Introduction

Chapter 1

What is Physical Fitness?

• Physical fitness is the ability to carry out daily tasks with vigor and alertness without undue fatigue and ample energy to enjoy leisure tie pursuits and meet unforeseen emergencies (President:s Council on Physical Fitness and Sport)

What is Physical Fitness?

• Physical fitness is the ability to perform moderate to vigorous levels of physical activity without undue fatigue and the capability of maintaining such ability throughout life (American College of Sports Medicine)

Health-Related Physical FItness

• Cardiorespiratory Fitness

• Body Composition

• Flexibility

• Muscular Strength

• Muscular Endurance

Performance or Skill-Related Physical Fitness

• Balance

• Reaction Time

• Coordination

• Agility

• Speed

• Power

Why Promote Physical Fitness?

• People who are usually inactive can improve their health and well-being by becoming even moderately active on a regular basis

• Physical activity need not be strenuous to achieve health benefits

• Greater health benefits can be achieved by increasing the amount of physical activity

A Report of the Surgeon General (1996)

Benefits of Regular Physical Activity or Exercise

• Reduces risk of dying prematurely

• Reduces risk of dying from heart disease

• Reduces risk of developing diabetes

• Reduces risk of colon cancer

• Helps control weight

• Reduces depression and anxiety

• Promotes psychological well-being

Why Measure Physical Fitness?

• Educate individuals about current status

• Individualize exercise program

• Evaluate effectiveness of exercise program

• Motivation

• Risk stratification

Exercise vs Physical Activity

• Exercise is structured, planned activities designed to promote or enhance overall physical fitness

• Physical activity is any bodily movement, regardless of intensity, that is not designed specifically to enhance physical fitness.

Assessing Physical Fitness

• Ease of test administration

• Ease of normative data comparison

• Validity and reliability of test results

Test Validity

• The ability of a test to measure what it is designed to measure (ie. Accuracy).

• Correlation Coefficient (r)

• Standard error of estimate (SEE)

Criterion-Referenced Standards vs Normative Data

• Criterion-referenced standards are as set of scores that would be “desirable” to achieve based on external criteria such as health benefit. See Table 3-1, p. 35.

• Normative standards are based on past performance of similar individuals. Often uses percentile rankings. See Table 7.1, p. 103)

Test Reliability

• The ability of a test to provide consistent results if used in repeated trials on the same individual(s).

• Correlation (r)

Correlation Coefficient (r)

• Expresses the relationship between two variables• Correlations range from –1.0 to +1.0• Negative correlation means as one variable

increases, the other decreases or vice versa.• Positive correlation means as one variable

increases, the other increases or as one decreases the other decreases.

• The closer the correlation is to 1.0, the better the relationship.

Standard Error of Estimate (SEE)

• All prediction tests have an SEE

• SEE is based on the normal curve– There is a 67% probability that the actual value

is within the predicted value ± 1 SEE.– There is a 95% probability that the actual value

is within the predicted value ± 2 SEE.

SEE Example

• HRmax = (220-age)• SEE = 12 beats/min• Age = 20 years• HRmax = 220-24• HRmax = 196

• There is a 67% probability that true HRmax is 196 ± 12 or 184 – 208.

• There is a 95% probability that true HRmax is 196 ± 24 or 172 – 220. This is the 95% Confidence Interval.