FARTLEK TRAINING

PE 1 Physical Fitness Training Program

Submitted by _

Submitted to Prof. Arroyo

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for PE 1

Table of Contents

|Cover Page |p. 0 |
|Table of Contents |p. 1 |
|Introduction |p. 2 |
|Objectives |p. 3 |
|Scopes and Limitations |p. 3 |
|Constraints |p. 3 |
|Definition of Terms |p. 4 |
|Methodology |p. 5 |
|Frequency |p. 5 |
|Intensity |p. 5 |
|Time |p. 6 |
|Type |p. 6 |
|Training Schedules |p. 6 |
|Warming Up |p. 8 |
|Working Out |p. 9 |
|Results and Conclusions |p. 10 |
|References |p. 12 |

Introduction

The lack of time is one of the most convenient excuses that people have when they are asked why they are not exercising or keeping fit. Many say that working out in a gym or taking an afternoon off for sports is impractical since it costs time and money. This is one of the few things that prompted the researcher to find a simple effective way of keeping fit without using exercise equipments, rigorous exercise methods and the need for long periods of time.

The majority of UPV miagao-based students keep fit by jogging along the length of the dorm road up to the new admin or the CUB area. The terrain features of the campus are ideal for building the lower body muscular groups and it’s near enough the place where the researcher is staying. Thus, the researcher believed that the location of the training program should be located here as well, and the participants and subjects for the effectivity of this training program should be here as well.

The researcher had known people serving in the military and navy and has witnessed various types of exercised employed by these people to keep soldiers fit. One of the methods employed is the fartlek training method which makes use of aerobic and anaerobic capacities to maximize and balance out the training of a soldier. The researcher believes that this training method is beneficial for not only losing weight, but also for keeping one’s fitness in a regular basis.

The researcher conducted this training program with what started out with four individuals, however, as time passed on, only the researcher remained as the subject of this study. However, the data gained during the first two weeks of the program can be made used of, along with the researcher’s own four week data.

Objectives

The researcher aims to create a simple, practical yet effective training program for the students and staff in University of the Philippines Visayas, Miagao Campus. Without the use of equipment and long periods of time, the training program aims to train its trainees to become fit and agile.

Scope and Limitations

The researcher designed the program for people without heart problems, and other physical or physiological limitations that inhibit his/her ability to achieve maximum oxygen uptake through walking, jogging, running and sprinting. This training is designed for leveled and hilly areas where walking, jogging, running and sprinting can be done without risk or injury to the trainees. The program is conducted wherein the trainees kept a steady diet of 3 meals per day, some light snacks, and free of softdrinks, alcoholic beverages or cigarette use.

Constraints

The researcher has not been able to find committed trainees, aside from him, who are willing to dedicate four weeks to this type of training. Furthermore, lack of expertise on taking heart rates using pulse, especially during training, results in miscalculated data during the first two weeks of training, rendering training results before as ineffective, and the effort done during those two weeks as lost. In this training program, however, physical changes are taken noted of, since these can be measurable after training, without being severely subjected to human error.

Definition of Terms:

1. Aerobic - A process of producing energy that requires oxygen.

2. Anaerobic - A process of producing energy that does not require oxygen.

3. Cardio respiratory endurance - The ability of the heart and lungs to continuously sustain exercise by providing oxygen to the muscles, during prolonged periods of exercise.

4. Cardiovascular strength – The ability of the heart to powerfully pump blood to provide more volumes of oxygen to the muscles, to release more energy during intense activities like sprinting.

5. Cool-down – usually called “warm-down”, it means Gentle exercise at the end of a training session before cooling off.

6. Heart rate - The number of heart beats per unit of time, usually expressed as beats per minute.

7. Fartlek training - An athletic training technique, used especially in running, in which periods of intense effort alternate with periods of less strenuous effort in a continuous workout.

8. Physical fitness - the capacity to carry out the day’s activities without undue fatigue.

9. Warm-up - The act of exercising or stretching in preparation for strenuous activity.

Methodology

People used to think that exercise is aerobic or anaerobic, however, most exercises that we have is a combination of both. Fartlek is an unstructured type of training, with variable components, that is, there is no set time limit or quota for warm-up, work-out, and cool-down, thus the heart rate for this training program is highly relative, depending on whether the person is sprinting, running, jogging or brisk walking. Also, this training program doesn’t allow the trainee to pause, moving is required at all times. Thus, measuring the heart rate during warm-ups, training period, and cool-downs is difficult. The researcher has searched for a heart rate measure device such as a wristwatch, to be able to easily keep track of the subject’s heart rates but unfortunately, finding such a device in Iloilo is next to impossible. In lieu of this, the researcher is using physical measurements such as the measure of the thigh radius, waist, and other body parts to keep track of the effects of the training, and also the use of BMI to determine if the program is adequate for physical fitness training.

Frequency:

The training program is conducted four or three times a week, with a day of resting between each training day. For a period of one month, a minimum of four weeks is targeted to come up with results.

Intensity:

The method of raising the intensity of the training depends on which aspect of the trainee he/she would like to focus on. For cardiovascular endurance, the training is intensified by setting a time limit on walking intervals, and extending the training time each week. For agility related sports such as football, the training is intensified by setting a quota for the number of sprints or sprint distance depending on the capacity of the trainee.

Time:

The training period spans an hour up to two hours. However, there is no structure to it, the trainee is free to maximize the training time.

Type:

Fartlek, or “speedplay” in Swedish, involves running at fast speeds and low speeds on both level and hilly courses. Unlike interval training, it does not involve specific exercise or rest periods. The trainee trains as desired. It is a combination of anaerobic and aerobic exercise.

Prepared training schedule:

Since the training is dependent on the individual capacity of the trainee, the researcher used multipliers to determine the intensity of the variable lengths of time or distance that the user can achieve in performing various activities such as walking, jogging, running, or sprinting.

The first week is used to determine the pace that the trainee is comfortable with, this means that this is the regular pace they could work out without experiencing cramps, loss of breath, and as such. This will determine to what capacity their training can be intensified in the weeks that followed, thus we assign variables T for the average walking time in each walk-jog-run-sprint cycle, and D for the average distance they travel before switching to the next state (like from jogging to sprinting. Running is different from sprinting, sprinting is assumed to be the top running speed of a person.

Different training schedules are prepared for those with different needs. They are as follows:

1. Cardio Respiratory Endurance Focused (Aerobic)

2. Cardio Vascular Strength Focused (Anaerobic)

3. Cardio Respiratory Endurance and Vascular Strength Focused (Aerobic/Anaerobic)

For Cardio Respiratory Endurance (Aerobic) Focused:

| |Walking |Jogging |Running |Sprinting |
|Quota/Limits |Time |Distance |Time |Distance |
|Quota/Limits |Time |Distance |Time |Distance |
|Quota/Limits |Time |

Working out and Cooling down(Warming down):

Working out is a cycle of Walk-Jog-Run-Sprint. These are the four modes of training, each has a corresponding Aerobic/Anaerobic percentage of work being done. Walking is purely Aerobic, while Sprinting is mostly anaerobic. Switching between these different modes, depends on the trainee and on the intensity of his or her training. At the end of a training, the trainee can just walk to finally cool down.

Using biological/physiological signs or symptoms, like sweating, warmed legs & feet, and elevated heart beat, instead of time constraints, the trainee determines whether to elevate his/her mode of training (like from walking to brisk walking, sprinting to running, etc). This gives freedom for the trainee to continue training in the event of experiencing tiredness, thirst and other things that might hinder the continuing of the training.

Results and Conclusion

The training program was conducted on March 1 until March 26, 2010, alternating between morning and evening, at 5: 30 am until 7 am and at 5:30 pm until 7 pm, in locations such as UPV Miagao, and Iloilo Sports Complex. For privacy reasons, the identities of the trainees will be held confidential, and they will be instead called as Trainee A and B. Trainee A is the researcher and Trainee B is one of the researcher’s friends who committed until the third week.

These are the results of the four week training program on the physical characteristics of the trainees.

Trainee A – Aerobic/Anaerobic Focused

|Characteristics |Initial |First Week |Second Week |Third Week |Fourth Week |
|Height |5 “6 ft (1.7 m) |
|Weight |72 kgs |70 kgs |65 kgs |62 kgs |60 kgs |
|Body Mass Index |24.7 |24.02 |22.3 |21.2 |20.6 |
|Ave. no. of hrs until |- |1 hr |1 hr |50 mins. |40 mins. |
|fatigued | | | | | |
|Circumferences (in.) |
|Neck |19 |18.5 |- |17.6 |17 |
|Upper Arm |15 |14.8 |- |14.4 |14.2 |
|Lower Arm |13 |13 |- |13 |13 |
|Chest |34 |33 |- |33 |32.5 |
|Stomach |36.1 |35.5 |- |32.3 |32 |
|Upper Leg |23.5 |23.2 |- |23 |22.5 |
|Lower Leg |17.2 |17.4 |- |17 |16 |

Trainee B – Aerobic Focused

|Characteristics |Initial |First Week |Second Week |Third Week |Fourth Week |
|Height |5 “4 ft (1.64 m) 2.6896 |
|Weight |76 kgs |72 kgs |70 kgs |67 kgs |- |
|Body Mass Index |28.25 |26.77 |26.03 |24.9 |- |
|Ave. no. of hrs until |- |1 hr |1hr 10 mins. |50 mins. |- |
|fatigued | | | | | |
|Circumferences (in.) |
|Neck |20.1 |20 |- |21 |- |
|Upper Arm |18 |18 |- |16.5 |- |
|Lower Arm |17 |17 |- |16 |- |
|Chest |37.9 |38 |- |35 |- |
|Stomach |39 |38 |- |36 |- |
|Upper Leg |26.3 |26 |- |24 |- |
|Lower Leg |19 |19 |- |23 |- |

Conclusions:

The Body Mass Index determines whether an individual is underweight, normal or overweight. The BMI for underweight is below 18.5 and the BMI for overweight is from 25 and up. The BMI for normal is between the two. Although having a normal BMI is not a guarantee for physical fitness, it is however a contributing factor in being able to become physically fit. The muscle-fat ratio is at a manageable level wherein one can physically function or even, physically train without undue fatigue or stress. The Fartlek training program is effective for those who want an effective simple way of losing weight fast. Under this program, the trainees’ BMI was reduced from overweight down to normal, making it possible for the trainee to become “physically fit”.

References:

The Navy Seal Physical Fitness Guide by Patricia Deuster, 1997.

Physique, Fitness, and Performance, Second Edition by Thomas Battinelli, 2007

http://www.wikipedia.org

http://www.wiktionary.org