Training Methods and Their Suitability
There are six recognised training methods used to develop fitness, each suited to different sports and components.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Learn a one-sentence definition of each of the six training methods and the energy system(s) it mainly develops.
- Learn one named sport or event well suited to each method, and be ready to justify the match using the demands of that sport, such as duration, intensity, and whether it is continuous or intermittent.
- Learn that interval and weight training can both be adjusted, via work:rest ratio or reps/sets/percentage of 1RM, to target either strength/power or endurance, so always check which outcome a question is asking about.
- Learn that plyometric training carries a higher injury risk than the other methods and should only be introduced once a performer already has a good base of strength.
- When asked to identify a suitable method, match the physical demands described in the scenario, such as continuous versus stop-start, duration, and the main component required, to the training method definitions.
- For explain why this method suits this performer answers, always link the method's characteristics, such as energy system, intensity pattern or component developed, to the specific demands of the performer's named sport.
- Remember that legitimate training methods develop fitness gradually; some athletes instead turn to illegal performance-enhancing drugs to try to speed up these adaptations, which carries serious health risks and the risk of being banned from sport.
Worked example
A coach sets an interval training session of 30 seconds of maximal sprinting followed by 90 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times. Calculate the work:rest ratio in its simplest form, and state whether this session mainly targets the aerobic or anaerobic energy system.
- Write the work time and rest time as a ratio: 30 : 90.
- Find the highest common factor of 30 and 90, which is 30, and divide both sides by it: 30/30 : 90/30.
- Complete the division: 1 : 3, so the work:rest ratio is 1:3.
- Consider the intensity and duration: maximal effort for only 30 seconds, with three times as much rest, is a pattern that suits short, high-intensity efforts.
- State the answer: this session mainly targets the anaerobic energy system, since the effort is short and maximal with long recovery to allow the body to clear fatiguing by-products before the next sprint.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Name the training method that uses varying pace and terrain within a continuous session.Show answer
Answer: Fartlek training.
Q2Which training method uses a series of different exercise stations?Show answer
Answer: Circuit training.
Q3Give one sporting example suited to plyometric training and explain why.Show answer
Answer: A high jumper, because plyometric exercises such as depth jumps develop the explosive power needed to drive upward quickly off the ground.
Q4State the main energy system developed by continuous training.Show answer
Answer: The aerobic energy system.
Q5A weightlifter's training focuses on low reps with very heavy weights. Which fitness component is this weight training programme mainly developing?Show answer
Answer: Muscular strength (or power).
Q6Explain why fartlek training suits a hockey midfielder better than continuous training alone.Show answer
Answer: Because a hockey match involves constantly changing paces, from jogging to sprinting, so fartlek's varied intensity more closely matches the sport's actual demands than a single steady pace.
Q7A coach sets an interval session of 20 seconds of work and 40 seconds of rest. Calculate the work:rest ratio in its simplest form.Show answer
Answer: 20:40 simplifies, dividing both by 20, to 1:2.
Q8Give one health risk associated with using illegal performance-enhancing drugs instead of appropriate training methods to build strength.Show answer
Answer: For example, anabolic steroid use can damage the liver and heart, or cause aggressive mood changes (any accurate, named risk is acceptable).
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Physical Education exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
A marathon runner and a 100m sprinter both include training in their weekly programme. Identify one training method suited to each performer, and explain your choice.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 4 available
A rugby union team is planning its pre-season fitness training. Discuss which training methods would be most suitable for developing the range of fitness components rugby union requires, using the specific demands of the sport to justify your choices.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 8 available
See real GCSE Physical Education past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the training methods and their suitability worksheet pack - 11 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
Next topics
Not quite what you needed?
Tell us what is missing on training methods and their suitability, or which topic to write up next. Every request is read, and we reply to every one.
Build a full practice pack.
This topic is one of hundreds in the library - pick the ones a student needs and generate a printable PDF in minutes.