Athletic Categories and High-Performance Staff Structure

Athletic Categories

• Elite:
  • Competes at national and international levels.
  • Full-time professional athletes.
  • 20-40 hours of structured exercise per week.
  • Video analysis and sports psychology.
  • Regular injury prevention screening.
• Sub-Elite:
  • Competes at national and international levels.
  • Full-time or part-time athletes.
  • 8-20 hours of structured exercise per week.
  • May complete video analysis and sports psychology.
  • Some undertake part-time study.
• Recreational:
  • May compete at community level.
  • Significant time dedicated to work or study.
  • Up to 15 hours of structured exercise per week.
  • Take exercise seriously.
  • May have additional work or study commitments.

High Performance Staff Structure

• High Performance Manager (HPM) works with a multidisciplinary team to optimize athlete performance ethically.
• Team includes: Performance Sport Scientist, Head Physiotherapist, Athletic Development Manager, Head Sport Scientist, Rehab Sport Scientist, Massage Therapist, Rehab S&C, Physiotherapists, Strength & Conditioning, Speed & Agility, Sports Physician, Interns

Screening

• Functional Movement Screening (FMS):
  • Purpose: Identify poor biomechanical patterns.
  • Involves seven functional exercises (excluding three clearance tests).
  • Scoring: 3 = Optimal, 2 = Acceptable, 1 = Poor.
• Injury Prevention Testing:
  • Joint ROM testing
  • Handheld dynamometry (HHD)
• Athletic Ability Assessment (AAA) – see readings on Canvas site.

Body Composition

• Methods include: Skin-folds, Girths, DEXA, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA).
• Key metrics: Fat mass, Lean mass, BMC (Bone Mineral Content), %Fat

Force Plates (VALD) for Movement Testing

• Common tests: Counter movement jump (CMJ), 10-5 reactive strength index (RSI) hop test, isometric mid-thigh pull.
• Data & metrics: Force, impulse, jump height, contraction time, contact time, RSI, rate of force development (RFD).

Sport Specific Fitness Tests

• Intermittent Fitness Test (IFT)
• Bronco 1.2km
• Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test

Speed and Agility Tests

• 40m Shuttle
• 505 Agility Test

Repetition Maximum Testing

• Resistance exercises: Barbell squat, Trap bar deadlift, Bench press, Weighted chin up
• Repetition ranges: 1RM, 3RM, 4-6RM

Screening Based on Athletic Status

• Elite athletes: Higher quality assessments (valid, reliable, data-rich) due to resources.
• Sub-elite athletes: May have limited assessments (indirect vs. direct).
• Recreational athletes: Assessments require minimal equipment and skill; results useful but errors less critical.

Periodisation Cycles

• Multi-year plan: 2-4 years (quadrennial plan).
• Annual training plan: 1 year, subdivided into preparatory, competitive, and transition periods.
• Macrocycle: Several months to a year, divided into preparatory, competitive, and transition periods.
• Mesocycle: 2-6 weeks (block of training), consists of microcycles.
• Microcycle: Several days to 2 weeks, composed of multiple exercise sessions.
• Training day: A single day which may include multiple training sessions.
• Training session: Several hours.

General Training Priorities by Sport Season

• Off-season: Low sport practice, high resistance training (hypertrophy and muscular endurance initially; strength and power later).
• Pre-season: Medium sport practice and resistance training (sport and movement specific).
• In-season: High sport practice, low resistance training (maintenance).
• Post-season (active rest): Variable sport practice and resistance training.

Resistance Training Mesocycles - Example

• Block A (early pre-season): Strength and Hypertrophy, higher volume, 7-9 exercises.
• Block B (late pre-season): Strength, Power, Velocity, moderate volume, 5-7 exercises.
• Block C (season maintenance): Strength, Power, Velocity maintenance, moderate volume, 5-7 exercises.
• Block D (finals): Strength, Power, Velocity maintenance, moderate volume, 4-5 exercises.

Actioning Force Plate Data – IMTP (Strength)

• Relative Peak Force < 35N/kg: Maximal Force Focus, Lifts >85%RM, Loaded Jumps
• Relative Peak Force @ 100ms < 50% of Peak: RFD Ballistic Focus, Olympic Lift Derivatives

Actioning Force Plate Data – Reactive Strength

• 10-5 repeated jump test reactive strength index (RSI)

Actioning Force Plate Data - CMJ (Velocity/Power)

• Contraction Time >675ms: CT Focus, Longer Contact Plyometrics, Strength-Speed Lifts, Loaded Jumps
• Jump Height < 35cm: FT Focus, Quick Contact Plyometrics, Speed-Strength Lifts, Band Assisted Jumps

Examples of Movement-Related Resistance Training Exercises

• Ball dribbling and passing: Close-grip bench press, dumbbell bench press, triceps pushdown, reverse curl, hammer curl
• Ball kicking: Unilateral hip adduction/abduction, single-leg squat, forward step lunge, leg extension, leg raise
• Freestyle swimming: Pull-up, lateral shoulder raise, forward step lunge, upright row, barbell pullover, single-leg squat
• Vertical jumping: Snatch, power clean, push jerk, back squat, front squat, calf raise, jumping (drop jump, CMJ)
• Racket stroke: Flat dumbbell fly, lunge, bent-over lateral raise, wrist curl, wrist extension
• Rowing: Power clean, clean pull, snatch pull, bent-over row, seated row, leg press, deadlift, stiff-legged deadlift, good morning
• Running, sprinting: Snatch, clean, front squat, forward step lunge, step-up, leg extension, Nordics, toe raise, calf raises
• Throwing, pitching: Lunge, single-leg squat, barbell pullover, overhead triceps extension, shoulder internal/external rotation

Resistance Exercise Prescription Components

• Frequency - Sessions per week
• Intensity - Relative to max (%1RM)/RM
• Volume - Sets / repetitions
• Exercises - How many? Any Specific? Which is the FITT principle! Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type

NSCA Resistance Training Guidelines

• Strength: ≥85 %1RM, ≤6 reps, 2-6 sets, 2-5 min rest
• Power (Single-effort): 80-90 %1RM, 1-2 reps, 3-5 sets, 2-5 min rest
• Power (Multiple-effort): 75-85 %1RM, 3-5 reps, 3-5 sets, 2-5 min rest
• Hypertrophy: 67-85 %1RM, 6-12 reps, 3-6 sets, 30 s to 1.5 min rest
• Muscular Endurance: ≤67 %1RM, ≥12 reps, 2-3 sets, ≤30 s rest

Periodisation and Resistance Training Prescription Based on Athletic Status

• Elite/Sub-elite athletes: Follow periodised training plans.
• Recreational athletes: Periodisation is rare.
• Elite athletes: Highly specific resistance training; guided by monitoring tools.
• Recreational athletes: Less specific resistance training; rarely guided by monitoring tools.

Intermittent Aerobic Conditioning

• Intermittent Fitness Testing (IFT) incorporates acceleration, deceleration, change of direction, aerobic capacity, and high-speed running (>18km/h).

Utilise Testing Data to Design Conditioning Drills

• Maximal Aerobic Speed (MAS) calculated from IFT results to determine training distances.

Threshold Intensities for Increasing VO2max Based on Initial Fitness

• Very Low to Low: <35 / <27 (mL/kg/min), 3-5 d/wk, 30% HRR, 60-150 min/wk duration
• Low to Average: 35-39 / 27-33 (mL/kg/min), 3-5 d/wk, 45% HRR, 150-200 min/wk duration
• Average to Good: 39-45 / 33-38 (mL/kg/min), 3-5 d/wk, 55% HRR, 200-300 min/wk duration
• High: 45-52 / 38-48 (mL/kg/min), 3-5 d/wk, 75% HRR, 200-300 min/wk duration
• Very High: >53 / >48 (mL/kg/min), 3-5 d/wk, 90-100% HRR, 200-300 min/wk duration

Intensity Equivalents

• Very Light: <30% HRReserve, <37% HRmax, RPE < 9
• Light: 30-39% HRReserve, 37-45% HRmax, RPE 9-11
• Moderate: 40-59% HRReserve, 46-63% HRmax, RPE 12-13
• Vigorous: 60-89% HRReserve, 64-90% HRmax, RPE 14-17
• Near-Maximal to Maximal: ≥90% HRReserve, ≥91% HRmax, RPE ≥18

HIT Recommendations - Buchheit & Laursen 2013

• HIT with long intervals: ≥95% vVO2max, ≤2 min relief, passive recovery
• HIT with short intervals: 100-120% vVO2max, <15 s relief, passive recovery
• RST: All-out efforts, <<20s relief, 40% VIFT
• SIT: All-out, ≥2 min relief, passive recovery
• Game-based training: Self-selected RPE >7, ≤2 min relief, passive recovery

Conditioning Prescription Based on Athletic Status

• Elite/Sub-elite athletes: Very specific conditioning sessions throughout the season.
• Recreational athletes: Conditioning sessions usually involve less preparation and planning.
• Data from monitoring tools play an important role for conditioning prescription for elite and sometimes sub-elite athletes

Monitoring of Athlete Load

• Combination of sport and non-sport stressors: training, competition, work, recreational activities, family, homework/study.

Loads

• External load: Physical work (number of sprints, weight lifted, total distance etc.).
• Internal load: Individual physiological and psychological response to the external load. Influenced by genetic factors combined with daily life stressors, environmental, and biological factors.

Measuring Internal Load

• Indirect measures: Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), Heart rate, Blood lactate concentration

Session-RPE Method

• Athlete rates each session’s overall difficulty on a 10-point scale (sRPE).
• Session Load = session RPE x duration (minutes)
• Daily Load = sum of all Session Loads for the entire day
• Weekly Training Load = sum of all Daily Training Loads for the entire week
• Monotony = Weekly Load/SD of Daily Load
• Strain = Weekly Training Load x Monotony

Heart Rate Method

• Estimate internal load, however requires use of a heart rate monitor.
• Limitations: Limited to aerobic activities, underestimates internal load during short-duration high intensity/anaerobic activities, Fluctuates daily. Requirement for regular calibration of individual heart rate training zones to improve internal load accuracy.

Blood Lactate Concentration

• Sensitive to changes in exercise intensity and duration.
• Inter- and intra-individual differences depending on hydration status, diet, glycogen content, previous exercise etc.
• Lactate to RPE ratio may be useful in determining internal load and identifying fatigue.

Measuring External Load

• Quantified using various measurement devices such as: Global positioning system (GPS), Accelerometers, Dynamometers

Role of GPS Tracking in Field-based Sports

• Increase performance by utilising data to create a profile for both the team and individual athletes. Aggregating and analysing data to create strategies to improve athletic performance
  • Prevent athlete injuries. Identify trends that may lead to overtraining
• Assist in restoring athletes to pre-injury levels without reinjury *What Metrics does GPS tracking capture?
  • Distance travelled
• Bands of velocity
• Volume spent in different bands of velocity
• Acceleration metrics
• Deceleration metrics
• Collisions
  • High speed running (HSR)
• Very high-speed running (VHSR)
• Maximum velocity

Accelerometers

• Linear position transducers (e.g. GymAware) or wearable accelerometers to measure movement velocity during resistance training.
• Monitoring of velocity can assist with understanding how many repetitions an individual has left during a set, known as “repetitions in reserve”.
• Can reduce the effects of fatigue during resistance training based on the principle that when fatigue develops, there is a loss in velocity.
  Termination of sets at a particular velocity loss to assist with optimising training stimulus and also to promote adequate recovery.

Dynamometers

• Neuromuscular function (fatigue and recovery) can be assessed by maximal voluntary contractions (MVC) using isokinetic dynamometers.
  • Assessment of:
    • Force-related variables (e.g., peak torque achieved by different lower-limb muscle groups under maximal isometric contraction; MVIC).
  • Concentric and eccentric contractions.
    Neuromuscular fatigue and recovery can also be monitored via the counter movement vertical jump (CMJ).

Perceptual Well-being

• Daily Wellness Components: Energy / Vitality, Mood (Positive affect).
• Indicator vs Contributor? Sleep, Nutrition, Hydration
• Emotional valence describes the extent to which an emotion is positive or negative.
• Athletes deal with everyday life and unique, intensified sport-related pressures + stressors. Factors are bi-directional (impact and are impacted by performance).
  Physical and Psycho-social Stressors

Daily Wellness Questionnaire

• Tests athlete's wellness with questions related to sleep, fatigue, stress and muscle soreness.

Monitoring Based on Athletic Status

• Elite/Sub-elite: Large emphasis on monitoring to guide training; sophisticated, high-tech methods.
• Recreational: May use very basic monitoring tools, if used at all.

AIS Group (A) Supplements

• Strong scientific evidence for use in certain sports using evidence-based protocols:
  • Protein and amino acid supplements
  • Carbohydrate-electrolyte (sports drinks)
  • Caffeine
  • Creatine monohydrate
  • Bicarbonate
  • Beta-alanine

Education on Supplements

• Prioritize everyday nutrition and strategic use of ergogenic aids.

Ergogenic Aids Based on Athletic Status

• Elite/Sub-elite: Invest in ergogenic aids to assist with recovery and improve performance.
• Recreational: May use ergogenic aids but often have other areas of life and training that could be improved for greater gains.