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Evaluate Your Training Program
Fitness Polygon
The eight sport-specific characteristics that
need to be considered when developing your own workout program include Strength,
Speed-Strength, Speed, Stamina, Structure, Skill, Suppleness, and
Strength-endurance. This model has been developed by Dr. Mel C.
Siff and is discussed in his book, Supertraining (1999).
Each outdoor activity can be evaluated for how much of each of the eight
elements you need to include in your workouts. What are each of
the eight?
Elements Defined
Strength simply refers to how strong you need to be for optimal performance in a given outdoor activity.
Functional (sport-specific) strength can best be developed by using body
resistance, free weights, cables, etc. Speed-strength (or what we
later refer to as Power) can be developed by doing plyometrics, medicine
ball tosses, Olympic-style lifts, or "dynos," dynamic moves in
climbing. Speed refers to how quickly you perform a given
movement--sprinters, for example, would include a larger amount of speed
training than a marathon runner. We've chosen to label Stamina as
Cardiovascular endurance. Structure refers to body size and
shape. For example, climbers and gymnasts want to maximize
functional strength while minimizing muscle size and extra bulk, while
bodybuilders want large muscles but don't seem to care so much about how
strong those muscles are. Skill refers to technique and mastery of
coordination. Suppleness is the same as Flexibility on our chart,
the amount needed in a chosen activity. Finally, strength
endurance measures how long the muscular system can last in a particular
activity. If you assemble these on a Fitness Polygon, below, and
then determine how much of each type of training you need for your
sport, you can then make sure you include components of each in your
periodized plan.
Fitness Polygon
To help you get a better understanding of
how this Fitness Polygon works for your particular event, we've created
two examples within the broad category of "Climbing."
There are actually many specialties within climbing: alpine, sport,
glacier, rock, ice, mixed, waterfall, bouldering--you get the
picture. Each activity has a slightly different profile. To
further complicate things, if you are someone who wants to do a little
of everything, you will have an interesting challenge balancing training
components. (That's where your outdoor conditioning coach comes in
handy, for we do all of that for you!)
Glacier Climbing
This first example includes an evaluation
of the components involved in climbing the major Cascade volcanoes
such as Hood, Baker, Rainier, Glacier, St. Helens, or Mt. Adams.
These climbs all involve substantial gain in elevation, carrying
relatively heavy backpacks (up to 60 pounds in some cases), for long
periods of time. While there is some technical skill involved in
crevasse rescue, the actual physical skill required for preparation for
such an activity is very low compared to that involved in activities
such as rock climbing, gymnastics, or kayaking. What is needed
most is cardiovascular endurance (hence the "high" mark), or
the ability to keep moving for several hours at a time, and strength
endurance (another "high"), or the ability of the muscles
(particularly the core, or torso, and legs) to carry what feels like a
substantial amount of weight for an extended period of time.
Someone whose main interest is backpacking, hiking, or scrambling might
have a similar profile. These people should focus primarily on
muscular endurance and cardiovascular endurance, with lesser (but never
ZERO) amounts of maximal strength, power, speed, body size, skill or
flexibility training.
Glacier Climbing Fitness Polygon
Sport Climbing
The Fitness Polygon of the Sport Climber
will look substantially different, below, and will depend on how
accomplished a climber wishes to become. Climbers need
substantially more flexibility training in the hips, shoulders, and
core, in order to complete complex moves such as stemming in almost full
splits, though not as much as gymnasts or ballerinas, hence the medium
rating. Sport climbers need to spend a lot more time (at least
initially) honing skills such as foot work, working with different finger and pinch
grips, and various climbing techniques. Instead of spending hours on a
stairmaster, sport climbers may opt to develop arm, back, and finger
strength endurance and core strength. Once advanced climbers
have enough of a foundation built up in strength, they will then begin
to include
dynamic moves in the bouldering caves or on tough climbs in order to
increase power so they can advance to more difficult routes.
Competitive, elite climbers who compete nationally or internationally may
even throw in additional strength training or an element of speed.
Sport Climbing Fitness Polygon
Integrating the model with your own experience
Take a look at your outdoor activity of
choice or get an outdoor conditioning coach at Body Results to help
you. If you are a marathon runner and you spend 3 hours a week
doing yoga, you may not be optimizing your training time. However,
you may be doing yoga for reasons other than to assist with your
running, which is certainly fine--don't let this model be the end-all,
be-all for your training, merely a guide. If you are a middle
distance runner who has trouble running up hills, and you are not doing
any strength training or speed work AT ALL, then you can immediately see
what you need to add to your training program to get better
results. If you are a rower struggling with lowering your ergometer
splits but could row all day long, your cardiovascular training is
not the issue, it's the power, strength and speed variables that need to be
manipulated. Doing longer and longer pieces will only waste your
valuable time if your specific goal is to be a faster rower.
For questions related to this model, feel free to check into Dr. Mel C. Siff's book, Supertraining. For
questions about requirements of your particular sport or activity,
contact a Body Results trainer.
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