Training For 600 - ACFT

SPECIFICITY

CONTEXT

The physical training you conduct should have a specific application to your job-related tasks (e.g. warrior tasks and battle drills). Moreover, if the test for which you are training requires producing power, training for muscular endurance likely won't do you any good.

SIGNIFICANCE

Adaptation is specific -- you will get better at exactly what you practice. Running slow for long distances does not make you faster! If you want your training to carry over to your sport, your training must "look" enough like your sport to benefit you on the field.

SCIENTIFIC BASIS

S.A.I.D Principle

Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands

Adaptations that occur as a result of training directly correlate to the specific stimuli

IMPLICATIONS

Continue to progressively overload the targeted muscle group or energy system, and you will continue to improve... for a little while.
Fail to properly modify your volume, intensity, and/or rest, and you will likely experience the dreaded plateau

3 Rep Max Deadlift

Tests:

Muscular Strength

- Legs and Shoulders

- Trunk

- Grip

By design the ACFT tests you in the following components of fitness:

Muscular Strength
Muscular Endurance
Aerobic Endurance
Anaerobic Endurance

Other Training Considerations:

Agility
Balance
Flexibility
Coordination

Posture
Speed
Power
Stability

Muscular Strength

the capacity of a muscle or muscle group to exert a force against a maximal resistance

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muscular endurance

the capacity of a muscle or muscle group to exert a sub-maximal force repeatedly, or to hold a static contraction over a period of time

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aerobic endurance

the ability to sustain low-intensity activity of long duration

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anaerobic endurance

the ability to sustain high intensity activity of short duration

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Training for Muscular Strength

There exists an important relationship between Load and Volume:

the heavier the load, the lower the number of repetitions that can be performed
since strength is defined as the capacity to exert force against a maximal resistance (the heaviest load possible), increases in strength are best exhibited by demonstrating an increased capacity to lift progressively heavier loads
lifting loads less than 80% of your 1RM does not increase your capacity to lift progressively heavier loads -- therefore, your efforts to get stronger should focus on loads greater than 80% of your 1RM
and since heavier loads reduce the number of repetitions we can perform, strength training is usually conducted with 8 repetitions or less, across 2-5 sets of work

1RM = 1 Repetition Maximum

load = amount of weight used

intensity - describes the load as a % of a RM

The "sweet spot" for training to improve muscular strength:

2-5 sets

< 8 repetitions

> 80% 1RM

Training for Muscular Endurance

Muscular Endurance: the capacity of a muscle/muscle group to exert a force repeatedly or to hold a fixed or static contraction over a period of time

since heavier loads reduce the number of repetitions we can perform, muscular endurance training is usually conducted with lighter weights and a higher volume
while strength is a key component to moving large loads, that's simply not enough -- we've also got to move those loads long distances
this is why in addition to training for strength, you may not neglect the need to move progressively heavier loads for longer periods of time
isometric holds can and should be a key component of training for muscular endurance
which type of training should come first? That all depends on your needs analysis, but in traditional periodization we learn high volume first and then move towards the strength domain

Volume - the total number of repetitions performed (sets x reps)

Volume-load = amount of weight used x total reps

Isometric - holding a static contraction (think planks)

The "sweet spot" for training to improve muscular endurance:

3-6 sets

10 - 20 repetitions

50 - 75% 1RM

Training for Aerobic Endurance

Training for Aerobic Endurance (e.g. the 2 mile run) is all about energy system development. Bioenergetics -- the physiological processes that result in the creation of ATP -- dictate how fast our body can provide the energy we need for a given activity

the energy we need to conduct long, slow exercise activities is produced through a process called aerobic respiration (hence the term aerobic exercise).
this process occurs in the cell's mitochondria, requires oxygen, and generates a large amount of ATP, but it takes a relatively long time to supply the energy we need
this is "ok" if our energy demands are not as immediate -- as is the case with long, slow endurance work
as soon as our demand for energy out-paces our ability to supply it aerobically, our method of supplying ATP shifts to anaerobic means
one of the keys to increasing our ability to run faster for longer periods of time is increasing the threshold at which this transition from aerobic to anaerobic respiration occurs

ATP - Adenosine Tri-Phosphate - the energy "currency" of the body

Anaerobic Threshold (AT) - the exertion level at which anaerobic metabolism supplies the majority of the energy needs as a result of increased intensity

RPE - Rating of Perceived Exertion - a scale of effort from 6 - 20

Aerobic work is typically characterized by:

continuous work > 4 minutes

HR < 75% of MHR

9 -14 RPE

AnE

Training for Anaerobic Endurance

Short-term, high intensity training like sprinting predominantly relies on the metabolic pathway (energy system) known as Anaerobic Glycolysis.

we cannot rely on the aerobic system to supply the majority of the energy requirements for this high intensity work because it simply can't supply ATP fast enough
instead, the glycolytic pathway, which relies on carbohydrates in the blood (glucose) and carbohydrates stored in the muscle (glycogen), provides a short-term source of energy very quickly
while the energy this system provides is more readily available, we also pay a price for our immediate energy needs - lactic acid
Lactate (lactic acid) is a by-product of anaerobic glycolysis, and our ability to clear the associated hydrogen ions (that burn you feel) limit the capacity of this energy system
HIIT serves to help us increase our lactate threshold, ultimately contributing to increased anaerobic and aerobic capacity

HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training

Anaerobic Threshold (AT) - the exertion level at which anaerobic metabolism supplies the majority of the energy needs as a result of increased intensity

Anaerobic work is typically characterized by:

short, intense work < 90 seconds

> 75 % Max Effort

14 - 20 RPE

"As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. One who grasps principles can successfully select their own methods."

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Training Principles