The Application of High-Intensity Interval Training for Football

The Practical Application of High-Intensity Interval Training for Football course teaches how to effectively implement high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to take performance to the next level.

This course, which is delivered by Martin Buchheit, PhD, a sport scientist, a strength and conditioning coach and associate professor of exercise science, focuses on the unique aspects of your sport, the skill and physiological requirements needed to successfully perform at a high level, and the key HIIT methods to apply in order to elicit the desired physiological responses for optimal training adaptation and performance.

While the course includes theoretical knowledge to facilitate understanding, it mostly focuses on the practical application to help you build true mastery so you can deliver measurable gains on the playing field, and not just in the lab. The expert instructor presents specific tools, tactics and performance indicators to tailor HIIT to your particular context with detailed surveillance methods and training plan examples that he developed over years of hands-on coaching of elite athletes.

The online course, which can be completed at your own pace on any device is delivered in 4 parts:

Part 1: Description of the Sport and Factors of Winning

Topics covered:

• Description of the sport
• The history and evolution of the sport
• The unique factors of the sport (and variations) that need to be considered when developing/optimizing a training program
• Factors of winning: physical, skills and tactics
• Physical performance contributions to the sport: speed, strength and endurance

Part 2: Targets of Physical Performance

Topics covered:

• Targets of physical performance for the sport: speed, strength and endurance
• Aerobic oxidative targets (with discussion on VO2max, the respiratory system, circulatory system, tissue deoxygenation) as applicable
• Anaerobic glycolytic metabolic response targets as applicable
• Neuromuscular and musculoskeletal strain targets as applicable
• Specific target modifications for key sport and athlete variations

Part 3: Key HIIT Weapons and Their Manipulations

Topics covered:

• Polarized training
• Specificity - manipulating training to match demands of sport variation or athlete variation
• The different HIIT weapons applicable to the sport (long and short intervals, repeated sprints, sprint intervals and game-based HIIT) based on the physiological targets
• Manipulations of HIIT variables to optimize training:
  
  • Intensity/duration
  • Recovery period intensity/duration
  • Number of intervals
  • Series duration
  • Between series recovery intensity/duration
  • Total work performed
  • Exercise mode and ground surface for run-based HIIT
  • Environmental conditions
  • Nutritional status

Part 4: Incorporation of HIIT, Surveillance and Training Plan Examples

Topics covered:

• Surveillance and monitoring tools used in the sport
• External and internal training load
• Polarization training model and assessment
• Assessing response to training load
• Controllable and uncontrollable factors of training
• Sample training programs sport variation or athlete-specific variations
• Sample training programs for seasonal training, travel, and competition events

For students: HIIT Course not only teaches the fundamentals of HIIT but also the importance of context - in translating theoretical knowledge to practical application - giving you an edge in getting that job.

For sports coaches and sports science professionals: Our course gives you HIIT tools and tactics you can adapt to your specific sport and training load contexts - so you can holistically improve athlete performance.

While there aren’t any specific prerequisites for this course, we do use a lot of sport-science related technical language so a basic knowledge of sports science/ theory is recommended.

Take a step forward in your football coaching career by developing the skills needed to deliver performance-proven results.

The course is for sport coaches and practitioners who want to progress. It will help to address obstacles to learning, as it is online, self-paced, flexible, cost effective, and highly focused on practical knowledge — proven at the highest levels of athletic competition.