What is 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.

What is 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.

What is 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.

What is 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.

What is 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.

What is 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.

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.

What is 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.

What is resistance training?

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

What is 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.

What is 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).

What is 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.

§-Syllabus dot point

NSWPDHPE (legacy 2012)Syllabus dot point

How does training affect performance?

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

A focused answer to the HSC PDHPE Core 2 dot point on training methods. Aerobic (continuous, fartlek, interval, circuit), anaerobic interval, flexibility (static, ballistic, PNF, dynamic), and strength training (isotonic, isometric, isokinetic) - what each is, who uses it, and why.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.88 min answerUpdated 2026-06-02

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

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Aerobic training
Anaerobic training
Flexibility training
Strength training
How to think about training method choice

Note: This page covers the legacy PDHPE Stage 6 Syllabus (2012), which was the HSC syllabus through the 2025 cohort. The 2026 HSC cohort sits Health and Movement Science (HMS) 11-12 (2023) instead. See /hsc/hms/ for current-syllabus content. This page is kept as reference for students using older revision material.

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.

Worked example: matching methods to a 400m runner

The 400m is one of the most demanding events to program because it draws heavily on the lactic acid system with a meaningful aerobic contribution.

Step 1: Identify the energy system mix

A single 400m effort lasts roughly $45$ to $55$ seconds, so the lactic acid (anaerobic glycolysis) system dominates, with the ATP-PC system covering the explosive start and the aerobic system supporting repeated training efforts and recovery.

Step 2: Identify the dominant fitness components

Speed, speed endurance (lactate tolerance), anaerobic power, and a strong aerobic base for training volume and between-rep recovery.

Step 3: Select training methods to match

Long anaerobic intervals ( $6 \times 300\text{m}$ at race pace, full recovery) build lactate tolerance; short anaerobic intervals develop top-end speed; isotonic strength training builds drive-phase power; continuous training maintains the aerobic base that lets the athlete absorb the hard anaerobic work.

Step 4: Justify the balance

The bulk of quality sessions are anaerobic interval based because the event is anaerobic-dominant, but the aerobic base is non-negotiable; without it the athlete cannot recover between reps in training and fades in the final $100\text{m}$ .

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.

Exam-style practice questions

Practice questions written in the style of NESA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.

HSC 20194 marksDescribe TWO methods of aerobic training and explain how each develops aerobic capacity.

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A 4-mark describe-and-explain wants two distinct named methods plus a mechanism for each, not a list.

Continuous training. Sustained submaximal effort (20+ minutes at roughly 60-80% of maximal heart rate). It develops aerobic capacity by repeatedly stressing the aerobic energy system and cardiovascular system, driving adaptations such as increased stroke volume and mitochondrial density.

Aerobic interval training. Structured repeats near lactate threshold (roughly 80-90% maximal heart rate) with short rest. It raises VO2max and lactate threshold simultaneously because the work is hard enough to challenge oxygen delivery and uptake.

Markers reward (1) two correctly named aerobic methods, (2) a defining feature of each (intensity, duration, rest), (3) the adaptation each drives. A common cap is naming methods without the mechanism.

HSC 20227 marksAnalyse how the choice of training method should reflect the energy system and fitness demands of a named sport.

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A 7-mark analyse response needs a named sport, its energy-system mix, its dominant fitness components, and matched methods, then it must show the relationships.

Name the sport (e.g. soccer): Predominantly aerobic base (continuous low-intensity running across 90 minutes) overlaid with repeated high-intensity anaerobic efforts (sprints, tackles).
Map methods to demands: Continuous training builds the aerobic base; fartlek mimics the variable-intensity nature of the game; short and long anaerobic intervals develop the ATP-PC and lactic acid systems used in sprints and repeated efforts; dynamic flexibility and isotonic strength support power and injury resistance.
Show the relationships: Over-prescribing continuous training would under-develop the anaerobic power soccer demands; over-prescribing maximal anaerobic intervals without an aerobic base would impair recovery between efforts. The strongest answer weighs the trade-off.

Markers reward (1) a justified energy-system breakdown, (2) methods matched to specific demands, (3) analysis of why the balance matters rather than a generic list.