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Chapter Goals:
- Discuss the contemporary and traditional parameters for training.
- Be able to explain the continuum of function-health-fitness-performance.
- Show a basic understanding of the training components within this Ace integrated fitness training model.
- Be able to describe the ACE Mover Method and its application of it in personal training settings.
- List the main findings from research on the effectiveness of personalized training programs with the ACE IFT model in comparison to standard programs of training.
The ACE IFT Model Introduction
In the last 30 years, personal training has changed from focusing on clients simply improving fitness to being a vital part of the healthcare continuum, helping with aging and increasing the inactive and overweight populationโs function, health, and quality of life.
So, the population of Trainers is now more diverse than ever regarding who they may be training.
A lot of programming for clients will be done to increase their ability for them to do activities of daily living, lose weight for the positive effects on metabolic function, develop solid movement patterns, and enhance cardiorespiratory fitness in general.
Traditional Training Parameters
- Cardiorespiratory fitness
- Muscular endurance
- Muscular Strength
- Flexibility
Contemporary Training Parameters
- Health Behavior Change
- Postural stability
- Kinetic chain mobility
- Movement efficiency
- Core conditioning
- Balance
- Cardiorespiratory fitness
- Metabolic markers
- Muscular endurance
- Muscular strength
- Flexibility
- Agility, coordination, and reaction time
- Speed and power
Function-Health-Fitness-Performance Continuum
This continuum is based on the premise of human movement and fitness being progressed and regressed on a spectrum, starting with the developing or reestablishing of basic functional movements and extending to performing advanced work and motions in athletics.
Each person is at a unique point in the continuum and this is based on their health status and physical limitations, frequency, intensity, types of physical activities, and anything relating to participation in athletics.
Lifestyle factors will include your growth and development throughout your life.
Overall is not a training method, but trainers should utilize this concept here to know the clients’ ebb and flow based on lifestyle factors for the clients.
Personal trainers that work with clients that have problems doing activities of daily living should work to establish goals aimed at helping them with their functional movements. This is the first part of the continuum. From there, we progress across the spectrum.
Introduction to the ACE Integrated Fitness Training Model
The ACE IFT Model is a comprehensive system for programming exercises that works to pull together all of the multifaceted parameters needed for a personal trainer to succeed.
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The model uses all of the latest exercise science and research into behavior to make a systematic approach to the design, implementation, and modification of exercise programs based on each individual’s needs, abilities, and goals.
The ACE IFT Model is split into two training components of cardiorespiratory training and muscular training. Each of these will then be split into 3 different phases independent of the components.
Cardiorespiratory Training has three phases base, fitness, and performance.
Muscular Training has three phases functional, movement, and load/speed.
The ACE IFT model works to provide exercise professionals with the tools and methods they need to help their clients reach make fitness related changes in behavior and facilitate participation in physical activity and adherence for making longer lasting changes to health and well-being.
The model allows for the programs to be adapted for use by people who are also considered physically inactive.
Some of the biggest impacts that trainers can regularly have on the lives of their clients are to help them positively change their health related behaviors and make positive relationships with exercise.
The model is built upon utilizing rapport, trust, and empathy, and the trainer serves as the coach for guiding the client through their exercise in this client centered approach.
Clients need to know that their trainer cares about them. This is very important In how the trainer and client interact.
An important aspect of the client centered approach is the promotion of building rapport. This allows us to utilize open communication, develop trust, and foster the clientโs desire to participate in exercise programs.
The main goal of each session with personal trainers is to have the client want to return for the next one. The sessions should provide the optimal challenge for their skill level, allowing them to be fully engaged. Too little or too much will disengage the client from the session.
Many clients will not actually need to have the assessments used for them, but they are still very important parts of training when we look at the needs of other clients.
Cardiorespiratory Training
The ACE IFT model provides a systematic approach to cardiorespiratory training that will help clients anywhere from complete physical inactivity to marathon runners looking to improve their performance.
Base Training
This is the first phase of the Cardiorespiratory potion of our IFT model.
Here we will be focusing on building up the initial aerobic base of those clients who have not been up to up to the recommended physical activity levels.
This is not the same as aerobic base training that endurance athletes do to train for their sports. It is more like an intro to cardio exercise and bodily responses.
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The goal here is to get people to move more consistently to improve their energy, health, mood, and caloric expenditure.
Clients that do not perform moderate level activity for 20 minute bouts at least 3 days per week will begin in this stage of base training.
Someone who has been physically inactive for extended time periods might only be able to do five minutes at a time of moderate intensity exercise, and these clients should do the 5 minutes and be reminded that any level of physical activity is a good start and beneficial for you and the reduction of negative health risks.
One thing we use when working in this phase is the talk test. We use the talk test to determine the level at which the client works regarding ventilatory threshold one. The time before the threshold of talking is considered to be just before the ventilatory threshold, and it is the goal of this base stage of training.
We also may introduce the use of the ratings of perceived exertion, which is a chart that the client uses to choose their level of exertion and difficulty with exercise.
Fitness Training
This is the second phase of training we find in cardiorespiratory training.
The focus here is on enhancing the aerobic efficiency of the client by progressing the program through the increased duration of your sessions.
Increasing the frequency of sessions is another thing we do when possible, and these forms of exercise will be done within that ventilatory threshold one or even possibly above it. This allows for combined moderate and vigorous intensity exercise and the overall intensity of exercise to increase greatly.
Personal trainers can even start using intervals in the exercise program to add variety and more intense stimuli for the clients. The current fitness level should always play a role in this when making the program.
The clients in this stage will vary a lot from those that are looking to improve fitness in general and then all the way to the near competitive athletes.
Performance Training
Performance training is the third phase of training for cardiorespiratory training.
These clients will have goals focusing on their success in sports and events. It is a much higher level of training.
It can vary from a local marathon all the way to a national championship competition.
The goal here for training will be rather intense levels of cardio and it will be pushing clients beyond that ventilatory threshold number two. When used, this is also seen as a 7-10 on the RPE scale.
Muscular Training
Muscular training in the ACE IFT model is a systematic approach to training that begins with helping clients with their postural problems and stability, incorporates progressions, and for helping people train all the way up to athletic performance.
Functional Training
This is the first phase we use for muscular training.
Here we focus on the muscular training goals and establish or, most often, reestablish the postural stability and the mobility of the kinetic chain through the use and introduction of programs that improve our joint function with improvements in muscular endurance, flexibility, core function, static balance, and dynamic balance.
Physical inactivity throughout childhood and into adulthood is what usually causes these diminishes we see in function for the joints and the body.
Exercises done in this section will focus on the core and balance for the improvement of strength and function for the muscles responsible for stabilizing the spine and center of gravity during the static and dynamic movements we go through.
It is important that the exercises we do here in this stage move on to the next stages and progress in some ways.
Movement Training
The main focus of this second stage of training is to develop solid movement patterns without compromising posture or stability for the joints.
We break these movements into five different categories. We have the categories of bend and lift, single-leg, pushing, pulling, and rotational movement.
The movement training should emphasize the proper sequencing of moves and control the bodyโs center of gravity through the normal range of motion.
Functional training exercises should also move over into this stage and then be progressed upon.
Load/Speed Training
This is the third and final part of the ACE IFT muscular training.
The main focus in this third stage is to apply external loads to the movements that create a need for increases in force production that results in muscular adaptations occurring.
These loads may be put on through the use of resistance training, high intensity interval training, speed work, plyometrics, power lifting, and other sport specific resistance.
Like with the movement training phase, we see functional training exercises still present here but possibly much further progressed.
Clients may have many different goals when they have reached this stage of training. The typical fitness goals we see will be in strength, endurance, hypertrophy, and then positively changing the body composition.
Athletic performance goals may also be present at this stage, such as building on speed, agility, quickness, and power.
Before advancing to athletic performance goals, the clients should have consistently great postural stability, mobility of the kinetic chain, and movement patterns.
Focusing on applying the external loads in the movements we might have already emphasized in other stages is the primary differentiator here in this third stage of training.
Tyler Read
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