6 exam-style questions with full mark schemes and model answers. Write your own answer and the AI examiner marks it against the mark scheme.
Learn this properly: What Is the PEP?Aaron is a club rower who wants to improve his muscular endurance for a 2,000 m race. He plans a six-week Personal Exercise Programme (PEP) using circuit training.
Evaluate how Aaron should apply the principles of training — including FITT and progressive overload — to design a PEP that improves his muscular endurance without causing overtraining. (6 marks)
Below is an extract from a performer's six-week PEP for cardiovascular endurance, using fartlek training three times a week.
| Week | Sessions per week | Time per session (min) | Intensity (% of MHR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 30 | 70 |
| 2 | 3 | 30 | 72 |
| 3 | 3 | 35 | 75 |
| 4 | 3 | 40 | 78 |
(a) Using the table, identify two different FITT variables the performer has used to apply progressive overload, quoting figures from the table to support each. (2 marks)
(b) Explain why applying progressive overload is necessary for the performer to keep improving their cardiovascular endurance. (2 marks)
A coach helps a performer set a SMART target as part of the planning section of a PEP.
(a) State what the letters S, M and T stand for in SMART targets, and briefly explain why making a target measurable is useful in a PEP. (2 marks)
(b) Identify which principle of training is shown by including rest days between training sessions. (1 mark)
A weightlifter's one rep max (1RM) for the leg press is 120 kg. For a strength phase of his PEP, his coach wants him to train at 80% of his 1RM.
(a) Calculate the mass the weightlifter should lift at 80% of his 1RM. Show your working and give the unit. (2 marks)
(b) Identify which FITT variable a percentage of 1RM is being used to set. (1 mark)
A swimmer designs her PEP so that the training is specific to her event, the 200 m freestyle.
State what is meant by the principle of specificity, and give one example of how the swimmer could make her training specific to her event. (2 marks)
A performer is injured and stops training completely for several weeks. When she returns, she finds her fitness has decreased.
Name the principle of training that explains this loss of fitness when training stops. (1 mark)