4.1 49 This means that, for example, a random run in the park, even if it induces an effort in the body, cannot be defined as training. For these reasons, good technical knowledge is needed to be a trainer. This usually happens at the expense of the function that has opposite characteristics; for example, the development of the aerobic function occurs at the expense of the anaerobic one and vice versa. TRAINING THE FEATURES OF TRAINING What is training? Training is a regular practice of motor and sporting activities which leads to the increase and maintenance of potentials related to the specific capacities and abilities of the person who is doing it. Training is done by athletes to improve their performances in competitions, but also by people who simply want to reach and maintain physical fitness. In both cases, training consists of a series of activities set together in a regulated work path , with the following characteristics: they are defined according to the biological and physiological features of each individual; they are related to the goals that have to be achieved; they involve a constant monitoring of improvement. The body returns to its initial levels of efficiency in much less time than that needed for improving these levels. How training works in improving physical performance Training is characterised by specificity as it only improves the function that is being trained . During training, the body is subjected to workloads which are higher than those it usually endures. If stimulated in an appropriate way, with well-planned exercises and gradually increased loads, the body reacts by developing higher abilities that lead it to better performances. For this reason, training can be defined as a physiological phenomenon of body adaptation which allows the body to face the same activity more and more effectively over time. The importance of fatigue in training Fatigue occurs when the body is subjected to an effort which is too big for the body to adapt to it. Fatigue informs the body that the energy reserves 102 PHYSICAL EDUCATION To be number one, you must train like you are number two. Maurice Greene available are almost exhausted. The body, stressed in a training session, reacts to fatigue with an active recovery phase. If the time of this phase is correctly planned, the athlete s body goes into a state called supercompensation. During this state, the athlete s body has even more energy than before. This process allows the same workload to be performed with less fatigue and leads to a gradual increase in physical efficiency. To improve performances and increase the ability to suffer fatigue, training must be carried out regularly. Without regular training, physical efficiency quickly returns to its initial levels . to endure: sopportare liver: fegato spleen: milza workload: carico di lavoro