Components of Fitness

What Components of Fitness covers

Components of Fitness is assessed in Unit AS 1, Fitness and Training for Sport, which is internally assessed and externally moderated. It covers aerobic, anaerobic and specific endurance, general strength, specific strength and muscular endurance, speed, power and reaction time, flexibility and body composition and balance, agility and co-ordination.

The 5 subtopics

Each one has its own page. CCEA AS Sports Science and the Active Leisure Industry students sit this topic in the first year.

• Aerobic, anaerobic and specific enduranceAerobic and anaerobic endurance, VO₂ max, specific endurance, the demands of marathon, 400 m, hockey and 1500 m swimming, and health-related against skill-related components.Open →
• General strength, specific strength and muscular enduranceGeneral, specific, static and relative strength, muscular endurance, the fibre types behind each, and the needs of rugby props, tennis players, rowers and boxers.Open →
• Speed, power and reaction timeAccelerative speed, pure speed and speed endurance, a speed calculation, power, reaction and response time, the false start rule, fibre type and a badminton player's needs.Open →
• Flexibility and body compositionFlexibility and what limits it, static and dynamic flexibility, body composition, BMI, somatotypes, power-to-weight ratio and a body fat percentage calculation.Open →
• Balance, agility and co-ordinationStatic and dynamic balance, stability and the senses behind balance, agility against speed, co-ordination and hand-eye co-ordination, and a tennis player's skill-related needs.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Components of Fitness further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Aerobic endurance vs Anaerobic endurance

  Aerobic endurance: the ability to sustain moderate work for a long time with enough oxygen. Anaerobic endurance: the ability to keep up near-maximal work for up to about two minutes without enough oxygen.

• General strength vs Specific strength

  General strength: overall force from the major muscle groups that is not tied to one sport. Specific strength: force in the exact muscles and movement patterns a particular sport uses.

• Static balance vs Dynamic balance

  Static balance: holding a still position with the centre of mass over the base of support. Dynamic balance: staying stable and in control while the body is moving.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is aerobic endurance?

   Model answer

   Aerobic endurance is the ability of the heart, lungs and blood vessels to supply oxygen to working muscles for a long time. Aerobic endurance underpins sustained activity at moderate intensity.

2. 2

   Which body systems does aerobic endurance depend on?

   Model answer

   Aerobic endurance depends on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems working together to deliver oxygen. The working muscles must also be able to use the oxygen they receive.

3. 3

   Why is aerobic endurance so important to a marathon runner?

   Model answer

   A marathon lasts over two hours at a steady pace, so almost all the energy comes from aerobic respiration. Good aerobic endurance delays fatigue and holds race pace to the finish.

4. 4

   Why is VO₂ max treated as the best single measure of aerobic endurance?

   Model answer

   VO₂ max is the maximum volume of oxygen the body can take in and use per minute. A higher VO₂ max, usually given in ml/kg/min, means more energy can be released aerobically.

5. 5

   What is anaerobic endurance?

   Model answer

   Anaerobic endurance is the ability to keep working at high intensity when energy is supplied without enough oxygen. A near-maximal effort of this kind can usually be held for up to about two minutes.

6. 6

   Why does anaerobic endurance decide the finish of a 400 m race?

   Model answer

   A 400 m race is run close to maximum effort for under a minute, mostly on the lactic acid system. The runner with better anaerobic endurance slows least in the final 100 m.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Components of Fitness revision questions

Is Components of Fitness examined at AS in CCEA Sports Science and the Active Leisure Industry?

Yes. It sits in AS 1, which you take in the first year, so it is on the AS paper as well as counting towards the full A level.

What does Components of Fitness cover in CCEA AS-Level Sports Science and the Active Leisure Industry?

5 subtopics: aerobic, anaerobic and specific endurance, general strength, specific strength and muscular endurance, speed, power and reaction time, flexibility and body composition and balance, agility and co-ordination. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Components of Fitness organised?

By the CCEA 7210 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.