Screening, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting

Screening Plan

The dates that screening will take place include:
1) Week 27 - This takes place 10 weeks after the program commences
2) Week 40
3) Week 1
4) Week 14 - The last screening will enable us to evaluate the seasonal results and set new goals for the upcoming season

Screening Tests

1RM tests will be utilised for the following to determine volume, intensity and progress.

• Bench Press
• Deadlift
• Back Squat
• Bicep Curls
• Military Press

Other Relevant Tests

• Sit and Reach (Flexibility)
• Star Excursion (Balance)
• Plank (Core Stability)

• Functional Movement Screening - This screening involves Deep squat, Hurdle Step, In-Line lunge, Shoulder Mobility, Active Straight-leg-raise, Trunk-Stability Push-up and Rotary Stability. The table below shows how each component is scored.

Table 2. Functional Movement Screen Scoring System (Okada et al., 2011).

Physiological Adaptations

Following 3 months of initiation of the exercise programme prehabilitaion exercises it would be expected to have significantly improved neuromuscular performance, particularly in proprioception and postural sway (Eils et al., 2010).  Although there are conflicting views it may be possible that a prehabilitation exercise increases ankle joint positional sense and reaction time of the peroneals (Kynsberg, Panics & Halasi, 2010; Holmes & Delahunt, 2009).

Due to the static and dynamic stretches, an increase in range of motion would be expected along with a reduction in muscle-tendon unit (MTU) stiffness and changes in MTU viscosity and elasticity and therefore an overall increase in flexibility would be expected (Mahieu et al., 2007; Woolstenhulme et al., 2006). 

A combination of resistance training for muscular endurance and strength would be expected to produce an increase in the number of capillaries per muscle fibre, and the number and size of the mitochondria (Laughlin & Roseguini, 2008; Holloszy, 2008).  Along with an increase in blood plasma levels, lower resting heart rate and increased stroke volume, therefore aiding in delivery and utilisation of oxygen (Rivera-Brown & Frontera, 2012).  In addition, an increase in muscle fibre size, enzyme activity and storage of Adenosine Triphosphate, Creatine Phosphate and glycogen would be expected with a reduction in percentage of body fat (Baechle & Earle, 2008).  These are all indications that an increase in muscular endurance and strength would be observed.