Justification

Justification as to why the plan was chosen:

The year that the plan was focused on 2016/17 season in which Ronaldo competed in the euros. Due to this we included a rehab period as during the final against France, Dimitri Payet landed a heavy tackle on Ronaldo, causing him to be stretchered off the pitch. We also included all the games he played that season, along with the fitness tests so ensure Ronaldo remains at his best ability throughout the season.

There were three components of fitness that were chosen for Ronaldo that were relevant for him in order to be at his best: Anaerobic power, Cardiovascular endurance and speed. Ronaldo plays as a winger for Real Madrid, so needs these three components of fitness. Power is used to make explosive movements when running or kicking the ball, Cardiovascular endurance is used as Ronaldo will be constantly running for 90 minutes whether its sprinting or jogging, and lastly speed, which is essential for any winger, to make a run down the wing, past defenders to create an attacking opportunity. This justifies why we chose these components are they are essential traits every winger should have in order to excel in that position.

In order to test these components there were three fitness tests chosen: Wingate Test (power), Vo2 Max Test (Cardio) and 60m sprint Test (speed). The Wingate test isn't relevant to football as it is done using a bike. This test was chosen as it specifically focuses on the power in the legs. Using this test, you can accurately work out the power generated in Ronaldo's legs, which is what is necessary when measuring his power. Although it isn't relevant, it can still be justified as the test predominantly works by measuring the legs. The Vo2 Max Test is relevant to the sport because it involves running for as long as possible. This is the main component in football as running is a constant thing throughout the game. Using a test that specifically measures cardiovascular endurance is perfect for Ronaldo's game. Lastly the 60m sprint test is used to measure speed and is the most relevant to the sport. The test can be adapted to make it specific by carrying out the test on grass, whilst Ronaldo wheres boots, creating a game situation. It is also relevant as Ronaldo plays as a winger, which involves him sprinting down the wing. The distance is also relevant as it is roughly the distance he will cover as a winger.

On the periodisation plan we included when Ronaldo would carry out his maximal tests. We chose to carry out the tests once a month, as it wouldn't tire him out doing it every week, and it worked well around his rehab, allowing us to test Ronaldo once he has returned from injury, to see how he has been affected by the injury. They have also been placed where there won't be any games following the next day as Ronaldo will need time to recover after carrying out the tests. The rehab section was included as Ronaldo was injured during a tournament that year, so needed time to build himself back up again, ready for his next maximal test to make sure he was fit enough to play.

We set the mesocycle out so that it was a mixture of weight and cardio training, along with a number of rest days, and a game to end the week. We tried to spread out weight training as Ronaldo will need a recovery period after doing a hard session. We chose to put a rest day on the Thursday as it gave Ronaldo the chance to recover after the first half of the week. We then put a rest day in on the Saturday to give recovery time before the game on the Sunday. This can be justified as Ronaldo needs recovery time to avoid over training, causing an injury and experiencing reversibility.

The exercises we chose to include in a microcycle were chosen as they targeted specific areas of the body. We chose leg exercises as they are key component to Ronaldo's game, and increased strength in legs will improve Ronaldo's power and speed when running. The other exercises worked on upper body strength. As a winger, Ronaldo will need to over power other defenders in order to make runs and create space. Therefore we chose these exercises to improve overall upper body strength, to make Ronaldo more effective and strong when playing on the wing. This justifies why we chose these exercises as it will overall improve Ronaldo's game and make him more effective.

Overall Ronaldo is a world class player, so to be able to include everything that will improve his game further is a challenging concept. If Ronaldo was to use our periodisation plan including all the cycles, we believe that with progressive overload, Ronaldo will be able to improve his game, and take him to the next level.