How does running short of carbohydrate affect an endurance performer late in an event?

Muscle glycogen stores run low, so the performer must rely more on fat. Fat is broken down more slowly, so pace drops and fatigue sets in.

State the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates.

Simple carbohydrates are sugars that are digested quickly and cause a rapid rise in blood glucose. Complex carbohydrates are starches that release energy more slowly and steadily.

Why might a marathon runner choose a pasta meal the evening before a race?

Pasta is a complex carbohydrate that tops up muscle and liver glycogen. The runner then starts the race with the fullest possible fuel stores.

Define dietary fibre.

Dietary fibre is the indigestible part of plant foods such as wholegrains, fruit, vegetables and pulses. Fibre passes through the gut largely undigested.

AQA A-Level Physical Education 7582

The Cardiovascular System

Topic overview Heart health, fitness and cardiac output The cardiac conduction system and heart rate control Receptors, vascular shunting and blood redistribution Oxygen transport, the Bohr shift and the a-VO₂ difference Venous return, Starling's law and cardiovascular drift

The Respiratory System

Topic overview Lung volumes and minute ventilation Gas exchange, diffusion and partial pressure Control of breathing during exercise Smoking and the respiratory system

The Neuromuscular System

Topic overview Muscle fibre types and their characteristics The nervous system and motor units Summation, the all-or-none law and tetanic contraction Muscle spindles, Golgi tendon organs and PNF

The Musculo-Skeletal System and Movement Analysis

Topic overview Planes, axes and sagittal plane joint actions Frontal and transverse plane joint actions Joint types, articulating bones and muscle pairs Isotonic and isometric contraction in sporting actions

Energy Systems

Topic overview ATP and the aerobic energy system Anaerobic energy systems and the energy continuum Lactate accumulation, the lactate threshold and OBLA Oxygen deficit and EPOC VO₂ max, RER and measuring energy expenditure Altitude training, HIIT, plyometrics and SAQ

Skill, Transfer and Practice

Topic overview Characteristics of skill Classifying skills on the six continua Transfer of learning Whole, progressive part and whole–part–whole practice Massed, distributed, variable and mental practice

Theories of Learning

Topic overview Fitts and Posner's stages of learning Learning plateaus and performance curves Insight learning and operant conditioning Observational learning and social development theory

Guidance and Feedback

Topic overview Verbal and visual guidance Manual and mechanical guidance Types of feedback Matching feedback and guidance to the learner

Information Processing and Memory

Topic overview Input, receptors and the DCR process Memory and the working memory model Whiting's information processing model Reaction time, response time and Hick's law The psychological refractory period and anticipation Schmidt's schema theory

The Emergence and Globalisation of Sport

Topic overview Pre-industrial society, mob football and real tennis Industrialisation, urbanisation and rational recreation Association football, lawn tennis and Victorian athletics Amateurs, professionals and women in Victorian sport The Golden Triangle of sport, media and sponsorship Professionalism and elite women's sport since 1950

Equal Opportunities in Sport

Topic overview Society, socialisation and social structures Social action theory, prejudice and stereotyping Barriers and solutions for women and ethnic minority groups Barriers and solutions for disabled and disadvantaged groups Benefits of participation, Sport England and its partners

Diet and Nutrition

Topic overview Carbohydrate, fibre and fats for exercise Protein, vitamins and minerals Hydration before, during and after exercise Creatine, sodium bicarbonate, caffeine and glycogen loading

Preparation and Training Methods

Topic overview Fitness testing: data, validity and reliability Warm-up, cool-down and stretching Principles of training and FITT Periodisation, tapering and peaking Training methods for fitness and health

Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation

Topic overview Acute and chronic sports injuries Screening, protective equipment, flexibility and taping Rehabilitation methods and their physiological basis Recovery methods, sleep and nutrition

Biomechanical Principles and Levers

Topic overview Newton's laws of linear motion Speed, distance and scalar quantities Centre of mass and stability Lever classes and mechanical advantage

Linear and Angular Motion

Topic overview Forces acting in linear motion Vectors: displacement, velocity, acceleration and momentum Impulse and force–time graphs in sprinting Angular motion and conservation of angular momentum

Projectile Motion and Fluid Mechanics

Topic overview Factors affecting horizontal displacement Flight paths and vector components of projectiles Drag and dynamic fluid force Lift and the Bernoulli principle

Personality and Attitudes

Topic overview Trait and social learning theories of personality The interactionist perspective in sport The triadic model and how attitudes form Changing attitudes: cognitive dissonance and persuasive communication

Arousal and Anxiety

Topic overview Drive theory and the inverted-U Catastrophe theory, the zone of optimal functioning and peak flow Somatic, cognitive, trait and state anxiety Measuring anxiety

Aggression

Topic overview Aggression and assertive behaviour Theories of aggression Strategies to control aggression

Motivation and Achievement Motivation

Topic overview Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation Atkinson's model: need to achieve and need to avoid failure Incentive value and probability of success Achievement goal theory and approach behaviour

Social Facilitation and Group Dynamics

Topic overview Zajonc's model of social facilitation Evaluation apprehension and coping with an audience Tuckman's model and team cohesion Steiner's model, the Ringelmann effect and social loafing

Goal Setting

Topic overview Outcome, performance and process goals Why goal setting works SMARTER goal setting

Attribution Theory

Topic overview The attribution process and Weiner's model Attribution, task persistence and self-serving bias Learned helplessness, general and specific Attribution retraining and overcoming helplessness

Self-Efficacy and Confidence

Topic overview Self-efficacy, self-confidence and self-esteem Bandura's model of self-efficacy Vealey's model of sport confidence Home field advantage and building self-efficacy

Leadership

Topic overview Effective, prescribed and emergent leaders Autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire styles Fiedler's contingency theory Chelladurai's multi-dimensional model

Stress Management

Topic overview Stress, stressors and the warm-up Mental rehearsal, visualisation and imagery Attentional control, thought stopping and self-talk Somatic relaxation techniques

Concepts of Physical Activity and Sport

Topic overview Physical recreation and sport Physical education and school sport The sports development continuum

Development of Elite Performers

Topic overview Talent identification and progression factors National governing bodies, national institutes and UK Sport Support services for talent development World Class Programme and UK Sport talent schemes

Ethics and Violence in Sport

Topic overview Amateurism, sportsmanship and the win ethic Positive and negative deviance Causes and implications of violence in sport Preventing violence among performers and spectators

Drugs in Sport

Topic overview Why elite performers use drugs EPO, anabolic steroids and beta blockers Consequences of drug taking for sport and performer Eliminating drugs and the testing debate

Sport, the Law and Commercialisation

Topic overview The law and the sports performer Negligence, duty of care and spectator law Commercialisation, the performer and the coach Commercialisation, officials, audiences and the sport

Technology in Sport

Topic overview Collecting and analysing sports data Functions of sports analytics Sports equipment and facilities Benefits and drawbacks of sports technology

Diet and Nutrition

4 subtopics
12 things to know
Paper 2

What Diet and Nutrition covers

Diet and Nutrition is examined in Paper 2, Factors affecting optimal performance in physical activity and sport. It covers carbohydrate, fibre and fats for exercise, protein, vitamins and minerals, hydration before, during and after exercise and creatine, sodium bicarbonate, caffeine and glycogen loading.

Where it is assessed

Paper 2

Factors affecting optimal performance in physical activity and sport, 2 hours and 35% of the A-level.

Check the AQA specification ↗

The 4 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

How does fibre benefit an active person, and why avoid a large high-fibre meal just before competing?

Key term

Why does iron matter to an endurance performer, and why are female endurance athletes at particular risk of low iron?

Key term

When does an isotonic drink suit a performer, and when is a hypotonic drink more useful?

Numbers

A tennis player has a mass of 70.0 kg before a match and 68.6 kg after it. What percentage of body mass has been lost?

Key term

Explain how creatine supplementation improves performance.

Key term

Why is carbohydrate the main fuel for high-intensity exercise?

Key term

What is the main exercise-related function of protein?

Key term

Which performers are most likely to benefit from creatine, and why?

Key term

In what form is carbohydrate stored in the body, and where?

Key term

Why might a weightlifter need more protein than a sedentary person?

Key term

Why is water essential during exercise?

Key term

What are the possible negative effects of creatine?

Take Diet and Nutrition further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

Saturated fat vs Trans fat
Saturated fat: a lipid that is solid at room temperature and comes mainly from animal foods such as butter. Trans fat: a partially hydrogenated vegetable oil found in some processed and fried foods.
Vitamin C vs Vitamin D
Vitamin C: an antioxidant nutrient needed to form collagen and absorb iron. Vitamin D: a nutrient made in sunlit skin that helps absorb calcium for strong bones.
Iron vs Calcium
Iron: a mineral needed to make haemoglobin for oxygen transport. Calcium: a mineral needed for bone density, muscle contraction and nerve transmission.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
Why is carbohydrate the main fuel for high-intensity exercise?
Model answer
Carbohydrate can be broken down anaerobically as well as aerobically. Glucose therefore releases energy for ATP resynthesis faster than fat can.
2
In what form is carbohydrate stored in the body, and where?
Model answer
Carbohydrate is stored as glycogen in the skeletal muscles and the liver. Liver glycogen is released as glucose to keep blood glucose levels steady.
3
How does running short of carbohydrate affect an endurance performer late in an event?
Model answer
Muscle glycogen stores run low, so the performer must rely more on fat. Fat is broken down more slowly, so pace drops and fatigue sets in.
4
State the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates.
Model answer
Simple carbohydrates are sugars that are digested quickly and cause a rapid rise in blood glucose. Complex carbohydrates are starches that release energy more slowly and steadily.
5
Why might a marathon runner choose a pasta meal the evening before a race?
Model answer
Pasta is a complex carbohydrate that tops up muscle and liver glycogen. The runner then starts the race with the fullest possible fuel stores.
6
Define dietary fibre.
Model answer
Dietary fibre is the indigestible part of plant foods such as wholegrains, fruit, vegetables and pulses. Fibre passes through the gut largely undigested.

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The Cardiovascular System

The Respiratory System

The Neuromuscular System

The Musculo-Skeletal System and Movement Analysis

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The democratic leader is .

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ADrug testing protects athletes' health.

BDrug testing keeps competition fair.

CDrug testing deters cheating.

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Scalar means a quantity described by size alone.

TrueFalse

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Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Diet and Nutrition revision questions

What does Diet and Nutrition cover in AQA A-Level Physical Education?: 4 subtopics: carbohydrate, fibre and fats for exercise, protein, vitamins and minerals, hydration before, during and after exercise and creatine, sodium bicarbonate, caffeine and glycogen loading. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
How is Diet and Nutrition organised?: By the AQA 7582 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.

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Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

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