Fitness Testing

A fitness test is also known as a fitness assessment and is comprised of a series of exercises that help evaluate overall health and physical status.

If you want to start an exercise program or are currently exercising and want to make your routine more intense, the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) is a good place to start.

LINK TO PAR-Q: sunnybrook.ca/uploads/par-q.pdf

Maximal tests are accurate, but require medical monitoring when testing workers at medical risk. Submaximal tests are less accurate, but are safer and faster than a maximal test.

What are 8 advantages of submaximal VO2 testing?

1. Safer
2. Controlled pace (motivation is not a factor)
3. Not population specific
4. Quick assessment
5. Cost effective
6. Don't need highly trained personnel
7. Can do mass testing
8. No physician supervision required (if symptom and disease free - Par-Q)

What are 2 disadvantages of submaximal VO2 testing?

1. VO2 max is not directly measured (error rate of 10-20%)
2. Don't get a measure of true maximal HR (estimates of max HR using 220-age can vary by +/- 15% bpm for individuals of the same age

What is the advantages of VO2 max testing?

More accurate - actually measuring the closest we can get to VO2 max

What are the disadvantages of VO2 max testing?

1. Motivation is a factor
2. More risk involved
3. More time consuming (longer recovery)
4. Cost of equipment (if using metabolic cart)

For every liter of oxygen consumed, approximately _____ Kcal of energy is produced.

5 Kcal (1 L O2 = 5 Kcal)

What are the 4 components of the exercise training session for aerobic conditioning?

1. Warm-up
2. Conditioning
3. Cool-down

4. Stretching

What is the FITT-VP principle of exercise prescription?

- Frequency (how often)
- Intensity (how hard)
- Time (duration or how long)
- Type (mode or what kind)
- Total Volume (amount)
- Progression (advancement)

What are four methods of estimating relative intensity?

- %HRR (Heart Rate Reserve)
- %HRmax (Heart Rate Max)
- %VO2R (Max Volume of Oxygen Uptake Relative)
- %VO2What are 3 methods of estimating the intensity of exercise?

What are 3 methods of estimating the intensity of exercise?

- %METs (is a ratio of your working metabolic rate relative to your resting metabolic rate.)
- RPE (Rating of perceived exertion)
- Talk Test ("If you can just talk, you are just about at the right exercise intensity")