AQA A-Level PE 3.4 Exercise physiology and biomechanics: a complete overview of training, nutrition and movement mechanics

What module 3.4 actually demands

Exercise physiology and biomechanics is the performance-science engine of AQA A-Level PE. Module 3.4 runs from what athletes eat, through how they train and recover from injury, to the mechanics of how their bodies and the objects they use move. It contains the most mathematical content in the specification, so the examiners test confident calculation and the interpretation of free body diagrams and graphs, alongside applied physiology.

This guide walks through all six topics in specification order, then sets out the exam patterns AQA repeats. Each topic has a matching dot-point page with practice questions; this overview ties them together.

Diet, training and injury

Diet and nutrition covers the macronutrients (carbohydrate, fat and protein) and micronutrients, hydration, energy balance, the different needs of endurance and power athletes, and ergogenic aids such as creatine, sodium bicarbonate, caffeine and glycogen loading.

Training methods and adaptations covers the components of fitness and their testing, the principles of training (SPORT and FITT) and periodisation, the methods of training (continuous, fartlek, interval, HIIT, plyometric and flexibility) and the physiological adaptations each produces.

Injury prevention and rehabilitation covers the warm-up and cool-down, screening, the acute and chronic injury types, and treatment and rehabilitation including PRICE and the recovery process.

Biomechanics

Biomechanical principles covers the definitions of mass, weight, inertia, momentum and force, Newton's three laws applied to sport, free body diagrams, and the impulse-momentum relationship $Ft = \Delta(mv)$.

Levers and projectile motion covers the three classes of lever and mechanical advantage, angular motion with moment of inertia and angular momentum ($L = I\omega$), and the factors affecting the parabolic flight of a projectile (angle, speed and height of release).

Fluid mechanics covers the factors affecting drag, the Bernoulli principle and lift, and the Magnus effect on spinning balls.

How module 3.4 is examined

A typical AQA profile for exercise physiology and biomechanics:

• Calculation. Weight, force, momentum and impulse, and reading free body diagrams and graphs.
• Recall and application. Matching training methods and ergogenic aids to a named performer, identifying lever classes and the plane and axis of a movement.
• Explanation. How an adaptation occurs, how PNF or PRICE works, how the Bernoulli principle and the Magnus effect produce lift and swerve.
• Extended answers. Applying the principles of training and periodisation, or analysing the biomechanics of a sprint start or a discus throw.

Check your knowledge

A mix of recall, calculation and application questions covering module 3.4. Attempt them under timed conditions, then check against the solutions.

1. State what each letter of SPORT stands for. (2 marks)
2. State what each letter of PRICE stands for. (2 marks)
3. Calculate the momentum of a 75 kg rugby player moving at 6 m s$^{-1}$. (2 marks)
4. Identify the class of lever at the ankle when rising onto the toes. (1 mark)
5. Explain, using the Magnus effect, why backspin keeps a golf ball in the air longer. (3 marks)
6. State Newton's second law of motion. (2 marks)
7. Explain why a sprinter might use sodium bicarbonate. (2 marks)
8. Explain how a diver increases their rate of spin in the air. (3 marks)