Choosing Your Training Method

This lesson covers how to select an appropriate training method for your PEP and, crucially, how to justify that choice. In the Edexcel specification (1PE0), you are expected to know nine training methods. For your PEP, you will typically use one or two of these methods as the basis of your programme. The key to a high mark is not just choosing a method — it is explaining why that method is the best fit for your target component of fitness, your sport, and your practical circumstances (facilities, equipment, time, personal preference).

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The Nine Edexcel Training Methods

Training Method	Component(s) of Fitness It Improves	Brief Description
Continuous training	Cardiovascular endurance	Sustained exercise at a moderate intensity for 30+ minutes without rest
Fartlek training	Cardiovascular endurance (+ speed)	"Speed play" — varying pace and terrain during a continuous run
Interval training	Cardiovascular endurance, speed, power	Alternating periods of high-intensity work with rest or low-intensity recovery
Circuit training	Muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, strength (depending on design)	A series of exercise stations performed one after another in a circuit
Plyometrics	Power, speed	Explosive jumping, bounding and hopping exercises that use the stretch-shortening cycle
Weight / resistance training	Muscular strength, muscular endurance, power	Using free weights, machines or body weight to work against resistance
Flexibility training	Flexibility	Static stretching, dynamic stretching or PNF stretching to increase range of movement at a joint
High-intensity interval training (HIIT)	Cardiovascular endurance, speed, muscular endurance	Short bursts of maximal or near-maximal effort followed by brief rest periods
Speed training	Speed, acceleration	Short sprints (e.g. 30–60 m) with full recovery between efforts

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Linking Training Method to Component of Fitness

Your training method must be directly linked to the component of fitness you are aiming to improve. This seems obvious, but many students lose marks by choosing a method that does not match their target.

graph TD
    CV["<b>Cardiovascular Endurance</b>"] --> C["Continuous training"]
    CV --> F["Fartlek training"]
    CV --> IT["Interval training"]
    CV --> HIIT["HIIT"]

    MS["<b>Muscular Strength</b>"] --> W["Weight / resistance training<br>(low reps, high load)"]

    ME["<b>Muscular Endurance</b>"] --> CT["Circuit training"]
    ME --> W2["Weight / resistance training<br>(high reps, low load)"]

    PW["<b>Power</b>"] --> PL["Plyometrics"]
    PW --> W3["Weight / resistance training<br>(explosive, moderate load)"]

    SP["<b>Speed</b>"] --> SPT["Speed training"]
    SP --> PL2["Plyometrics"]

    FL["<b>Flexibility</b>"] --> FT["Flexibility training"]

    style CV fill:#3498db,color:#fff
    style MS fill:#e74c3c,color:#fff
    style ME fill:#27ae60,color:#fff
    style PW fill:#e67e22,color:#fff
    style SP fill:#9b59b6,color:#fff
    style FL fill:#f1c40f,color:#000

Example justification: "I have chosen fartlek training as my primary training method because my target component of fitness is cardiovascular endurance. Fartlek training is specifically designed to improve the efficiency of the cardiovascular system by varying the intensity of exercise — this mimics the demands of football, where a midfielder alternates between jogging, running and sprinting throughout a match. This makes fartlek training both valid and sport-specific for my needs."

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Justifying Your Choice: The Four Key Factors

When justifying your training method, address all four of these factors. This will push your PEP towards Level 4/5.

1. Relevance to Component of Fitness

Does the training method target the component of fitness you want to improve?

• If your target is cardiovascular endurance, continuous training, fartlek, interval training and HIIT are all valid choices.
• If your target is muscular strength, weight/resistance training with low reps and high load is the most appropriate method.
• If your target is power, plyometrics or explosive weight training are the best options.

Exam Tip: Avoid choosing a method that only has a weak or indirect link to your target component. For example, choosing circuit training to improve flexibility would be difficult to justify because circuit training primarily improves muscular endurance, not flexibility.

2. Sport-Specific Relevance

Does the training method replicate the demands of your sport?

Sport	Key Demands	Most Relevant Training Method
Football (midfielder)	Varying pace over 90 minutes, sprinting, jogging, walking	Fartlek training — mirrors the changing pace of a football match
Netball (goal shooter)	Short, explosive movements; jumping; holding position	Plyometrics and interval training
Swimming (200 m)	Sustained moderate-to-high intensity	Interval training — allows specific work:rest ratios to be set
Rugby (prop)	Sustained force in scrums, tackling, rucking	Weight/resistance training — develops maximal strength
100 m sprint	Maximal speed over a short distance	Speed training and plyometrics

3. Available Facilities and Equipment

Be honest about what you have access to. A Level 5 PEP acknowledges practical constraints and explains how they influenced the choice.