Cardiovascular endurance Free Essay Example

The targets I want to achieve over my six sessions is to improve my cardiovascular endurance levels. I also wish to then use my improved levels of cardiovascular endurance to beat my 1500m personal best of 4 minutes 40 seconds, and it is for this reason primarily why I am carrying out this project and conducting this exercise regime. In order to asses my progress towards this target, I will measure changes in my heart rate, and recovery time in order to asses my progress over the six sessions.

Also, I will use the bleep test both before and after my training sessions in order to assess my progress during training, by comparing my results from the two tests.

Awareness of safety aspects. Outline any potential risks with any apparatus/equipment. What factors will you need to consider when planning the order/types of exercises? Explain how and why you will prepare your body for exercise and help it to recover afterwards. 5 marks There are many potential risks with the equipment I may be using, or the technique which I use when performing each station.

I will firstly identify each possible danger, and then analyse each one in turn. So, the potential dangers are; Slippery floors, obstacles on the floor, using the equipment incorrectly, wearing inappropriate clothing, wearing jewellery.

Firstly, the potential risk of slippery floors. Before carrying out my circuit, perhaps during my warm-up, I will asses the area for any obvious spillages or general liquids on the floor. Should I spot something, I will point it out to the member of staff who is charge of supervising the session.

The reason why this may be a safety aspect is because somebody else, or even me could slip over on the liquid/spillage and as a result they could hurt themselves.

The second safety aspect is the potential of any obstacles being on the floor. This could be a problem because if there is, for example, a stone on the floor, then I will need to either remove it from the area or tell the supervisor about it. This could be a safety risk because somebody may kick the stone and it may hit somebody else or me. Thirdly, a danger may occur if I were to use the equipment incorrectly. For example, if I was to perform some squat thrusts and I did not bend my knees fully, and resultantly hurt my back, then the technique which I am using obviously becomes a safety issue. In order to combat this problem, I can make sure that I know fully how to perform each station. I can also only pick exercises which I know how to do. Finally, I could always ask a member of staff for help should I need to because I am unsure on how to carry out a particular exercise.

The clothing which I wear could also play a role in being a safety issue because, for example, if I were to wear a pair of baggy trousers then I may trip over them and injure myself. Not only that, if I was to wear several layers of clothing my body would become hot and especially, as explained later, if I don’t take drink on board, then dehydration could set in. Therefore, it is important to wear suitable sporting clothing, for example polo shirt, shorts, socks and trainers. Should I not wear correct clothing then this could become a safety issue.

Finally, if I were to wear jewellery this could become a safety concern. The first and foremost principal is that I should not wear jewellery when I play any sport, and so performing circuit training is no different. The basic reasons why this is, is because I may be hurt by my jewellery if I were to catch it on something, or somebody else may be hurt by my jewellery if they were to catch themselves on it. Wearing jewellery also, is not a smart move when you are going to be working at maximum effort because it may distract you or cause a reaction against your skin as you become hot. Therefore, this may become a safety issue as well. (Throughout my training I will be wearing a watch which displays my heart rate. This will be safe as long as I do it up tightly on my wrist. Watches pose less of a threat in this instance as supposed to something like a necklace.)

The factors I will consider is to vary my type of exercise e.g. make sure I don’t perform two strength exercises in a row. For example, performing press-ups and then Tricep dips straight after each other. I must not do this because otherwise my arms will get tired and I will therefore not keep my variability. The factors affecting the type of exercise I perform is to keep the exercises specific to the factor of fitness I am training e.g. cardiovascular endurance. For example, perform shuttle runs, instead of press-ups. Other factors I may need to consider is how I will progress my training (see next section) and also, how I will asses my progress throughout the sessions.

This will be done with the aid of a heart rate monitor, and is explained in detail in my introduction ton the project. I must also make sure that I eat before I exercise so that my body has energy to exercise with and to assure that I don’t become ill. I must also drink before during and after my exercise as it is crucial that I stay hydrated throughout my exercise so that I can stay at my peak. This is especially crucial as a 5% drop in hydration can result in a 20% drop in performance levels!

To prepare my body for exercising, I must perform a warm-up. The function of the warm-up is to prepare both my muscles and my body for exercising. The main reason why I will do a warm-up is to prevent injury, but also to make sure that the blood and oxygen is pumping around my body. If my warm-up has been successful, then my heart rate and breathing rate will increase as the need for oxygen also increases, and therefore, I will be certain to be performing at my best and in my aerobic training zone. So, therefore my warm-up will be crucial as I strive to get the most out of my training. My warm-up will consist of 3 parts, a pulse-raising activity, a mobilization of joints section, and a stretching section This will, as already mentioned, get my body ready for exercise, prevent injury and prepare my body mentally for exercise.

To help my body recover afterwards, I must perform a warm-down. This again will consist of stretches and a warm-down jog. This will be to get all of the waste lactic acid out of my body, to therefore prevent muscle stiffness and aid a full recovery. Lactic acid is a big problem as it is a waste product of respiration, and it is crucial that I get this out of my body systems as I will need to be injury and stiffness free over the next few days, especially in the later weeks of my programme in order to be able to carry out my project successfully. Appropriateness of chosen exercises. Explain why you have chosen at least two of the exercises/activities and how will they help you achieve your targets. 5 marks

The first exercise I have chosen to write about is the 5 minute continuous run which I am implementing into my circuit. This is because I can then get a bit of continuous training, the best form of training for cardiovascular endurance, into my circuit. This will enable me to really work my lungs and heart and will make sure that I train in my aerobic training zone. My targets, of improving my levels of cardiovascular endurance will therefore be met if I were to introduce a 5 minute run into my circuit because I will be fully testing my cardiovascular endurance, and my Vo2 max. By including a run in my circuit, I can also more easily adapt the circuit to the level of intensity I want to take the circuit to, for example, the first week, I can include a 5 minute run, and then the second week, it can become a six minute run etc.

This will then help me meet one of my earlier targets of constantly increasing the work-rate and increasing the intensity of the training so that my body does not level off and come to a plateau in terms of fitness levels. There are several other benefits to including a run in my circuit; it is easy to comment on for example. When I come to asses my circuit and look at its suitability for training my cardiovascular endurance levels, I can say that I included a run in my circuit, a form of continuous training, and that therefore I successfully kept my circuits suitability for training my cardiovascular endurance by implementing a run into my circuit. Other benefits include the fact that I do not need equipment, so that less time is taken in setting up my circuit, and also, therefore, fewer risks are taken with the safety of the circuit.

One final major advantage of using a run in my circuit is that I can be flexible and include it at any stage which I want to. The aim of my circuit is to get train in my aerobic fitness zone, with the aid of my heart rate monitor, I will know when I am in my zone, and therefore when my training is benefiting my body. If I were to do a few stations in my circuit and get straight into my aerobic training zone, then that is obviously great as it means my circuit is training my cardiovascular endurance.

However, if I was then to slow my pace down and fall outside of my aerobic training zone, I can then move my run back in my circuit and run for the next five minutes in order to get my body back into my aerobic training zone. Therefore, by including a run in my circuit, it makes it a lot easier for me to achieve my targets from the circuit, that is to say, training in my aerobic training zone. It is for these reasons why I believe that the inclusion of a five minute (initial) run in my circuit is suitable to me in aiding me to train and improve my cardiovascular endurance.