Which training methods develop which components of fitness?
The main training methods (continuous, fartlek, interval, circuit, weight, plyometric and HIIT), the fitness they develop, and their advantages and disadvantages.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE PE on training methods: continuous, fartlek, interval, circuit, weight, plyometric and HIIT training, the components of fitness each develops, and their advantages and disadvantages.
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What this dot point is asking
AQA wants you to describe each main training method, state which component of fitness it develops, and give the advantages and disadvantages of each, so you can choose the right method for a sport.
The main training methods
- Continuous training: steady exercise (running, cycling, swimming) for a long time without rest. Develops cardiovascular endurance. Easy and cheap, but can be boring and does not build speed.
- Fartlek training: varying the speed and terrain during continuous work. Develops endurance and the ability to change pace, good for games players. Hard to monitor intensity.
- Interval training: periods of hard work separated by rest. Develops speed and power. Can be adapted, but is demanding and tiring.
- Circuit training: moving around a series of stations, each a different exercise. Can develop many components at once and needs little equipment. The set-up takes time.
- Weight training: lifting weights. High weight and low reps build strength and power; low weight and high reps build muscular endurance. Risk of injury with poor technique.
- Plyometric training: explosive jumps, bounds and hops. Develops power. High impact, so it carries an injury risk.
- HIIT: short bursts of maximal work with short recovery. Develops anaerobic fitness and burns fat quickly, but is very demanding.
Matching method to sport
Choose the method that develops the fitness the sport needs. A marathon runner uses continuous training; a sprinter uses interval and plyometric training; a games player uses fartlek; and a rugby forward uses weight training for strength. This is specificity in action: the method must overload the component and energy system the sport relies on. Continuous training develops the aerobic system, so it suits endurance events; interval, plyometric and HIIT work the anaerobic system, so they suit explosive and repeated-sprint sports. A games player such as a footballer needs both, which is why a programme often blends fartlek (to mirror the changing pace of a match) with interval sprints and some weight work.
The detail of weight training is a common exam focus, so be precise: a high load with low repetitions (roughly three sets of about six reps at a heavy weight) builds maximal strength and, performed explosively, power; a low load with high repetitions (roughly three sets of about fifteen reps) builds muscular endurance. The same equipment produces opposite adaptations depending on how it is loaded, which is the principle of specificity again.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 20183 marksDescribe plyometric training and explain why it is suitable for a high jumper.Show worked answer →
A Paper 1 question testing the method plus an applied justification.
Award marks for: plyometrics uses explosive movements such as bounding, hopping and depth jumps, where a muscle is rapidly stretched then contracted; it develops power. It suits a high jumper because the take-off needs a fast, forceful drive to gain height, which is exactly the power plyometrics builds.
The application mark needs the link to the high jump take-off, not just "it makes you jump higher".
AQA 20214 marksCompare continuous training and interval training, including one advantage of each for the performer they suit.Show worked answer →
An AO2 compare question rewarding contrasts and a suited performer for each.
Award marks for: continuous training is steady aerobic work with no rest, developing cardiovascular endurance, suited to a marathon runner (advantage: simple and cheap); interval training alternates hard efforts with rest, developing speed and anaerobic fitness, suited to a sprinter (advantage: can be precisely adapted by changing the work-to-rest ratio).
Full marks need a genuine comparison (the presence or absence of rest periods, and aerobic versus anaerobic emphasis), not two separate descriptions.
Related dot points
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- The principles of training (SPORT and FITT), progressive overload, reversibility, the calculation of training intensity, and how to apply them safely.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE PE on the principles of training: the SPORT and FITT principles, progressive overload, reversibility, calculating training intensity and target heart rate zones, and applying them safely.
- The reasons for fitness testing, the standard tests for each component of fitness, and how to use test data and norms to plan and monitor training.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE PE on fitness testing: the reasons for testing, the recognised test for each component of fitness, the limitations of testing, and how to use results and normative data to plan training.
- Aerobic and anaerobic respiration, the word equations, EPOC and the oxygen debt, and how the intensity and duration of activity decide which system is used.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE PE on aerobic and anaerobic exercise: the two energy pathways, their word equations, the build-up of lactic acid, EPOC and the oxygen debt, and how intensity decides which system is used.
- How to prevent injury through correct application of training principles, protective equipment, technique, warm-up and appropriate clothing and surfaces.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE PE on preventing injury: applying the principles of training safely, using protective equipment and correct technique, warming up, and choosing appropriate clothing, footwear and surfaces.
Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE Physical Education (8582) specification — AQA (2016)