Fitness Program for the Super Keen
The following program is a 10 week program of three or four sessions a week, designed to improve players’ overall fitness. It was designed with the help of a physical education expert for the Great Britain Open team in 1993. I followed this program in my preparation for 1997 World Clubs. Prior to then I did not really understand how to go about training for Ultimate at a top level. It made me as fit as I ever had been and I probably haven’t been that fit since. I again followed the program in 1998, but was not as diligent. As a guideline, in 1997 I was very dedicated and followed just about all sessions, as well Ultimate training whenever it was on. I was exhausted at the end of the session - but I have no doubts that it was worth every minute, I played my very best Ultimate that year.

Different ‘types’ of fitness:
Briefly physical fitness can be seen as being made up of five components: aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, speed, flexibility and strength. For true all round fitness a training schedule must ensure that each type of fitness is trained for. This program addresses the first three but obviously the latter two have some role to play in Ultimate as well.

So what are aerobic and anaerobic endurance?
When you are working at up to about 70% of your maximum effort, for long periods of time, your aerobic metabolism is being used. Your lungs, heart and bloodstream are able to supply enough oxygen to the muscles to be used as fuel for them to continue to work. Sports such as distance running, swimming and cycling involve mainly aerobic exercise. The aerobic system starts working after around 90 seconds of exercise so aerobic training must therefore involve working for at least a couple of minutes at a time. The beep test is recognised as a good way of testing aerobic endurance (ie. How much your aerobic system can take).

Shorter, harder periods of exercise use the anaerobic system. Here the fuel is not oxygen but comes from breaking down chemicals stored in the muscles. The muscles initially breakdown creatin phosphate, a pure energy store, but this store can only last for a maximum of 20 seconds. After that glucose, a less pure store , is used and a by products of the reaction is lactic acid. After continued hard exercise the build up of lactic acid is so great that the muscles become fatigues and recovery time is needed to dispose of it. A hammer thrower, sprinter, etc use mainly the anaerobic system.

Ultimate, like most team sports, involves aerobic cruising, frequently interrupted by short, anaerobic bursts. Therefore the demands of the three systems (aerobic, anaerobic lactic and anaerobic alactic) must be met by any training program.

These three systems aren’t totally independent of each other, training for one will bring benefits to the others. This program initially concentrates on aerobic endurance, then on anaerobic lactic and anaerobic alactic, and finally there are some pure speed sessions to make you sharp for the tournament.

Doing the training:
So now you know why you’ve got to do it... here’s a few pointers about how to go about it.If you are going to follow this program exactly start 11 weeks before the tournament. That will give you time for a week of rest and recuperation to be in good shape for the tournament.If possible find someone to train with. A bit of friendly competition means you train harder and so you will receive greater benefits.Where appropriate try to record your times. That way you can compare your performance with others and hopefully will be able to see improvements as you get fitter.

Ensure you eat well. You can’t expect your body to work hard if you are fuelling it with crap. So go for loads of complex carbohydrates (pasta, rice, bread, spuds, etc).

Many of the sessions involve set distances. Roughly measure the distances and remember your markers so you can compare your performance on different days (obviously if you have access to a running track, even better).

WARM UP!!! As well as being a great method of procrastination before a hard session, a good warm prepares you physically and mentally for the exertion to come. A warm has two parts to it, raising the metabolic rate (go for a jog, do some strides etc) and muscles stretching (to improve performance and avoid injury).

WARM DOWN!!! Unless you want to be sore the next day get into the habit of warming down. Again go for a slow job (helps speed up the dispelling of lactic acid) and stretch your muscles out (improvement in flexibility come when muscles are warm so try to hold the stretch for considerably longer - 30 to 40 seconds).Most of the sessions involve repetitions, that is running a distance, resting and running again. It will take a while to work out how fast you should go initially, ideally the last rep should be absolutely flat out and should take as long as the first.

Mild activity increases the speed of recovery, so during rest periods, try to walk or jog rather than just collapsing.So there it is... Remember the harder you train the greater the benefit. Initially the sessions may seem impossibly hard, but stick with it, it is surprising how quickly you improve. 

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Click here for the Extended Fitness 10 Week Training Schedule