different types of training: for example, circuit training, interval training, Fartlek training, HIIT, continuous training – be specific to the client’s aims/goals. Be aware of, and cater for the equipment/facilities available to your client e.g Indoor treadmill if bad weather.
• Incorporate rest days where appropriate.
In the FITT explanation box each week you must give an overview of how the exercise programme has met each of the FITT principals and how FITT has been used/changed/progressed from the previous week etc to aid progression towards the Short term goal of achieving a sub 27 minute 5k time. It may be looking at why particular timings, training types etc. have been chosen in relation to the goal and principles of training (i.e. justification). See example below
THIS IS THE PART THAT COUNTS TOWARDS THE WORD COUNT
The fitness programme also needs to specifically explain how SPORRT principles and concepts (Specificity, Progression, Overload, Reversibility, Rest/recovery and Tedium) have been included within the fitness programme. To do this, give examples from the programme itself to justify your arguments.
(Word Count: 600-700) only the text in the FITT explanation box counts towards the overall word count.
Week/Day 4 week Training Programme
Week 1 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
EXAMPLE
Low intensity cardio – 30 mins at 130-140bpm
25 min rest
2.5k metres Slightly higher intensity at (140-150bpm)
5 min rest
400 metre high intensity (160-180 bpm) EXAMPLE
REST DAY
FITT explanation EXAMPLE – please expand on the below and justify your answers
F = Cardio x5 sessions per week
I = Cardio generally 60-70% Max Heart Rate with some higher intensity bursts
T = Cardio x5 sessions lasting 1 hour each with rests in between
T = Cardio: continuous, intervals, HIIT, Fartlek
Week/Day 4 week Training Programme
Week 2 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
FITT explanation EXAMPLE – please expand on the below and justify your answers
F = Cardio x5 sessions per week
I = Cardio generally 60-70% Max Heart Rate with some higher intensity bursts
T = Cardio x5 sessions lasting 1.5 hour each with rests in between (longer duration than last week)
T = Cardio: continuous, intervals, HIIT, Fartlek (perhaps more focus on the final lap sprint this week)
Week/Day 4 week Training Programme
Week 3 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
FITT explanation
Week/Day 4 week Training Programme
Week 4 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
FITT explanation
NOTE:
The main discussion/criterion is about why you have chosen those exercises, and how you have developed the programme over the 4 weeks in line with the individual goals using Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type (fitness components and exercises). Does it fit recommended guidelines of progression, training that component/goal etc.
The plan should be specific to your goals – so it’s more important that exercises relate clearly to that and the FITT principles are explained well in terms of how it would be progressed each week. You don’t need a whole load of detail regarding individual sessions/exercises.
You don’t want each session to be heavily detailed in the plan. The actual exercises in the sessions (don’t give too much) won’t count in the word count.
The type of training /the reps/sets/rest/exercise rationale/justification is where you will attain the most credit/better grades
It just has to be reasonable. For example, if you’re listing and detailing 15 exercises in one session then that’s too much for example. 4/5 is fine.
It’s the justification, not the choice of exercise that will get you the most marks (and linking to initial goals – i.e. if a goal is muscular strength and a lot of cardio steady state jogging is included that is not showing evaluation).
You are marked on these criteria for the training plan:
Develop a fitness programme for a client, considering their fitness test results, goals, aims and timescales
Explain how FITT principles and concepts including specificity, reversibility, overload and progression have been included within the Fitness programme (case study)
