FITNESS TESTING PROTOCOLS AND NORMS

SPORTS MEDICINE 2

AFTER COMPLETING THIS CHAPTER YOU WILL BE ABLE TO…▪ Understand the protocols for selected fitness tests

▪ Correctly administer the selected fitness test

▪ Attain valid and reliable measurements of your clients’ fitness levels and select appropriate tests for individual clients

▪ Compare your clients’ results with normative data

TESTING HEART RATE ▪ Most adults have a resting heart rate (HR) or pulse between 60-80 beats per minute

▪ Equipment you need:▪ Stopwatch ▪ Stethoscope ▪ Heart rate monitor

PALPATION PROCEDURE ▪ Most common and most cost-effective procedure for assessing both resting and

exercise HR.

1. Use the tips of the index finger and middle fingers to palpate the pulse.

2. Use the stopwatch to keep the time while counting beats, and if you start the stopwatch simultaneously with the first beat count the first beat as zero but if the stopwatch has been running count the first beat as one.

AUSCULTATION PROCEDURE ▪ This procedure requires the use of stethoscope. The bell of the stethoscope should

be placed directly on the skin of the third intercostal space just left of the sternum. The sounds heard from the heart beating should be counted for either 30-60 seconds.

HEART RATE MONITOR PROCEDURE ▪ Digital display HR monitors are becoming increasingly popular because of the

validity, stability, and functionality. One drawback however is the cost of the HR monitor equipment. Nevertheless, personal trainers may find that these monitors are very efficient and convenient way to assess HR at rest and during exercise.

BLOOD PRESSURE ▪ This can be defined as the forces of blood acting against vessel walls.

▪ Korotkoff sounds – the sounds that are emitted as a result of vibratory forces

▪ Sphygmomanometer – the most commonly used field technique and as such provides personal trainers, a convenient tool to evaluate their clients BP.

▪ Equipment – mercury or aneroid sphygmomanometer, air bladder-containing cuff, and stethoscope

▪ 1 – tell client to not smoke or drink caffeince at least 30 min prior to BP testing

▪ 2 – have client sit up straight in a chair with either arm exposed

▪ 3 – select the approiate cuff size for the client

▪ 4 – place the cuff on the arm so that the air bladder is directly over the brachial artery

▪ 5 – with the clients palm facing up, place the stethoscope firmly, but not hard enough to indent the skin

▪ 6- position the sphygmomanometer so that the center of the mercury column or aneroid dial is at eye level and the air bladder tuning is not overlapping.

▪ 7- once everything is ready, inflate the air either to 160mmHg or 20mmHg, upon maximum inflation, turn the air release screw counterclockwise to realse the pressure slowly at a rate of 2 to 3 mmHg per second

▪ 8- record both systolic blood pressures and diastolic blood pressures

▪ 9- upon the disappearance of the Kortkoff sounds, carefully observe the manometer for an additional 10-12 mmHg of deflation to confirm the absence of sounds

▪ 10- after a 2 min rest measure BP again using the same technique and record the average

BODY COMPOSITION ▪ Hydrostatic Weighing

▪ Body Mass Index

▪ Height

▪ Skinfold Measurements

▪ Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis

▪ Waist to Hip Girth Ratio

SKIN FOLD MEASUREMENTS ▪ A skinfold indirectly measures the thickness of subcutaneous fat tissue. Skinfold

measurements are highly correlated with body density measurements from underwater weighting. Percent body fat estimated from skinfold is valid and can reliably measured by properly trained personal trainers.

Skinfold site Gender

Chest Men, Women

Midaxilla Men, Women

Triceps Men, Women, boys, and girls

Subscapular Men

Abdomen Men, women

Suprailium Men, women

Thigh Men, women

Medial calf Boys, girls

PURPOSE OF FITNESS TESTING ▪ To educate the patient about their present fitness

relative to health-related standards as well as age and gender matched norms.▪ Providing the data that is helpful in writing responsible

and physiologically meaningful exercise prescriptions & which is matched with the patient’s pathologies ▪ Collections of data over time which provides evidence of

progress and training for the patient. ▪ To provide motivation to the patient by establishing

reasonable and attainable fitness goals.

YMCA TEST ▪ This test is basic, inexpensive cardiovascular endurance test that can easily

administered individually or to large groups

▪ 1 – 12 minute run/walk

▪ 2 – 1.5 mile run

▪ 3 – Rockport walking test

▪ 4 – 1 mile run

MUSCULAR STRENGTH/ENDURANCE ▪ This is an important component of physical fitness.

▪ 1 – Repetition maximum bench press

▪ 2 – Repetition maximum leg press

▪ 3 – YMCA Bench press test

▪ 4 – Partial curl up test

▪ 5 – One minute sit up test

▪ 6 – push up test

FLEXIBILITY TEST ▪ This refers to the range of motion around a joint or a series of joints. It is believed to

be related to the development of a number or musculoskeletal disorders, for example low back pain. There is no single test that can measure the whole body's flexibility.

▪ 1 – Sit and Reach – people may believe that the sit and reach test is a measure of hip and low back flexibility. However, it may not be and adequate measure of low back functions because it determines only the distance reached.

STUDY QUESTIONS #1 ▪ A 52 year old male client’s resting blood pressure was 130/82 during the intial

assessment. When measuring his blood pressure one month later, to what level of mercury should the bladder be inflated?

▪ A) 130 mm

▪ B) 150 mm

▪ C) 170 mm

▪ D) 200 mm

ANSWER ▪ B) 150 mmHG

The mercury level slowly goes up due to the client not resting anymore, they rest during when the blood pressure is being taken.

STUDY QUESTION #2 ▪ Which of the following skinfold sites should a personal trainer select when applying

a three-site SKF equation to a 45 year-old female client?

I. Triceps

II. Subscapular

III. Suprailum

IV. Thigh

A. I, II, and III only

B. I, III, and IV only

C. II, III, and IV only

D. I, II, and IV only

ANSWER ▪ B) I, II, and IV

This is the correct answer because women can be measured by all of these except subscapular due to it taking a fold on a diagonal line coming from the vertebral border to one of the two centimeters.

STUDY QUESTION #3 ▪ A 39 year old female client performed a submaximal bicycle ergometer test and had

her VO2 max estimated as 30.2 ml * kg-1 * min-1. She weighs 136 pounds and is 66 inches tall. Her body fat is 24% and resting blood pressure is 124/84 mmHg. Which of the following should be her primary exercise goal?

▪ A) lowering body fat

▪ B) increasing aerobic endurance

▪ C) Increasing lean body mass

▪ D) lowering BMI

ANSWER TO #3 ▪ B) Increasing aerobic endurance

Aerobic endurance refers to the ability of the body to continuously transport oxygen throughout its various systems for extended periods of time. By maintaining the flow of oxygen, an individual is able to exercise continuously for longer periods of time without wearing down.

STUDY QUESTION #4 ▪ A 21 year old male client had the following results during his initial assessment:

Height: 72 inchesBody Weight: 210 pounds Bench Press 1RM: 200 lbs. Leg Press 1RM: 400 lbs. Sit-ups (1 minute): 50Sit and reach (using S & R box): 15 inches

Which of the following should he make his primary goal?

▪ A) upper body strength

▪ B) lower body strength

▪ C) muscular endurance

▪ D) hip/low back flexibility

ANSWER TO #4 ▪ A) Upper Body strength

This is because he has a really tight core and leg press is pretty high he should focus on what is low and for his height and weight he could have more upper arm strength

APPLIED KNOWLEDGE

Stage Work Rate

Elapsed HR Average HR

BP RPE

1 150 2:00 80 184 130/76 6

1 150 3:00 84 82 134/78 8

2 600 5:00 128 156 142/78 10

2 600 6:00 132 130 148/78 13

3 750 8:00 156 154 150/72 11

3 750 9:00 160 166 152/74 16

A personal trainer assessed the aerobic endurance of male client using the YMCA Cycle Ergometer test with these results: Body weight: 167 pounds Age: 36 Resting BP: 122/76Test data: