Fiducia TogetherPrinciples of training
How to design a training programme that works. SPORT and FITT.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
SPORT: specificity, progressive overload, reversibility, tedium. FITT: frequency, intensity, time, type — the variables you adjust to apply overload.
Where it applies
GCSE PE and BTEC sport.
How it works
Progressive overload is the mechanism of improvement: the body adapts to stress greater than it is used to. Reversibility is why it is lost when training stops.
Training methods — continuous, fartlek, interval, circuit, plyometric, weight — suit different components and different sports.
How to use it in your work
Apply both acronyms to a named athlete in a named sport. Generic programmes score poorly.
When designing a programme, justify each choice against the athlete's sport and current fitness, and include rest.
Calculate training zones where asked, and show the working.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification — these qualifications vary more between boards than the traditional GCSEs do, and much of the grade is coursework marked against stated criteria.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The PE Song The GCSE PE topics, set to music.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.