Components of an exercise training session
Introduction
Every exercise program should include a goal for each session on a daily basis but also a weekly and a monthly basis. Each session should include a warm-up, a conditioning component and also a cool down. Sometimes, adding in flexibility can be beneficial for the client to improve range-of-motion and coordination. Following the pre exercise evaluation and initial assessments, the exercise professional (EP) should formulate a plan that includes frequency, intensity, time and type (Liguori et al., 2021). Below is a breakdown of the warm up, conditioning and cool down phases.
Warm-up
Each exercise session should begin with a warmup, or initiation phase. This will properly prepare the body for the movements occurring in the conditioning phase. A successful warmup increases the heart rate and blood flow, mobilizes the joints being used, while improving their range-of-motion, and elevates the joint fluid viscosity (Haff & Triplett, 2021; Liguori et al., 2021). Warmup program designs will vary based on the population and the goal in mind for the exercise session. The EP should plan on what muscles are going to be used, and plan a proper warmup accordingly. A dynamic warm up incorporates larger muscle groups to enhance cardiorespiratory endurance, resistance exercises and aerobic exercises (Liguori et al., 2021). For sport specific athletes, the warm up should include specific muscle/joint groups based on the sport in mind. For example, a swimmer warming up competing in freestyle, will be very different from a basketball forward. Swimmers use their pectoral muscles, latissimus dorsi and trapezius to internally rotate and adduct their shoulder during the stroke (trapezius only responsible for adducting) (Floyd, 2021). Therefore, the warm up should include forward shoulder circles and low intensity aerobic freestyle swimming to activate the upper body properly. If the swimmer is dealing with a lack of ROM, adding in flexibility exercises will enhance their ROM and potentially eliminate a future injury. Lastly, a warmup should be approximately 15 minutes based on the length of the conditioning phase (Liugori et al., 2021).
Conditioning Phase
The conditioning phase is the bulk of the workout program. This phase will include, but is not limited to resistance, aerobic, flexibility and sport specific exercises (Liguori et al., 2021). Depending on the sport in mind, the EP may include plyometric or speed and agility drills as well. For older populations, adding in additional balance and proprioceptive activities are also beneficial. The recommendations for most average adults is 30-60 minutes of moderate activity or 20-60 minutes of vigorous activity, or a combination of the two. Depending on the population or athlete, this will vary. The same principle can be applied to frequency, intensity and type as well. In regard to aerobic intensity and improving one's cardiorespiratory fitness, it's important to note that each individual or population will respond differently to certain V02max ranges. For example, in someone who is sedentary, a V02max of 70-80% could result in sufficient stimulus and make a significant impact. While a highly trained individual may not benefit from this intensity as much. Therefore, the EP will need to enhance their efforts to reach a V02max of 80-100% on a highly trained individual (Liugori et al., 2021). As mentioned previously, each program has a goal in mind, depending on the population or individual being trained. In the warm up section, I mentioned that a basketball player's warm up would be different from a swimmer's warm up. The same idea will be applied to the conditioning portion. Basketball is a highly anaerobic sport, incorporating a lot of fast-twitch muscle movements that call for a lot of speed, agility and quickness (SAQ), as well as different plyometric drills (Cherni et al., 2019). Both of these modes of exercise can easily challenge a basketball player's V02 max. In basketball, athletes will use their glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, shoulder/scapula joint muscles, triceps, biceps and other forearm muscles. Our glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps are mostly activated while running down the court and jumping. However, they are also activated as the athlete is pivoting and shuffling. The calves are working to keep the athlete balanced, while they make quick multi-directional movements, and also help with gaining vertical velocity, while jumping in the air for a pass or a shot. Therefore, the conditioning phase should include box jumps & drop jumps, medicine ball throws, 180 degree rotational jump squats, power push-ups, and forward/backward hops to name a few (Cherni et al., 2019; Floyd, 2021). Including sprint interval training and high intensity functional training can greatly improve an athletes performance as well. Liugori et al. (2021) suggests that conditioning phases should last anywhere between 10-60 minutes, depending on the intensity. However, this phase can exceed 60 minutes for certain, more advanced populations (Liguori et al., 2021).
Cool down phase
The cool down phase is essential for bringing the body back to baseline levels. This phase helps slowly reduce the heart rate and prevents blood from pooling in certain areas of the body. Van Hooren & Peake (2018) suggest that a cool-down should be different for each individual. They state that the cool-down could potentially influence the effectiveness of the recovery and the preceding workout. Cool downs should involve low to moderate dynamic exercises to increase blood flow and not lead to additional fatigue. A cool down can last up to 30 minutes depending on the conditioning phase (Van Hooren & Peake, 2018). Also, this phase should help bring the individual to a more relaxed physiological state (Liguori et al., 2021).
Cherni, Y., Jlid, M. C., Mehrez, H., Shephard, R. J., Paillard, T., Chelly, M. S., & Hermassi, S. (2019). Eight weeks of plyometric training improves ability to change direction and dynamic postural control in female basketball players. Frontiers in physiology, 10, 726. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2019.00726
Floyd, R. T. (2021). Manual of Structural Kinesiology. McGraw-Hill.
Haff, G., & Triplett, N. T. (2021). Essentials of strength training and conditioning. Human Kinetics.
Liguori, G., Feito, Y., Fountaine, C., Roy, B., & American College of Sports Medicine. (2022). ACSM’s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription (11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
Van Hooren, B., & Peake, J. M. (2018). Do We Need a Cool-Down After Exercise? A narrative review of the psychophysiological effects and the effects on performance, injuries and the long-term adaptive response. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 48(7), 1575–1595. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-0916-2