This document discusses various topics related to specialized training for athletes, including plyometrics, PNF stretching, altitude training, and respiratory exchange ratio (RER). It provides explanations of plyometrics, which uses rebounding techniques to generate more power following muscle pre-loading, and PNF stretching, an effective flexibility training method. The document also describes how altitude training can improve endurance performance by adapting the cardiovascular system through increased red blood cell mass and hemoglobin levels. Precise methods and stages of adaptation to altitude are outlined, along with advantages and disadvantages of different training approaches. RER is defined as a ratio measuring which fuels are being used and providing information about training intensity.

1. Specialised Training

2. Topics to cover
• Plyometrics
• PNF stretching
• Altitude training
• Glycogen Loading
• Periodisation
• Thermoregulation
• Lactate sampling
• RER

3. Learning Objectives
• Explain plyometrics
• Explain PNF stretching………..

4. Plyometrics
• This is a method of training for power
that uses rebounding techniques and
works on the principle that more power
is generated following a pre-loading or
pre-stretching of a muscle.
• Imagine pre-stretching an elastic
band before letting it go!

5. • As an athlete lands from a jump. hop or bound, their quadriceps
(thigh) muscle contracts eccentrically therefore pre-loading or pre-
stretching the muscle. If they immediately take off from this landing,
a greater force can be generated by the muscle.
• In theory………..
• A greater height can be jumped from a drop-jump
• Than from a normal 2 footed take off

6. Topics to cover
• Plyometrics
• PNF stretching
• Altitude training
• Glycogen Loading
• Periodisation
• Thermoregulation
• Lactate sampling
• RER

7. PNF
• Proprioceptive Neuromuscular
Facilitation
• One of most effective methods of
flexibility training
• One method – Contract-relax,
antagonist contract (CRAC)

8. PNF – how it works
• Works by autogenic inhibition
• Initially stretch reflex prevents over
stretch but....
• Golgi tendon organ in muscle tendon is
also stimulated and this overrides the
stretch reflexes and relaxes the muscle

9. Topics to cover
• Plyometrics
• PNF stretching
• Altitude training
• Glycogen Loading
• Periodisation
• Thermoregulation
• Lactate sampling
• RER

10. A2 PE
Altitude
Training

11. Learning Outcomes
• Define altitude and explain how altitude
affects the gas balance of the air.
• Discuss and explain the effects of training
at altitude on athletes.
• Discuss methods of altitude training and
how these can affect athletes positively and
negatively.
• Define and explain Respiratory Exchange
Ratio

12. What is Altitude?
• Anywhere more than 1’500
metres above sea level is
classed as high altitude.
• Burnley is 118M above sea
level
• The higher you go the
thinner the air because the
molecules of air are less.
• The % of gasses within the
air remains constant
(20.93% O2 0.03% CO2,
79.04% N)
• Additional oxygen required
the higher you go.

13. Partial Pressure
• The pressure exerted by a single gas in a mixture of
gases.
• (The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science and Medicine)
• pO2 = partial pressure of oxygen
• The normal pressure of the atmospheric gases:
• 760mmHg and there is 21 percent oxygen,
• Partial pressure of oxygen is 760 x 0.21= 160 mmHg.

14. Drop in Partial
Pressure
Increase in PartialIncrease in Partial
PressurePressure

15. Effects of Altitude
1. Decrease in pO2 in
alveoli = Hypoxia
due to decrease in
pO2 in
atmospheric
pressure
2. Decrease in the
pO2 causes a
reduction in the
diffusion gradient
3. Decrease in O2
and Hb association
4. Resulting in decrease
O2 transport in the
blood
5. Causing a reduction in
oxygen available to
muscle
6. Leads to - Decreased
VO2 max, reduce
aerobic capacity,
decrease aerobic
performance and
increase onset of
muscle fatigue

16. Heamoglobin
•Athletes that live high and compete low (at
sea level where there is normal O2 in the
air) have increased carrying capacity of O2
and consequently greater O2 delivery to
tissues. This increases aerobic performance
and speeds up the recovery process,
because…………

17. Effects of Altitude
• Colder air increases water loss, as air
warms & moistens in the lungs, leading to
dehydration
• Decrease in muscle O2 chemoreceptors
stimulating respiratory centre to increase
breathing rate = hyperventilation
• Long term effect – decrease pO2 increased
Hb and RBC production which increases
external respiration and O2 transport

18. The Pressure Gradient
• At rest the pO2 of arterial blood is approx 100mmHg
while in the resting muscles and tissues is 40 mmHg.
- The difference indicates the pressure gradient and
ensures the efficient movement of oxygen from the
blood to the muscle.
• At altitude the pO2 of arterial blood drops significantly
is approx 60mmHg while that in the muscle remains
constant at 40mmHg.
• This reduction in the pressure gradient reduces the
movement of oxygen into the body’s muscles and
the performance decreases.

19. Adaptation to Altitude
• Many endurance athletes often undertake a
period of altitude training before a major
event.
• This is because the body adapts by
increasing red blood cell mass and
haemoglobin levels which will cope with
lower pO2.
• The return to sea level brings with them the
enhanced oxygen carrying capacity which
means that because the pO2 has increased,
the body can utilise more oxygen giving
improved endurance performance.

20. Methods of Training
• Any training at a higher altitude than
your body is used to.
• Restricting the amount of air the body
can take in whilst training.
• Performance enhancing drugs
• And………………..

21. The Oxygen Tent, hyperbaric
chamber & Hypoxia Training

22. The Cardiovascular
and respiratory
system becomes
more efficient in the
way it utilises O2
and Haemoglobin.
Adaptations

23. Stages of Adaptation
• Acclimatisation – 3-10 days. The athlete’s
body is beginning to adjust and the athlete
needs longer rest between work outs and
must not take part in too much exhaustive
work.
• Primary Training – 1-3 weeks. Over this
period the athlete steadily increases their
training intensity and frequency until it is at
the same point as at sea level.

24. Stages of Adaptation
• Recovery – 2-5 days. Training is
gradually decreased to allow the
athlete to return to sea level without the
fatigue associated with altitude training.
• There are also three distinct stages to
the adaptations once the athlete had
returned to seas level.

25. Secondary Stages of
Adaptation
• Positive phase – during the first 1-4 days
after returning to sea level. Huge increase in
the amount of haemoglobin in the blood.
• Return phase – the athlete steadily returns to
the intensity and frequency of their normal
sea level training. Performance will be poor
at first and then increase greatly over the
next several days.

26. Secondary Stages of
Adaptation
• Fitness peak – 15-20 days after the
return to sea level.
• This is the optimal time for competition.
The body’s adaptations are at the
optimal level and the athlete will have
adjusted to these changes allowing the
best possible performance.

27. – Speed, power, endurance and recovery
• Optimally: Live HIGH, train LOW
– This is tough because it’s a long way up and
down the mountain to get 8000ft down and
back up.
• More Common: Live HIGH, train HIGH
– Also tough because training intensity is
impaired by the altitude. Athletes are also at-
risk for altitude sickness.
Many studies have shown the
benefit of altitude training on:

28. Spanner in the works
• Contradictory research
has shown that it is
more beneficial to train
at sea level if you are a
permanent resident of a
high altitude area.
• The higher the pO2, the
higher the oxygen
carrying capacity of the
blood, up to 150% so
when you return to
altitude you have more
oxygen in your body to
perform better.

29. Advantages and Disadvantages
• Improves endurance
performance.
• Causes adaptation
of the cardio-
respiratory system
to fuel working
muscles.
• Expensive
• Can cause altitude
sickness
• May hinder the amount
of training ability.
• Problems may cause a
de-training effect.
• Unfair advantage to
people with access to
these facilities
• Stressful constant
travelling and being
away from home.

30. Legal/Fair Methods?

31. Topics to cover
• Plyometrics
• PNF stretching
• Altitude training
• Glycogen Loading
• Periodisation
• Thermoregulation
• Lactate sampling
• RER

32. Respiratory Exchange Ratio
• The RER is a method of measuring which
fuel is being used by the body during
exercise – the respiratory quotient (RQ).
• Gives a value of the ratio between the
amount of oxygen used by the body and
carbon dioxide produced.
• The higher the number the more cO2 is
being exhaled.

33. Respiratory Exchange Ratio
• RER at rest – 0.8
• RER whilst fat is the energy source –
0.7
• RER whilst fat and carbohydrate are
the energy source – 0.85
• RER whilst carbohydrate is the primary
energy source – 1.0 and above.
• RER when the body is nearing
exhaustion – 1.1

34. Lactate Sampling

35. Topics to cover
• Plyometrics
• PNF stretching
• Altitude training
• Glycogen Loading
• Periodisation
• Thermoregulation
• Lactate sampling
• RER

36. Task
• Which athletes would benefit from altitude
training?
• Try to think of what competitions they could
take part in and where they would take place.
• Try to think of ways that an athlete who lives
at low altitude could train to compete at high
altitude.
• What are the supposed benefits of altitude
training? (4 marks)
• Why is altitude training not always as
effective as it should be? (3 marks)

37. Exam question
• Discuss the suggestion that altitude
training always improves performance
in endurance events and explain the
factors that contribute to a
performer’s VO2 max. (14 marks)

38. Exam Question
• Elite athletes must develop and maintain extremely
high levels of fitness to maximise their chances of
winning. Elite athletes may use the results from
lactate sampling and the respiratory exchange ratio
(RER) to ensure that their training is effective.
• Explain the terms lactate sampling and respiratory
exchange ratio. (4 marks)
• How may hyperbaric chambers aid injury
rehabilitation? (3 marks)

39. Learning Outcomes
• Define altitude and explain how altitude
affects the gas balance of the air.
• Discuss and explain the effects of training
at altitude on athletes.
• Discuss methods of altitude training and
how these can affect athletes positively and
negatively.
• Define and explain Respiratory Exchange
Ratio