PE 12 Training Principles

What is the most important training principle for ensuring targeted physiological adaptations for sport-specific performance?

• Specificity
• Intensity
• Type
• Progression
• Overtraining

Answer explanation

Specificity ensures that training matches the energy systems, muscles, and skills of the sport, making it the most critical for targeted adaptation.

A tennis player wants to improve their leg power and agility. Which training method best aligns with the principle of specificity?

• Plyometric circuit focused on squats and agility ladders
• Long interval running sessions
• Continuous cycling
• Yoga flexibility sessions
• Upper-body hypertrophy gym work

Answer explanation

Specific training for leg power and agility must involve exercises that mirror these movements, such as squat jumps and agility drills.

Which of the following correctly matches a training zone with its corresponding energy system?

• 95–100% MHR – ATP–CP system
• 70–80% MHR – Anaerobic glycolysis
• 85–95% MHR – Aerobic system
• <60% MHR – ATP–CP system
• 50–65% MHR – LIP threshold

Answer explanation

ATP–CP requires maximal effort, typically between 95–100% of max heart rate, for explosive short-duration movements.

What does the SAID principle stand for?

• Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands
• Standard Aerobic Intensity Design
• Strength and Intensity Design
• Specific Activity Interval Design
• Systematic Anaerobic Intensity Demands

Answer explanation

SAID underpins specificity, explaining that training adaptations are specific to the demands imposed on the body.

Why is %MHR often used instead of %VO2 max to measure exercise intensity in training programs?

• It is more practical and easier to measure during exercise
• It is more accurate than VO2 max
• VO2 max has no relationship with performance
• MHR doesn’t change with age
• VO2 max testing is freely accessible to all

Answer explanation

Measuring heart rate is simpler than directly assessing oxygen consumption, making %MHR a practical tool.

In designing a training program for a marathon runner, which principle would justify the exclusion of upper-body hypertrophy work?

• Specificity
• Individuality
• Overtraining
• Variety
• Progression

Answer explanation

The specificity principle guides the selection of training elements relevant to the primary performance goals — in this case, aerobic endurance.

A goalkeeper and a centre player complete the same aerobic training program. The centre player improves significantly, but the goalkeeper shows minimal gains. What principle best explains this?

• Individuality
• Type
• Intensity
• Specificity
• Variety

Answer explanation

Each athlete responds differently to training due to genetic, physiological, and positional demands — supporting the individuality principle.

If a triathlete includes only swimming and cycling in their training, which training principle are they failing to apply effectively?

• Type
• Specificity
• Individuality
• Intensity
• Progression

Answer explanation

"Type" refers to including the appropriate modes of training; omitting running neglects a key discipline in triathlon.

Which of the following is a limitation of using METs to measure exercise intensity?

• They do not account for individual fitness levels
• They are not based on heart rate
• They only apply to resistance training
• They overestimate effort at high altitudes
• They require blood lactate measurement

Answer explanation

METs provide general intensity categories but ignore the variation in individuals' aerobic capacity and metabolic response.

How does long interval training primarily improve aerobic performance?

• Increases myoglobin stores and mitochondrial oxygen use
• Increases actin and myosin filament size
• Enhances ATP–CP regeneration rate
• Elevates blood lactate accumulation
• Boosts neuromuscular recruitment speed

Answer explanation

Long interval training improves the body’s ability to extract and utilize oxygen efficiently by increasing myoglobin and mitochondrial function.