How can exercise assessment and prescription be personalised?
Identify two fitness tests and what component of fitness they are testing?
Wingate - speed
Yo Yo - cardiovascular endurance
Sit and reach - flexibility
Which specific type of anaerobic training focuses primarily on developing power?
Plyometric training.
A soccer team is playing a 7 game gala day, it is really hot. What is one approach that the coach could make to account for the environmental conditions?
-increasing substitutions
-more regular water breaks
Identify the main nutrient used as a fuel source during moderate to high-intensity exercise.
Carbohydrates
Identify one health and one ethical implication of drug use in sport.
Health - eg steroids can cause liver damage, heart disease, infertility, aggression
Ethical - unfair advantage, reduces integrity of the sport.
What are two functions of pre-exercise questionnaire/health screening?
-medical clearance
-pre existing health conditions or issues
-accommodate any injuries / adapt the program.
Which term describes the amount of blood pumped by the heart during a contraction?
Stroke volume.
A netball player always throws a bad pass on the first centre pass of each quarter. What psychological strategy would be most effective in reducing anxiety?
mental rehearsal/visualisation
Identify TWO factors that influence an athlete’s nutritional requirements.
Examples:
Type of sport
Training intensity
Duration of activity
Body size
Training goals
Environmental conditions
Identify TWO recovery strategies used by athletes after training or competition.
Examples:
Cool-down
Stretching
Hydrotherapy
Massage
Nutrition
Hydration
Sleep
Relaxation strategies
What is the purpose of pre-exercise questionnaire/health screening for an elite athlete?
-gauge where they are at
-identify any past injuries
-get a starting point for the training program.
Name the four types of aerobic training and the four types of flexibility training.
continuous, fartlek, aerobic interval and circuit
static, dynamic, ballistic and PnF
A coach wants to improve a basketball team's performance.
Suggest TWO tactical training activities they could use.
Examples:
Modified games focusing on decision-making.
Set-play practice.
Defensive drills.
Offensive strategy drills.
Match simulations.
Explain why athletes consume carbohydrates before competition.
Carbohydrates increase glycogen stores in the muscles and liver, providing energy during exercise and helping delay fatigue during prolonged or high-intensity activity.
A runner develops shin pain after increasing their training load rapidly.
Identify the likely classification of injury and explain why it occurred.
This is likely an overuse injury caused by repeated stress on tissues without adequate recovery. A rapid increase in training load may exceed the body’s ability to adapt, resulting in tissue damage and pain.
A client with diabetes and previous knee surgery wants to start resistance training. Explain adaptations that should be made to design a safe and effective fitness program.
-begin with bodyweight squats only, before progressing to any weighted squats.
-focus heavily on the hamstrings and glutes (e.g., glute bridges, seated hamstring curls) to help support and stabilise the knee
-ensure they regularly check their blood glucose levels to avoid any spikes.
An athlete experiences no change in haemoglobin levels after a 12 week program. But they did experience an increase in muscular hypertrophy as well as fast-twitch fibre recruitment.
What type of training program did they likely complete?
Strength (resistance) training.
A swimmer and a soccer player are preparing for their competitive seasons.
Explain why their annual training programs would differ.
A swimmer’s program may focus heavily on individual technique, stroke efficiency, pacing and personal performance goals.
A soccer player’s program must include team tactics, communication, decision-making, match simulations and positional requirements.
Both programs include phases such as preparation, competition and recovery, but the content and focus will differ due to sport demands.
Explain how dehydration can negatively affect performance.
Dehydration reduces blood volume, increases cardiovascular strain, impairs temperature regulation and can lead to earlier fatigue and reduced performance.
Explain why return-to-play decisions should involve more than simply determining whether an injury has healed.
Return-to-play decisions should consider physical readiness, psychological confidence, sport-specific skills, fitness levels and risk of re-injury. An athlete may be medically cleared but still lack the strength, confidence or conditioning required for safe competition.
Explain adaptions that would be made to the training program, and WHY, for a 45 year old male who has not exercised regularly for the past 15 years. He is overweight and has a family history of heart disease.
-recreational athlete is someone who hasn’t exercised much recently and is, therefore, at a greater risk of injury or illness
- avoid high-intensity training, begin with a low-impact routine such as stationary cycling, walking or swimming before progressing to moderate/high intensity.
-wear a HR monitor to monitor HR given his family history and lack of exercise to reduce likelihood of cardiac stress.
-excess weight = more stress on joints so low impact needed
Explain how muscle hypertrophy contributes to improved performance.
Increases the size and strength of muscle fibres, allowing greater force production. This improves performance in activities requiring strength, power and repeated muscular effort.
Explain the importance of peaking and tapering within an annual training program.
Peaking involves timing an athlete’s highest level of performance to coincide with major competitions. Tapering reduces training load before competition while maintaining intensity, allowing fatigue to decrease while fitness is preserved. These strategies maximise readiness and performance during important events.
A marathon runner and a powerlifter require different nutritional strategies.
Explain why their dietary requirements differ.
A marathon runner requires higher carbohydrate intake to maintain glycogen stores for prolonged aerobic activity.
A powerlifter requires adequate protein and energy intake to support muscle repair, growth and strength development.
Their nutritional needs differ due to the energy systems, duration and intensity of their sporting activities.
A swimmer improves their technique by reducing unnecessary movement and decreasing water resistance.
Explain how biomechanics has contributed to this improvement.
Biomechanical analysis has identified movement inefficiencies and allowed technique modifications to improve efficiency. Reducing drag and improving body position allows the swimmer to use less energy while maintaining or increasing speed, supporting sustained performance.