What are the different methods of training, and which one develops each component of fitness?
The methods of training (continuous, fartlek, interval, circuit, weight, plyometric and high-intensity interval training), how each is carried out, the components of fitness they develop, and their advantages and disadvantages for different performers.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE PE Component 01 on the methods of training: continuous, fartlek, interval, circuit, weight, plyometric and high-intensity interval training, how each is carried out, the components of fitness they develop, and the advantages and disadvantages of each for different performers.
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What this dot point is asking
OCR wants you to describe each method of training, state the components of fitness it develops, and evaluate its advantages and disadvantages for a named performer.
Continuous and fartlek training
Interval and high-intensity interval training
Circuit training
Circuit training uses a series of stations, each with a different exercise, that the performer moves around. By choosing the exercises, a circuit can target muscular endurance, strength, cardiovascular endurance or a sport-specific mix, and it can be adjusted for any performer. Its variety reduces tedium, and it needs limited equipment.
Weight and plyometric training
Choosing the right method
Advantages and disadvantages
Each method has trade-offs. Continuous training is simple and needs little equipment but can be boring and does little for anaerobic fitness. Interval and HIIT improve fitness quickly but are very demanding and risk overtraining. Weight training is adjustable and targets specific muscles but needs equipment and good technique. Plyometrics are highly specific to explosive power but carry a higher injury risk and need a strength base. The right choice depends on the performer's sport, fitness level and goals.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR 20194 marksDescribe interval training and explain why it suits a 400 m runner.Show worked answer →
A Component 01 item testing a method and its application. Award marks for the description and the linked justification.
Interval training alternates periods of high-intensity work with periods of rest or low-intensity recovery, for example running hard for 200 m, then jogging or walking to recover, repeated for several sets.
Why it suits a 400 m runner: the 400 m is run at a very high intensity that uses the anaerobic system and produces lactic acid. Interval training overloads this system in the work periods and lets the body partially recover in the rest periods, so it develops speed, anaerobic capacity and tolerance to lactic acid, matching the demands of the event.
Markers reward a clear description of the work-rest structure plus a link to the anaerobic demands of the 400 m.
OCR 20226 marksEvaluate the use of weight training and plyometric training for a rugby player wanting to improve power.Show worked answer →
A 6-mark extended-response item, marked across knowledge, application and judgement.
Describe each method: weight training uses repeated lifts against a resistance; for power, the player uses a high percentage of their one-rep maximum with explosive lifts. Plyometric training uses explosive bounding, hopping and jumping (such as box jumps and depth jumps) that stretch then rapidly shorten the muscle to develop explosive power.
Apply to rugby: power helps a player drive in a tackle, accelerate and jump in the lineout. Weight training builds the underlying strength; plyometrics convert that strength into explosive, sport-specific power.
Advantages and disadvantages: weight training is adjustable and targets specific muscles but needs equipment and good technique to avoid injury; plyometrics need little equipment and are highly specific to explosive actions but carry a higher injury risk and require an existing strength base.
A top answer weighs both and reaches a judgement, for example that the player should build strength with weights first, then add plyometrics to develop sport-specific power, so the two methods are best used together.
Related dot points
- The components of physical fitness (cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, strength, speed, power, flexibility, agility, balance, coordination and reaction time), their definitions, and their importance to performance in different sports.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE PE Component 01 on the components of fitness: the definitions of cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, strength, speed, power, flexibility, agility, balance, coordination and reaction time, and how each is important to performance in named sports.
- The principles of training (specificity, progressive overload, reversibility, tedium), the FITT principle, overload and training thresholds, and the calculation of training intensity using maximum heart rate and the one-rep maximum.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE PE Component 01 on the principles of training: specificity, progressive overload, reversibility and tedium, the FITT principle, overload and aerobic and anaerobic training thresholds, and calculating training intensity from maximum heart rate and the one-rep maximum.
- The reasons for fitness testing, the recognised tests for each component of fitness, how to carry them out, and how to interpret the data against normative tables, including the limitations of testing.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE PE Component 01 on fitness testing: why we test, the recognised test for each component of fitness (Cooper run, multi-stage fitness test, sit and reach, Illinois agility, vertical jump, grip dynamometer and others), how to interpret results against normative data, and the limitations of testing.
- The short-term effects of exercise on the muscular, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, the long-term training adaptations, and how these effects benefit a performer in physical activity and sport.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE PE Component 01 on the effects of exercise: the immediate short-term responses (heart rate, breathing, temperature, lactic acid), and the long-term adaptations of training (cardiac hypertrophy, bradycardia, capillarisation, muscle hypertrophy) and how they benefit a performer.
- The purpose and phases of a warm-up, the physical and psychological benefits of warming up, the purpose and benefits of a cool-down, and how each prepares the body for and recovers it from exercise.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE PE Component 01 on warming up and cooling down: the phases and physical and psychological benefits of a warm-up, the purpose and benefits of a cool-down (including removing lactic acid and reducing stiffness), and how they prepare for and aid recovery from exercise.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR GCSE (9-1) Physical Education J587 specification — OCR (2016)