Continuous & Fartlek Training
Physical Education: AQA GCSE, topic 4.1.2
Continuous Training
Continuous training involves the sustained (continued) performance of activities without rest.
Improve cardiovascular endurance
- Continuous training is used to improve a person’s cardiovascular endurance because it involves working at a moderate intensity for a long period of time.
- This is called steady state exercise.
- It makes the body more efficient at distributing (spreading) oxygen to the working muscles.
Examples of continuous training
- Examples include:
- running,
- walking
- swimming.
Advantages of continuous training
- You can do this type of training almost anywhere. It does not need any equipment. It can be as simple as going for a run.
- It is an excellent way of developing aerobic fitness because you are exercising the heart and lungs (cardiovascular system).
- Running is not a difficult skill for most people, so it is fairly simple to do.
Disadvantages of continuous training
- This type of training can become very boring very quickly. So it can be difficult to stay motivated.
- The repetitive actions of continuous training can cause overuse injuries (training too much).
- It can be very time consuming to run long distances.
- It does not always meet the demands of a performer's sport. For example, in basketball, players do not run for long periods of time at one speed.
Fartlek Training (Speed Play)
This type of training improves cardiovascular endurance (the ability to keep going). The difference with this type of training is that the speed and the intensity change during the session.
Varied intensity
- A performer needs to ‘walk/jog/sprint/jog/sprint’. The intensity can also be changed by running on different terrains (types of ground) or gradients (steepness).
Test yourself on Continuous & Fartlek Training
Which of these is not an example of continuous training?
What does fartlek training improve?