Types of training and training methods: aerobic, eg continuous, fartlek, aerobic interval, circuit; anaerobic, eg anaerobic interval; flexibility, eg static, ballistic, PNF, dynamic; strength training, eg resistance, isotonic, isometric, isokinetic

Different sports demand different fitness components, and different methods of training build different components. This dot point covers the four families the syllabus names: aerobic, anaerobic, flexibility, and strength.

Aerobic training

Aerobic training improves the body's ability to sustain submaximal work over time. It targets the aerobic energy system, the cardiovascular system, and the slow-twitch muscle fibres.

Continuous training

Sustained effort at a steady intensity for a long duration, typically 20 minutes or more at 60-80% maximal heart rate. The bread and butter of aerobic development. Examples: a steady 45-minute jog, a 90-minute easy bike ride, a 30-minute swim at conversational pace. Used by every endurance athlete as the base of weekly training.

Fartlek training

Swedish for "speed play". Continuous training with deliberate bursts of higher intensity at irregular intervals. The athlete might run easy for 5 minutes, hard for 90 seconds, easy for 3 minutes, hard for 30 seconds, and so on. Less structured than interval training; closer to how many sports actually demand effort. Used by middle-distance runners, soccer players, and cyclists for aerobic plus anaerobic stimulus in one session.

Aerobic interval training

Structured repeats at intensities around lactate threshold (roughly 80-90% maximal heart rate) with shorter, defined rest periods. The work is hard enough to produce some lactate but the rest is short enough that the next effort begins before full recovery. Example: 6 x 800m at 5km race pace with 90 seconds rest. Builds VO2max and lactate threshold simultaneously. Used by distance runners, rowers, swimmers.

Circuit training

A series of exercise stations performed in sequence with limited rest between stations. Each station targets a different muscle group or fitness component. When done at moderate intensity with short rests, circuits develop aerobic fitness; with heavier loads and longer rests they shift toward strength endurance. Common in school PE and team-sport pre-season because it can be done with minimal equipment and many athletes at once.

Anaerobic training

Anaerobic training improves the body's ability to produce and tolerate work in the lactic acid energy system, and to express maximal power through ATP-PC. Targets the fast-twitch muscle fibres.

Anaerobic interval training. Repeated efforts at near-maximal or maximal intensity with longer, defined rest periods to allow partial or full recovery between efforts. Two main types:

• Short anaerobic intervals (10-30 seconds work) target the ATP-PC system. Example: 10 x 30-metre sprints with 2-3 minute rest. Used by sprinters, jumpers, and team-sport athletes for top-end speed.

• Long anaerobic intervals (30 seconds to 2 minutes work) target the lactic acid system. Example: 6 x 400 metres at 90% maximum with 3-4 minutes rest. Used by 800m runners, 1500m runners, swimmers in 200m events, and any sport with repeated high-intensity efforts (basketball, hockey, rugby league).

Anaerobic training is the most demanding of the four families. Athletes typically do 2-3 anaerobic sessions per week at most, with full recovery days between.

Flexibility training

Flexibility is the range of motion at a joint. The syllabus names four methods.

Static stretching

The muscle is taken to the end of its range and held, typically 15-60 seconds. Most familiar form. Improves passive flexibility and is safe for most athletes. Best performed at the end of training when the muscle is warm.

Ballistic stretching

Bouncing or jerky movements that take the muscle through and slightly beyond its normal range. Engages the stretch reflex. Higher injury risk if used incorrectly. Used by gymnasts, dancers, and some martial artists where rapid end-range movements are part of the sport itself.

PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation)

A partner-assisted technique alternating contraction and stretching of the same muscle group. Typically: stretch the muscle to end range, isometric contraction against resistance for 5-10 seconds, then relax and stretch further. PNF produces larger flexibility gains than static stretching in short timeframes. Used in rehabilitation and high-level sport, but requires a partner and good technique.

Dynamic stretching

Controlled, sport-specific movements that take joints through their full range of motion in a way that mimics the sport. Examples: leg swings before running, arm circles before swimming, lunge walks before football. Dynamic stretching is now standard in warm-ups because it improves performance in the subsequent activity, where static stretching pre-exercise can briefly reduce force production.

Strength training

Strength training improves the ability to produce force against resistance. Targets the neuromuscular system and the fast-twitch muscle fibres.

Resistance training (the general category)

Any training that loads a muscle beyond its normal demand. Includes the three more specific forms below.

Isotonic training

The muscle changes length while producing force - the most common form. Includes both concentric (shortening, e.g. lifting a barbell off the chest) and eccentric (lengthening, e.g. lowering the same barbell) contractions. Free weights, machines, body weight, and resistance bands all support isotonic training. The default form for most strength programs.

Isometric training

The muscle produces force without changing length. The classic example is the plank or a wall sit. Used for postural development, rehabilitation, and sports where holding position under load matters (climbing, gymnastics, scrums in rugby).

Isokinetic training

The muscle produces force at a constant velocity throughout the range of motion. Requires specialised equipment (isokinetic dynamometers) that vary resistance to match the force produced. Common in rehabilitation and sports science research. Rarely used in normal athletic training because the equipment is expensive and isolates single joints.

How to think about training method choice

The right method depends on the sport's demands. A canonical HSC question is "describe a training program for [sport]". The strongest answers map the sport to its energy system mix, identify the dominant fitness components, then select methods that train those components.

• 100m sprinter: anaerobic interval (short), strength training (isotonic with heavy loads), dynamic flexibility, minimal continuous aerobic.
• Marathon runner: continuous training (the bulk), aerobic interval (lactate threshold), static stretching, minimal strength.
• Soccer player: continuous training (aerobic base), fartlek (mixed-intensity), anaerobic interval (short and long), dynamic flexibility, strength training.

The trap is to prescribe everything for every athlete. Strength training a marathon runner like a sprinter wastes adaptation potential; doing continuous training as a 100m sprinter actively impairs the fast-twitch development they need.