Principles of Training

This lesson covers the principles of training as required by the Edexcel GCSE PE specification (1PE0). These are the rules that underpin any effective training programme. Edexcel requires you to know: specificity, progressive overload, individual differences/needs, rest and recovery, reversibility, thresholds of training and the FITT principle. Understanding these principles is essential for designing and evaluating training programmes.

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The Core Principles

1. Specificity

Definition: Training should be relevant and appropriate to the sport, activity and the individual.

• A swimmer should train in the pool (sport-specific), focusing on the muscles and energy systems used in their events.
• A footballer should train on grass with a ball, developing cardiovascular endurance, agility and power.
• Specificity also applies to the individual — a goalkeeper and a striker have different training needs even though they play the same sport.

Example	Application
A 100 m sprinter trains with short, high-intensity intervals	Specific to the anaerobic energy system and fast-twitch muscle fibres used in sprinting
A marathon runner trains with long, steady-state runs	Specific to the aerobic energy system and slow-twitch fibres used in distance running

2. Progressive Overload

Definition: Gradually increasing the intensity, duration, frequency or type of training to place greater demands on the body, leading to continued improvement.

The body adapts to the current training load. To continue improving, the demands must be increased progressively. If the overload is too sudden, injury may result. If there is no overload, no further improvement occurs (a plateau).

Progressive overload can be applied by adjusting FITT:

• Frequency — train more often (e.g. 3 sessions → 4 sessions per week)
• Intensity — work harder (e.g. increase weight, run faster)
• Time — train for longer (e.g. 30 min → 40 min)
• Type — change the training method

3. Individual Differences/Needs

Definition: Training should be designed to meet the specific needs and abilities of each individual performer.

Every person is different. Factors that must be considered:

Factor	Why It Matters
Age	Younger performers may need lower-intensity training; older performers may need longer recovery
Gender	Males and females may differ in strength, flexibility and cardiovascular capacity
Fitness level	A beginner needs a different programme from an elite athlete
Injury history	A performer recovering from a knee injury may need to avoid high-impact training
Goals	A person training for weight loss needs a different programme from one training for a marathon
Experience	A novice needs simpler exercises and more instruction

Exam Tip: Edexcel specifically includes individual differences/needs as a principle of training. This means you may be asked to explain how a training programme should be adapted for a specific individual. Always give practical examples.

4. Rest and Recovery

Definition: Rest is the period of time between training sessions where no exercise is performed. Recovery is the time required for the body to repair and adapt to the training stimulus.

• Rest allows the body to repair damaged muscle tissue, replenish energy stores (glycogen) and adapt to the demands of training.
• Without adequate rest, the performer risks overtraining, which leads to fatigue, poor performance, illness and injury.
• A typical training programme includes rest days and may alternate between hard and easy sessions.

graph LR
    T["Training stimulus<br>(overload applied)"] --> D["Fatigue and<br>muscle damage"]
    D --> R["Rest and recovery<br>(repair + adaptation)"]
    R --> S["Supercompensation<br>(fitness improves<br>beyond previous level)"]
    S --> T2["Next training<br>session"]

    style T fill:#e74c3c,color:#fff
    style R fill:#27ae60,color:#fff
    style S fill:#3498db,color:#fff