short and long term effects of exercise
4 detailed 50-minute lessons with teaching scripts, worked examples, parent guides, and assessment criteria.
Lesson Overview
Total Lessons: 4
Tier: Foundation and Higher
Duration: 50 minutes per lesson (200 minutes total)
Exam Boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA
Tier: Foundation and Higher
Duration: 50 minutes per lesson (200 minutes total)
Exam Boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA
Learning Objectives
- Explain the key ideas of short and long term effects of exercise
- Apply short and long term effects of exercise to exam-style questions
- Develop independent study skills
- Build cross-topic connections
Prerequisites
- Read the revision notes for short and long term effects of exercise first (GCSE Revise summary)
- Key vocab to pre-teach: Key Concept, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), Cardiac Hypertrophy
- Basic skills: reading the summary notes and answering the practice questions there
Materials & Equipment
- Exercise book, coloured pens
- Ruler
- Printed revision notes (link below)
- Internet for videos (see Resources)
Lesson 1: Introduction: short and long term effects of exercise
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Quick Recall
Write down everything you already know about short and long term effects of exercise. Then check against the key terms: Key Concept, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), Cardiac Hypertrophy. Use a mini-whiteboard or paper.
Main Content (35 minutes)
Parent/Teacher Guide:
Before lesson: Read the script below. Pre-teach key vocab: Key Concept, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), Cardiac Hypertrophy.
If stuck: Re-read the revision notes (link above), then break the content into smaller steps.
Extension: See the Stretch & Challenge ideas in Lesson 4.
Before lesson: Read the script below. Pre-teach key vocab: Key Concept, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), Cardiac Hypertrophy.
If stuck: Re-read the revision notes (link above), then break the content into smaller steps.
Extension: See the Stretch & Challenge ideas in Lesson 4.
Teaching Script (35 mins):
Mins 0-5 - Hook: "Today: short and long term effects of exercise. By the end you will be able to answer exam questions on it unaided. It connects to the rest of Physical Education because the ideas here recur across the spec."
Mins 5-20 - Direct Instruction: Work through the core ideas below one at a time; after each, ask your student to explain it back in their own words.
Mins 20-30 - Guided Practice: Model the worked example together, then let your student attempt the first practice question with guidance.
Mins 30-35 - Independent Practice: 2-3 practice questions from Lesson 3 below, with immediate feedback.
Mins 0-5 - Hook: "Today: short and long term effects of exercise. By the end you will be able to answer exam questions on it unaided. It connects to the rest of Physical Education because the ideas here recur across the spec."
Mins 5-20 - Direct Instruction: Work through the core ideas below one at a time; after each, ask your student to explain it back in their own words.
Mins 20-30 - Guided Practice: Model the worked example together, then let your student attempt the first practice question with guidance.
Mins 30-35 - Independent Practice: 2-3 practice questions from Lesson 3 below, with immediate feedback.
First Look
Start with the revision notes summary, then attempt: State three immediate effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system.
Plenary (5 minutes)
Check Out
Your student states one thing they learned and one question they still have about short and long term effects of exercise.
Lesson 2: Core Concepts: short and long term effects of exercise
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Review Previous Lesson
Quick recap: write 3 key points from Lesson 1 on short and long term effects of exercise. Check them against the notes below.
Main Content (35 minutes)
Key Concept: The effects of exercise are categorised by how quickly they occur and how long they last: Immediate effects - occur during and straight after a single exercise session Short-term effects - occur up to 24-36 hours after exercise Long-term effects - occur after weeks and months of regular training (adaptations)
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS): Muscle pain and stiffness that develops 24-72 hours after exercise, particularly following eccentric muscle contractions or unaccustomed activity. Caused by microscopic tears (micro-tears) in muscle fibres, not by lactic acid build-up.
Cardiac Hypertrophy: The heart muscle (particularly the left ventricle) grows larger and stronger as a result of regular aerobic training. This allows the heart to pump more blood per beat.
Bradycardia: Resting heart rate decreases below 60 bpm in trained athletes. A larger, stronger heart can pump the same cardiac output with fewer beats because stroke volume has increased.
Increased Stroke Volume: At rest and during exercise, the heart pumps more blood per beat. Resting SV increases from ~70 ml/beat to 100-120 ml/beat in trained athletes.
Increased Cardiac Output (max): Maximum cardiac output increases significantly - from ~20-25 l/min in untrained to 35-40 l/min in elite athletes. This means more oxygen can be delivered to working muscles at maximal effort.
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular | Cardiac hypertrophy | Stronger heart pumps more blood per beat |
| Cardiovascular | Bradycardia | Heart works more efficiently at rest |
| Cardiovascular | Increased stroke volume | More oxygen delivered per beat |
| Cardiovascular | Capillarisation | Better gaseous exchange at muscles |
| Respiratory | Increased vital capacity | More air per maximal breath |
| Muscular | Hypertrophy | Greater force production |
| Muscular | More mitochondria | Greater aerobic energy production |
| Muscular | More myoglobin | More oxygen stored in muscles |
Practice (10 minutes)
Q: State three immediate effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system.
Answer: Heart rate increases, stroke volume increases, cardiac output increases, blood pressure increases, blood is redirected to working muscles.
Plenary (5 minutes)
Explain Back
Your student teaches the key points back to you without looking. Fill any gaps immediately.
Lesson 3: Application: short and long term effects of exercise
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Quick Recall
Recall the key terms: Key Concept, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), Cardiac Hypertrophy. Define each in one sentence.
Main Content (35 minutes)
Parent/Teacher Guide: Let your student attempt each question alone first, then compare with the model answer. Award method marks for correct working even if the final answer is wrong.
Q1: State three immediate effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system.
Answer: Heart rate increases, stroke volume increases, cardiac output increases, blood pressure increases, blood is redirected to working muscles.
Q2: What is DOMS and what causes it?
Answer: DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) is muscle pain and stiffness that develops 24-72 hours after exercise. It is caused by micro-tears in muscle fibres, particularly from eccentric contractions or unaccustomed activity. It is NOT caused by lactic acid.
Q3: Explain the difference between cardiac hypertrophy and bradycardia.
Answer: Cardiac hypertrophy is the increase in size (and strength) of the heart muscle, particularly the left ventricle, due to regular aerobic training. Bradycardia is a resting heart rate below 60 bpm, which is a result of cardiac hypertrophy - because the heart is larger and stronger, it pumps more blood per beat (increased SV), so it needs to beat fewer times per minute to maintain the same cardiac output at rest.
Q4: How does capillarisation improve performance?
Answer: Capillarisation (increased capillary network around the heart and muscles) improves performance by increasing the surface area for gaseous exchange, allowing more efficient delivery of oxygen and glucose to working muscles and faster removal of carbon dioxide and lactic acid.
Q5: Explain why a trained athlete recovers faster after exercise than an untrained person.
Answer: A trained athlete recovers faster because: cardiac hypertrophy means a stronger heart can pump more blood per beat; increased capillarisation improves oxygen delivery and waste removal; the body is more efficient at breaking down lactic acid; the parasympathetic nervous system is more effective at reducing heart rate; and higher myoglobin and mitochondria levels speed up aerobic recovery processes.
Q6: Describe three long-term effects of exercise on the muscular system.
Answer: Hypertrophy (increase in muscle fibre size and force production); increased number of mitochondria (more sites for aerobic energy production); increased myoglobin content (more oxygen stored in muscles); increased glycogen and PC stores; increased tolerance to lactic acid.
Plenary (5 minutes)
Error Review
Review any questions answered incorrectly. Identify whether the error was knowledge, method, or reading the question.
Lesson 4: Exam Practice: short and long term effects of exercise
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Command Words
Review what these command words require: state (one point), describe (say what happens), explain (say why), compare (both sides), evaluate (judgement).
Main Content (35 minutes)
Exam-Style Question
Attempt a past-paper style question on short and long term effects of exercise from the exam board past paper finder (see Resources), then mark it against the scheme.
Exam Tips: Always categorise effects as immediate, short-term or long-term - examiners check this | DOMS is caused by micro-tears, NOT lactic acid - this is a very common trick question | Link cardiac hypertrophy and bradycardia - one causes the other | Use precise terminology: "capillarisation" not "more blood vessels" | When asked about long-term effects, link each adaptation to its sporting benefit | Know the difference between hypertrophy (muscle growth) and hyperplasia (increase in cell number) - GCSE focuses on hypertrophy
Common Errors: Watch Out! Students often say DOMS is caused by lactic acid. Wrong: "DOMS is caused by lactic acid build-up in the muscles." Correct: "DOMS is caused by microscopic tears (micro-tears) in muscle fibres, particularly from eccentric contractions." Students often confuse immediate and long-term effects. Wrong: "An immediate effect of exercise is cardiac hypertrophy." Correct: "Cardiac hypertrophy is a long-term adaptation to regular training, not an immediate effect."
Stretch & Challenge (Grade 8-9):
- Synoptic links: explain how short and long term effects of exercise connects to another Physical Education topic you have studied
- Real-world: research one real-world use or example of short and long term effects of exercise
- Critical: "What are the limitations of the models used in short and long term effects of exercise?"
Plenary (5 minutes)
Assessment Criteria
- Got it: Confident explanation + correct worked examples
- Getting there: Main points OK, needs support with detail
- Not yet: Confused on key concepts - re-run Lesson 2
Homework & Consolidation
- Consolidation: Re-answer any Lesson 3 practice questions answered incorrectly (20 mins)
- Retrieval: Write flashcards for the key terms: Key Concept, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), Cardiac Hypertrophy (10 mins)
- Exam practice: One past-paper question on short and long term effects of exercise from the board websites (15 mins)
- Extension: Explain short and long term effects of exercise to someone else in your own words (10 mins)