Fitness Components
What is the ability of the heart and lungs to supply oxygen to working muscles called?
Answer: Cardiovascular endurance
What test is commonly used in schools to measure cardiovascular endurance?
The Beep Test
What training method involves alternating between high-intensity and low-intensity exercise?
Interval training
In the F.I.T.T principle, what does the “F” stand for?
Frequency
Which fitness component allows you to move a joint through its full range of motion?
Flexibility
What fitness test involves running between cones in a zig-zag pattern to measure agility?
Illinois Agility Test
What is the key characteristic of Fartlek training that differentiates it from continuous training?
It involves varying speed and intensity throughout the session, rather than maintaining a steady pace.
Why is intensity an important factor when designing a training program?
It ensures the athlete is training at the correct level to improve performance without overtraining.
Which skill-related fitness component is essential for a sprinter reacting to the starting gun?
Answer: Reaction time
Why might results from the Sit & Reach test not always accurately reflect overall flexibility?
It only measures lower back and hamstring flexibility, not total body flexibility.
What type of training involves jumping exercises like box jumps and bounding to improve power?
Plyometric training
An athlete increases the weight they lift each week in the gym. What training principle is this an example of?
Progressive overload
Name three health-related fitness components and provide an example of a sport where each is important.
Cardiovascular endurance (e.g. long-distance running), muscular strength (e.g. weightlifting), flexibility (e.g. gymnastics)
Why is it important to ensure consistency in testing conditions when conducting fitness tests?
To ensure accurate and reliable results by minimising external variables such as fatigue, time of day, or equipment differences.
A football player follows a training program that includes resistance training, sprinting, and agility drills. Which training principle is being applied and why?
Specificity, because the training directly relates to the demands of football, improving strength, speed, and agility.
Explain how the principle of diminishing returns affects an elite athlete compared to a beginner.
Beginners see rapid improvements with training, while elite athletes experience smaller gains despite intense training because they are already highly conditioned.
Explain the difference between muscular strength and muscular endurance and provide an example of a sport where both are necessary.
Muscular strength is the maximum force a muscle can exert (e.g. weightlifting), while muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle to perform repeated contractions over time (e.g. rowing). A sport like rugby requires both—strength for tackles and endurance to last the game.
Describe the process of conducting the One Rep Max (1RM) test for muscular strength and explain one major risk associated with it.
The athlete warms up, gradually increases weight with rest periods, and attempts their maximum lift. A major risk is injury due to lifting too heavy or poor technique.
A long-distance runner wants to improve their endurance. Explain why a mix of continuous, interval, and resistance training would be most effective rather than just one type of training.
Continuous training builds aerobic endurance, interval training improves anaerobic capacity for surges during a race, and resistance training enhances muscular endurance, all contributing to overall performance.
A swimmer is experiencing a plateau in performance after months of repetitive training. What principle should they apply to break through, and how?
The principle of variety—by changing aspects of their training (e.g. adding resistance exercises, different stroke drills, or interval sets), they can avoid adaptation and continue improving.