Physical activity programme planning and delivery
What the examiner expects
Programme planning and delivery tests whether you can turn a goal into a safe, inclusive session using FITT, training principles and a recognised session structure. Expect questions on warm-up, cool-down, intensity monitoring, progression and contingency planning.
Core rules
Use FITT-VP: Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type, Volume and Progression. Apply the training principles of overload, progression, specificity, reversibility, recovery, individuality and variation. A typical session has a 5–10 minute warm-up, a main component of 20–30 minutes, and a 5–10 minute cool-down; the main component should include the target fitness component and skill practice, not just games. Set SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Monitor intensity with the talk test, RPE (Borg 6–20 or 0–10) and, where appropriate, target heart rate. Maximum heart rate can be estimated as 220 minus age; moderate intensity is roughly 50–70% and vigorous 70–85% of maximum, but the formula is only an estimate.
Worked example
Plan a 45-minute beginner session for 15-year-olds at moderate intensity. Reasoning: 8 minutes warm-up (mobility and pulse-raiser), 25 minutes main (circuit of body-weight squats, step-ups, modified push-ups and shuttle walks, with 60 seconds work and 60 seconds recovery), 7 minutes cool-down and 5 minutes for instructions and feedback. Estimated maximum heart rate is 205 bpm, so a moderate target is about 103–144 bpm if using 50–70%, or closer to 123–154 bpm for 60–75%. Use RPE 11–13 and the talk test as checks because the formula has error.
Traps that cost marks
Do not omit the warm-up or cool-down. Do not progress load and volume at the same time. Do not use a single heart-rate formula as the only intensity measure. Do not plan a session that excludes participants with lower fitness; provide modifications.