By Dr. Nicola Sacchi - Author of the book: Drugs and doping in sport -
Defining practically any workout requires the monitoring and quantification of particular values, which can be defined as training parameters. These values, in order to be used for the concrete evaluation of a training, must be objectively quantifiable.
The aforementioned parameters make it possible to objectively frame and evaluate a workout, thus creating a sort of logical-mathematical reference that allows us to observe and rationally consider the work performed.
The need to have objectively measurable values is fundamental in order to have a concrete evaluation tool on which to perform analyzes to obtain an overview, which serves the trainer to make judgments and set the programs to their students.
Without rational and objective parameters it is possible to affirm everything and the opposite of everything, while with a reference system it is possible to develop more rational and concrete considerations.
The main evaluation parameters of a training can be summarized as follows:
- Quality or model of the stimulus: it defines the type of exercises performed, for example work with overloads, also describing the object, type use of kettlebell or barbell.
- Quantity or volume: indicates the quantity of work performed (for example the serial number or the number of repetitions or the number of kg raised).
- Intensity: expresses the physical commitment in the execution of the work; it is often expressed as a percentage of the ceiling, in the sense that it assesses the degree of fatigue that has been reached in reference to the maximum possible commitment, which can be defined as maximum load or maximum heart rate; in more generic and more practical terms, the relationship between work done and time spent can be considered as more banal; the intensity is therefore an expression of the physical-mechanical power level.
- Duration: determines the total time used in the training or in each of the proposed exercises.
- Density: as such it is possible to express the relationship between intensity and duration of the stimulus or of training as a whole; it can be the overall representation / assessment of an athlete's ability to perform work.
- Complexity: it represents a measurement / assessment of the difficulty of the proposed exercises and is strictly indicative of the coordination skills.
- Frequency: indicates the period between one training and the next, as for the purposes of good recovery, necessary for improving motor skills and expressed as adaptation to a stress, it is essential that there is an adequate transition time (recovery) between one session and the next; excessive recovery leads to deconditioning, while poor recovery can create fatigue and overtraining.
In the field of functional training, what is conceptually most important is certainly the intensity. Since in this context one of the objectives that the activity itself sets itself is precisely the possibility of improving work capacity, at the base of this result certainly lies the ability to be able to perform any activity with a higher level of intensity.
Surely also the complexity of the work is an important tool for assessing the functional potential of the athlete, and of the training performed. Given that it is a consequence of coordinative skills, it is logical to think that a greater complexity of the program carried out is a direct consequence of the correct learning of more complex motor patterns, therefore an important step forward in functional improvement. The complexity of a gesture can be evaluated considering different aspects of the same: complexity of the kinetic chain involved, number of movements performed in succession or sequence, speed in the execution of the sequence and degree of stability / balance in the gesture. All these factors determine the complexity of a movement and must be taken into consideration for a correct evaluation of it.
Concluding, a correct analysis of these values allows the technician to have a clear picture of the athlete's potential and a logical mathematical evaluation of the effectiveness of the training course performed. In the specific case of functional training, it may be appropriate to reinterpret these parameters by considering intensity and complexity more significantly as an assessment tool.
