Performance can be improved by using the five principles of training as each principle increases training output and the motivation to continue training. The five principles of training are variety, specificity, reversibility, overload and recovery. These five principles work together to ensure that an athlete gets the right training for their sport.
These principles help an athlete train well as they work together to get the right results. Specificity works to train the muscle groups and the energy systems in the movements that are used in the game or event. Due to the certain muscle groups and energy systems trained it allows the athlete last longer in the game or event. When specificity is combined with variety and overload it provides even better results as variety provides different types of training for the muscle group so that the athlete doesn’t become bored with the same old routine. Overloading is used to ensure that the athlete continues to improve rather than stay in the same shape because they are not increasing the amount done or how hard they push themselves, as overloading is all about gradually increasing the amount done or the time it is done in.
Reversibility is important as it informs the athlete that if they do not continue to train and maintain the development of the training then it will start to deteriorate. With the training when big gains are made; greater losses can be had if training isn’t maintained. As well as motivation to continue to train, it is important to know that an athlete must also rest therefore recovery is needed so that the energy systems have time to restore and give the muscles some time to rest and recover.
With knowledge of how the principles of training work to improve their performance an athlete can easily last longer in their sport and train to the maximum potential for that sport that they can reach, the principles focus on training for each athlete individually.