Sports Science 6.4+6.3

Warm-up

Increases body temperature, heart rate, and breathing rate while preparing muscles and reducing injury risk.

Stretching

Improves flexibility; dynamic before training and static after training.

Endurance training

Improves cardiovascular fitness and aerobic capacity.

Cool-down

Lowers heart rate gradually, prevents blood pooling, and reduces muscle soreness after exercise.

Flexibility training

Improves joint range of motion and posture, reducing injury risk.

Resistance training

Builds muscular strength, muscular endurance, and hypertrophy.

Recreational activities

Adds variety to training, reduces boredom, and increases long-term adherence.

Specificity

Training must match the muscles, movements, and energy systems of the sport or fitness goal.

Progression

Training must gradually increase in difficulty to continue improving performance.

Overload

Training must stress the body beyond its normal level to stimulate adaptation.

Reversibility

Fitness decreases when training stops; known as "use it or lose it."

Periodisation

Structured long-term planning using cycles to peak performance at a specific time.

Training Heart Rate (THR)

Exercise heart rate calculated as a percentage of VO₂max for intensity monitoring.

Heart Rate Zones

Training ranges such as 50–60%, 60–70%, 70–80%, 80–90%, 90–100% to target specific adaptations.

Karvonen Formula

(HRmax − HRrest) × % intensity + HRrest used to calculate training heart rate.

RPE Scale (Borg)

Scale from 0–10 or 6–20 rating how hard exercise feels based on perceived effort.

OMNI Scale

Visual effort scale used to measure perceived exertion during different exercises.

Training Heart Rate Zone

Heart rate range maintained during exercise to target specific fitness improvements.

Body composition

Ratio of fat mass to fat-free mass (muscle, bone, organs).

Cardiovascular fitness

Ability of the heart and lungs to deliver oxygen during sustained exercise.

Flexibility

Range of motion at a joint.

Muscular strength

Maximum force that a muscle or muscle group can exert in a single effort.

Muscular endurance

Ability of muscles to repeatedly contract over an extended period without fatigue.

Agility

Ability to change direction quickly while maintaining control.

Balance

Ability to maintain the body’s centre of mass over the base of support.

Coordination

Ability to use different body parts together smoothly and efficiently.

Reaction time

Time taken to respond to a stimulus.

Speed

Ability to move the body or limbs quickly.

Power

Combination of strength and speed to produce explosive force.

Validity

The extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure.

Reliability

The consistency of a test’s results when repeated under the same conditions.