My name is Ben Evans and I am 14 years old and I play rugby. My position is second row and I play for Swansea School Boys, Swansea Uplands and Olchfa school. I started playing rugby when i was 12. I was in Swansea District under 13s and 14s, now I'm currently in Schoolboys under 15s. My level of fitness as I write this is very low because we have been unable to train or play for 3 months due to snow and injury. Also is has recently been Christmas so Iv eaten too many mince pies. I cant wait to get back to a high standard of fitness and be able to run again. Although my fitness is low I have maintained a high fitness level in my rugby career. Id say I'm a good rugby player and I'm good at my position but I could improve greatly with the fitness program I am about to develop.
To be a good second row you need to have good power, muscular endurance, max strength, C,V Endurance and flexibility. These are the physical things that a second row needs to be a good rugby player but they would have to have technical thing as well, such as position in the tackle area to preform a perfect tackle. Also to catch a ball in the line out under pressure and at speed.
My major ambition is to be happy with my fitness but to get there I have thought of two short term goals that I could achieve before that. The first is to complete the fitness programme then to carry out and proceed with my fitness in my own time.
This is my time table.
My Diary
Week 1
Muscular Endurance
On Monday I took part in Mr Owens P.E session and the focus of this session was to improve your muscular endurance. We were in groups of three and one person was doing kettle bell swings (10kg), the other person was doing 6 step berpies and the last person was doing shuttles of about 5m. The last person would have to do 10 shuttles and then everyone would swap around what they would be doing. This lasted for 20 minutes non-stop. It was a good training session and it was very hard. I enjoyed it and felt good after it.
Tuesday-Ball Skills and Game
Today we should have been doing plyometrics training but because we had a school boys game after school we swapped it for skill training. Me and Lewis stood 20m apart and one of us had four balls on the floor. We would then pass the balls off the floor to our partner, then our partner would do the same and each time we did it we swapped what hand we were passing off. We did that for about 10mins. After we were running up and down the hall passing it back and forth. To make it more interesting we brought in another ball so we were both passing at the same time just to make it a little more interesting and it would improve our ball skills because it was harder. I found the lesson fun and so did lewis even though he was ill.
After school we had a school boys game against Camarthen. I played a full game and it was very intense throughout. We won 38-0 but even so it was a hard game although i did enjoy it. I was experiencing DOMs the next day because there was allot of scrummaging.
Wednesday-Rest-Rugby Training.
Although i had scheduled that today should be muscular endurance during school i decided not to do it because i was experiencing DOMs and I had rugby training for Uplands later that day.
Rugby training was a physical session because we started off with touch rugby and then went into defense skills. The touch rugby wasn't hard but the defense training was because it was full contact and it lasted for most of the sesh. It was basic rugby and all we were doing was forming a ruck and when the scrum half put hands on we would rush up in a line and make tackles. Then we would form a ruck and it would go on. It was very intense and very tiring but i still enjoyed it and it did improve our defense because we were coming up as a line whereas before we were coming up individually and leaving gaps for the opposition to run through. Then we had a little game of touch rugby to finish off.
Thursday-Plyometrics
There were three stations that me and lewis were working on. The first was too do a push up and spring up onto a springboard then do another press up and fall back down onto the floor. We would repeat this. The second was we had a medicine ball and we would do a squat and the leap forward with the medicine ball against our chest. The third was that there was four hurdles all back to back with a gap in the middle. We would jump into the gap and then jump back from where we came, then jump in again but this time springing left, then back in, then right, then back in, then forward. We would do each station for 40 seconds with a 15 second rest period for three rounds but the last round only lasted for 30 seconds. I didn't enjoy this training sesh as much as I have the other ones. It could have been because it was first lesson and I was lacking motivation. I found it really hard but again this could have been because it was first lesson and I wasn't fully awake. Also it could have been because my body was aching from the training sessions previously in the week. All of these added up to a depressing training session.
Friday
Rest
Saturday-Rest
Sunday-Active Rest
On Sunday my game was called off so I went for a jog just to keep my motivation up.
Monday
Was ill so i did not participate in any sporting activities.
Tuesday
I did a solo plyometrics training session because Lewis had a footie game after school and he didnt want to fateuge his muscles for the game. I had three stations, the first was i had two benches stanced on each other and there were three of these behind eachother. I jumped over them with minimal ground contact. The second was the spring board push up which i have done maney times before. You do a push up from the floor onto the springboards then fall back to the floor. The last station I did the frog jump. Its when you do a a squat and explode forward while holding a 8kg.
I was at these stations for 40 seconds for three rounds. It was physically challenging and I expirienced painful Doms for two days after the sesh. I enjoyed it but it was challenging.
Wednesday
I was scheduled to do a muscular endurance interval training session today but after yesterdays plyometrics i was experiencing DOMs which means Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness this usually happens after either a few hours or days after. So i had a rest day.
I was scheduled to do a muscular endurance interval training session today but after yesterdays plyometrics i was experiencing DOMs which means Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness this usually happens after either a few hours or days after. So i had a rest day.
Thursday
Me and Lewis continued to follow our schedule and took part in a Co-ordination individual passing session. We started our session by just using one hand spinning the ball back and for alternating between left and right hands. We then advanced on our skills by just passing off our left hand, progressing on then to a half moving pass. we will progress further onto harder skills next week.
In the evening i went school boys training and it was an intense session playing touch rugby and going through moves. It was a very hard session for the forwards tho because we did a scrummage drill where you would scrum, then sprint to the touch line and back before the coach counted down from 5. when he got to zero he would then make us do another scrum. After that he would make us sprint again and so on and so forth. This was a very good training method for muscular endurance because you were constantly using your thigh muscles. It was hard but rewarding.
Me and Lewis continued to follow our schedule and took part in a Co-ordination individual passing session. We started our session by just using one hand spinning the ball back and for alternating between left and right hands. We then advanced on our skills by just passing off our left hand, progressing on then to a half moving pass. we will progress further onto harder skills next week.
In the evening i went school boys training and it was an intense session playing touch rugby and going through moves. It was a very hard session for the forwards tho because we did a scrummage drill where you would scrum, then sprint to the touch line and back before the coach counted down from 5. when he got to zero he would then make us do another scrum. After that he would make us sprint again and so on and so forth. This was a very good training method for muscular endurance because you were constantly using your thigh muscles. It was hard but rewarding.
Friday
We endured in a weights session off still learning the mechanics of the back squat. As a pair we didn't do much because we were still learning the trade of weights. This session wasn't very demanding but i learnt quite a bit. I enjoyed this session and i am still looking forward to next week.
We endured in a weights session off still learning the mechanics of the back squat. As a pair we didn't do much because we were still learning the trade of weights. This session wasn't very demanding but i learnt quite a bit. I enjoyed this session and i am still looking forward to next week.
Saturday
I rested because there was no rugby game.
I rested because there was no rugby game.
Sunday
I active rested, I went for a small cycle along the mumbles to the pier but then i got a lift back.
I active rested, I went for a small cycle along the mumbles to the pier but then i got a lift back.
Week 3
Just from the training from the week before i felt stronger in my upper boddy and i was feeling good
Monday
We decided carry on the training programme and continue doing muscular endurance circuit. We continued the theme of the kettle bell swing. One of us would do 20 kettle bell swings while the other one was doing as many press ups as they could as long it took our partner to complete 20 swings. We did this twice. We then changed the press ups to sit ups and did that twice each keeping the same rhythm of doing as many sit ups until your partner reached 20 kettle bell swings. We changed sit ups to skipping where we did the same thing again twice each. After this session i was feeling very good in myself so i was confident mentally but i was aching a little physicaly. I didn't do any other exercise that day.
Tuesday
We planned to do a explosive strength training session called plyometrics. In Mr Owens P.E lesson he had planned a plyometrics session anyway so we got involved with that. In the session we did.......
- Spring board jumping which you jump over boxes using a spring bored (Explosive strength the legs)
- Jumping over hurdles. Using one foot alternating between left and right. (Explosive strength in the legs) This was harder than it looked and you needed momentum in the arms to throw yourself forward as well as using the power in your legs.
- Co-ordinations jumps over smaller hurdles(co-ordination)
- Medicine ball frog jump then put the ball above your head and smash the ball onto the floor (Explosive Strength (power) in arms and legs)
- Press ups using spring boards this is the equivalent to a clap press up(Explosive Strength in arms)
In the evening i went Swansea uplands training and enjoyed it even after the plyometrics.
Wednesday
I didn't do anything because I was experiencing DOMs but not as bad as other plyometrics sessions but still quite bad.
Thursday
Was co-ordination training and me and lewis started to spin the ball to each other alternating hands from the floor. Mr Davies helped us out by teaching us about our leg positioning during a pass. i think he helped quiet allot.
Friday
We didn't challenge our body because we were still getting used to the light weights and learning the mechanics of a squat while holding weights. It wasn't hard at all because we were still learning. In the evening i wens for a jog and sprinted up the hill that i live on which is much harder than it sounds.
Saturday
Rest
Sunday
Game, it was more of a training session than a game because we won by allot so we were just going through moves.
Week 4
Monday
This was a very hard training session. It would work the muscular endurance and minerly explosive strength. You didn't need any equipment for this only your P.E kit. After the warm up you started off doing 20 squats and 2 push ups. Then you would take 2 away from the squats and add 2 onto the push ups so it would be 18 squats and 4 push ups, 16 squats and 6 push ups, 14 squats and 8 push ups etc.. By the end of this sesh i was struggling to do even one push up. It was very intense and very hard. It was a good work out though and did benefit my upper body strength more than my lower body strength.
Tuesday
Speed Interval training. I wanted a one off change in my timetable to avoid tedium so i did speed interval training. I used a rugby pitch as my measurements on how far to run. After the warm up i stood on the try line and sprinted to the other try line, then walked back. My recovery time was the time it took me to walk back to the try line. Then i sprinted to the half way line and then walked back. Then to the 22 meter line then back to the half way line and back to the other try line to finish. This produces lactic acid because when you sprint your body is preforming above the anaerobic threshold so it was a short and sharp training session. I don`t think it had any effect on my body because as i said it was a one off to avoid tedium.
Wednesday
Rest
Thursday
PNF stretching and school boys training after school. I enjoyed PNF because i always do. Stretching is the easiest training method and the nicest so i did enjoy it. School boys after school wasn't enjoyable. it wasn't because it was a hard session but it was because we had done the same session for about three weeks in a row. We started with a game of touch rugby and then split up into forwards and backs. I don`t know what the backs did but us forwards used the scrummaging machine and practiced lineouts. After we would finish the session going through moves and practicing them. This would benefit us because in a game situation we would know exactly where to be and when to be there but these types of training sessions are very boring.
Friday
Rest
Saturday
Schoolboys game. i only played the second half but it was an intence one. We one by the skin on our teeth by 23-26 and if the game went on for 5 minuets longer i think that the opposition would of scored. i played hard and did well.
Sunday
light jog
Week 5
Monday
Was ill so i did not participate in any sporting activities.
Tuesday
I plyometrics training session. I had three stations, the first was i had two benches on each other and there were three of these behind eachother. I jumped over them with minimal ground contact. The second was the spring board push up which i have done maney times before. You do a push up from the floor onto the springboards then fall back to the floor. The last station I did kettle bell swings with a 6k bell.
I was at these stations for 40 seconds for three rounds. It was physically challenging and I expirienced painful Doms for two days after the sesh. I enjoyed it but it was challenging.
Wednesday
Interval training- 4 rounds-skip for 30 seconds, 10 push ups, 20 sit ups, 10 kettle bell swings and 5 berpies. This was a very hard session which hurt alot during it. It worked my muscular endurance to the max. My muscles felt like jelly afterwords which told me it was a good training session.
Adherence factors that affect a sports programme + a review of my training programme
There are many different adherence factors that can affect a sports performer or affect their training programme. I will make a list and explain how they can effect a training programme –
· Motivation
· Facilities/cost-e.g. lack of sporting clubs or gyms
· Significant others-training partners
· Stress
· Injury/illness
Motivation
Sometimes it’s hard for an individual to find motivation intrinsically for many different reasons. Intrinsic motivation can be explained as the motivation that comes from you to achieve a greater potential personally. Also it’s when you don’t need other people to motivate you but yourself. Motivation is the main factor to training because if you don’t have motivation to train then there is no point in you training. You will not succeed or achieve and reversibility could happen if you don’t train enough or train with enthusiasm. During my fitness programme I experienced a lack of intrinsic motivation because I was lazy and couldn’t be arsed which is a terrible reason not to train. Looking back at it now I am quite ashamed of myself because I didn’t put effort in to some training sessions. It’s like the saying goes, “the more you put in the more you get out”. Many people most probably experience a lack of motivation at one point in their training programmes but there are ways to get over it, some are simpler than others. One is to remind yourself why you are training and look at the benefits you will get out of it to push you to train. Another is maybe to train in a different way to make it more enjoyable. So if you are doing curcite training but you have no motivation to do it, change the stations to different exercises for more variety.
Facilities
Sometimes people don’t have the right facilities to train specific components of fitness. In my opinion if you use this excuse to say that you can’t get fit then it’s just being lazy because all you really need is a pair of trainers but if you want to train specific components of fitness or muscles where you need special facilities or equipment such as weights, mats, treadmills or anything that then you would need to go to a gym. In my programme luckily I had the facilities of the school and the school gym so I did not have any problems with lack of equipment or space. Body weights such as push ups and sit ups etc are good for your body and helping towards your ideal fitness level but there is not that many of them so tedium could happen because you are bored and want more variety in your training. If you are an elite athlete then you need special equipment because it is made specifically to target what you are training. Also it could be that someone does have the facilities to go to its just that they can’t afford them. I looked on the web to look for the average cost for a gym membership but I couldn’t find one. What I did find was that people pay from £15-£80 per month for gym membership and some people can’t afford that either because they have to spend their money on more important things like their kids, petrol and things like that. So for some it’s not a lack of facilities it’s a lack of money. If this is the case then you shouldn’t spend money on gyms just a pair of trainers and go running and do body exercises like push ups and sit ups and if you want to go further than you would have to buy the equipment yourself because it’s cheaper than a gym membership and you’ll still have the facilities. Cost is a hard one to overcome because you can’t change how much you get paid and it’s hard to earn money these days. I think to overcome cost you would have to give up some luxuries for a gym membership. Also because I have no experience with money I can’t say how to beat cost but I think that if you want to use a gym then you would either give up another luxury or simply stick to free training such as going for runs and body weights in till you can afford it.
Significant Others
Significant others can be an adherence factor that affects a training programme because some people, like me, don’t like training by them self’s. This was a big factor in my programme because at the last week of it my partner got ill and I wasn’t able to train as well as I could of. If this happens id suggest that someone should either find a new partner or go to a gym where there is allot of people and try to socialize with them or if not socialize just to be with people because sometimes for me seeing other people train motivates me to push myself harder. Now because I was in school I couldn’t go to a gym with lots of people because I was training in lesion time. So what I did was I listened to music and allot of people have said that this helps them focus to train and I completely agree with this. It helped me allot.
Stress
It is estimated that 14 million people suffer from extreme stress in the UK. Now, I don’t suffer from extreme stress but allot of people do experience stress now and again. During my programme there were some days that I was quite stressed out for one reason or another and the last thing I wanted to do is train. I didn’t believe that exercise would help stress but for me it did. At first I thought it was a factor that got in the way but I turned it into something that would help me train harder. When I’m stressed I get frustrated so I took my frustration out on the session and it worked really well, especially for plyometrics training. So if you are stressed out for whatever reason training actually helps you. Just take it out on the session.
Injury/illness
Injury is a massive factor in training because it is hard to recover from and it psychologically hard to come back from. When you have a bad injury you shouldn’t stop training all of your body, only the part that is injured. People make the mistake of having an injury and then not training anything that’s not injured. So if you break your leg you should train you upper body and anything that’s not injured. There was no injury in my programme but my training partner experienced illness which knocked my motivation because I don’t like training on my own.
My Fitness Programme Evaluation
For our B-Tec Sport course we had to proceed in making and doing a fitness programme, but before I even thought about doing this I set out some goals. I had a long term goal and three short term goals. The three short term goals should have been achievable in the six week programme I was about to make. Two of them would be components of fitness and the other would be skill related. One was to improve my explosive strength and to do this I would do exercises like plyometrics involving explosive movements such as, jumping over benches with minimal ground contact, spring board press ups etc. Improvement of my muscular endurance was the second one and to do this I would do circuit training involving kettle bells, press ups, berpies etc. The skill related goal was to achieve my general passing skills, I would go about this by having a passing session once a week.
To see if I had improved my levels of the specific components of fitness I had chosen I carried out fitness tests before and after the training programme. Here is a table of my results-
Results
Test Before After Component of fitness Tested
Sergeant Jump 46cm 49cm Explosive Strength (Power)
Max press up 24 reps 27 reps Muscular Endurance
Standing broad jump 140cm 190cm Explosive Strength (Power)
Medicine ball throw 250cm 260cm Explosive Strength (Power)
Abdominal Curl Test 3.40mins 4.00mins Muscular Endurance
As you can see from these results I have improved in all of the tests. It wasn’t a massive improvement but it was an improvement I am happy with. I can feel the difference as well when I am training or in a game specifically I can feel that my power has improved because I find scrimmaging allot easier than I used to.
I think during the programme I went into it a bit half hearted and I didn’t put 100% into the sessions. The reason for this I think was because I didn’t have much intrinsic motivation and I just saw training sessions as hard work but now after the 6 weeks I can see a difference so now knowing that I will gain with each session, I will have more motivation to work harder and put more effort into it. I could of improved my final results more than they were because I didn’t do some of the sessions I was supposed to because my training partner was ill, but now I see that was a lame excuse because I shouldn’t rely on other people to train and its me I’m benefitting so I should do it for myself.
If I was to change anything I would change the skill goal because I realized that a second row doesn’t need to have good handling skills because they vary rarely have the ball and when they do it’s either in a lineout or they take it into contact. So I would change it to something more specific, like tackling or technique in the rucks and mauls. I didn’t follow the “S” in the SMARTER Targets..The S stands for specificity which in SMARTER Targets means, “is it relevant to the sport/position you play,” and for me it wasn’t. So with that in mind if I made a new programme I would give SMARTER targets more thought and I would mainly enjoy it more.
