Training Program Design & Planning Flashcards
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Read the first 7 Training Program Design & Planning flashcards as text
Which training principle states that the body must be subjected to greater-than-normal stress to achieve adaptation?
Answer: Overload
The overload principle requires that training stress exceed the body's current capacity to stimulate physiological adaptation.
In a periodized annual plan, what is the primary goal of the general preparation phase?
Answer: Building aerobic base and general fitness
The general preparation phase focuses on establishing aerobic capacity and overall fitness before sport-specific training begins.
When designing training for age-group swimmers, which energy system should receive the greatest emphasis for 10-year-olds?
Answer: Aerobic oxidative
Pre-pubertal swimmers respond best to aerobic training and have limited capacity to buffer lactate, making aerobic development the priority.
What does the term 'mesocycle' refer to in periodization planning?
Answer: A multi-week training block (typically 3–6 weeks)
A mesocycle is an intermediate planning unit, typically lasting 3–6 weeks, comprising several microcycles with a common training focus.
Which of the following best describes the 'taper' phase in a swimming program?
Answer: Gradually reducing training load to allow physiological restoration and peak performance
A taper progressively reduces training volume while often maintaining intensity, allowing accumulated fatigue to dissipate and performance to peak.
A coach wants to improve a swimmer's lactate threshold. Which training zone is most appropriate?
Answer: Threshold/T-pace training near the lactate inflection point
Sustained training at or slightly below the lactate threshold raises the point at which lactate begins to accumulate, improving endurance performance.
In set design, what is the purpose of incorporating a descending rest interval across multiple repetitions (e.g., 4×200 on 3:30, 3:20, 3:10, 3:00)?
Answer: To progressively increase physiological stress across the set
Decreasing rest intervals force the swimmer to perform subsequent repeats under increasing metabolic stress, enhancing adaptation.