Introduction | Health Screening | Standard Measurement | Body Composition | Cardiorespiratory Endurance | Flexibility | Strength & Muscular Endurance
Introduction
- Rationale for Testing
- Assess current fitness levels
- Identify training needs
- Select training regimens
- Evaluate the success of the program in achieving its objectives
- Motivate participants
- Setting up appointment
- Wear exercise clothing and shoes for the test
- No food for two hours before testing
- No caffeinated beverages
- No alcohol for 24 hours before testing
- No smoking for two hours before testing
- No exercise on day of testing
- Health Screening
- Physical Fitness Tests
- Standard measurements
- Body composition
- Sum of 4 skinfolds
- 3 site alternative
- Cardiovascular
- Cycle ergometer submaximal test
- Three minute step test
- Flexibility
- Sit & reach
- Muscular strength and endurance
- Bench press test
- One minute half sit-up test
- Additional test and screenings may be used at the discretion of the local YMCA Medical Advisory Committee
Health Screening
- Identifies
- Medical contraindications to exercise
- Risk for disease
- Age, symptoms, and/or risk factors
- Possible need for medical evaluation and exercise stress test
- Need for medically supervised exercise program
- Other special needs
- ACSM Risk strata
- Low Risk
- Younger individuals
- men <45 years of age
- women <55 years of age
- Asymptomatic
- No more than one risk factor (table 5.1)
- Younger individuals
- Moderate Risk
- Older individuals
- Men >45 years of age
- Women >55 years of age
- or two or more risk factors (table 5.1)
- Older individuals
- High Risk
- One or more signs or symptoms (table 5.2)
- or cardiovascular, pulmonary or metabolic disease
- Cardiac, peripheral vascular, or cerebrovascular disease
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, interstitial lung disease, or cystic fibrosis
- Diabetes mellitus (types I and II), thyroid disorders, renal or liver disease
- Low Risk
- ACSM Guidelines for screening (table 5.3)
- Before fitness testing begins, complete:
- Health Screening: PAR-Q (form I)
- If "Yes", have participant get medical clearance from physician (form II & IIA)
- Informed Consent for Fitness Testing (form III)
- Health Screening: PAR-Q (form I)
- YMCA Fitness Assessment Score Sheets (men & women forms)
Standard Measurements
- Standing height
- no shoes
- nearest cm or quarter inch
- Weight
- shorts, t-shirt, and no shoes
- nearest kilograms or quarter of pound
- Resting heart rate
- seated upright position in straight back chair
- rested, relaxed, and comfortable
- one minute count with stethoscope
- Ranges
- Average resting: 72 bpm
- Normal resting: 50-100 bpm
- Aerobically fit person: 50-65 bpm
- Aerobically fit athlete: 40-50 bpm
- Resting blood pressure
- Position
- seated as above
- feet flat on floor
- left arm resting on table with elbow flexed
- Conversation is discouraged
- Equipment
- Sphygmomanometer, stethoscope, cuff
- Procedure
- Cuff around upper portion of left arm approximately heart level
- Close air on bulb
- Pump up to 200 mmHg
- Stethoscope placed on antecubital space below the cuff
- Slowly release air from cuff
- Reading
- Systolic pressure: first distinctive sound
- Diastolic: complete disappearance of sound
- Record in mmHg indicated on Sphygmomanometer scale
- Position
- Vitals Calculator
Body Composition
- Other techniques
- Height & Weight Tables
- Underwater Weighing (SEE=2.5%)
- Circumference Measurements
- Waist Girth & Waist-to-Hip Ratio (table 6.1)
- Body Mass Index (tables 6.2 & 6.3 s)
- Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA)
- Near Infrared
- Skinfolds (figure 6.3)
- Abdomen, ilium, triceps, thigh
- 4 site (table 6.6 & 6.7); 3 site (table 6.8 & 6.9)
- Equipment
- Procedure (page 132)
- Sites (page 133, figures 6.4 & 6.17)
- Norms
Recommended | Norms | Obesity | |
Men: | 16-20% | 13-25% | +25% |
Women | 19-20% | 22-32% | +35% |
- Target Weight (table 6.4 & 6.5)
- Fat Weight = Bodyweight * Percent Fat
- Lean Weight = Bodyweight - Fat Weight
- Target Weight = LBW / (100% - Desired Percent Fat)
Cardiorespiratory Endurance
- Field tests
- 12 Minute Run
- 1.5 Mile Run
- 1 mile walk
- Offered in YMCAs Consent for Exercise Testing Form (form III)
- Mentioned in Description of Fitness Testing and Exercise Programs (form IIA)
- Included in YMCA Fitness Analyst software
- Instructions not included in YMCA Fitness Testing & Assessment Manual
- 600 yard walk/ run
- Quarter Mile walk (older adults)
- Limitations
- Environmental variations, running exertion
- Treadmill tests
- Bruce & Balke
- 1 mile walk (modified for treadmill)
- Limitations
- Large, expensive, heavy, requires a fairly large space, not portable
- Treadmills were not as prevalent in YMCAs as they are today
- More difficult to take manual heart rate
- Cycle ergometer test
- Tests
- Astrand & Rhyming (Single stage)
- PWC 170 (Sjostrand)
- YMCA Maximum Physical Working Capacity Test
- PWCmax (Multiple stage)
- HR & work linear relationship (fig 6.18)
- Workloads on cycle ergometer (fig 6.19)
- Heart rate changes & steady state (fig 6.20)
- Extrapolating PWCmax (fig 6.21) & VO2 max
- Form (figure 6.25)
- Example (figure 6.26)
- Table (table 6.10)
- Online Calculator
- See limitations
- Tests
- Step tests
- Tests
- Harvard Step Test
- Tuttle Step Test
- Progressive Pulse Ratio Test (old YMCA test)
- Ohio step test
- YMCA step test
- Limitations
- Weight and height of subject
- Measures heart rate recovery but not maximum aerobic capacity
- Rationale
- Use in group testing
- Substitute for the cycle ergometer test when the amount of equipment and number of staff are insufficient for administering individual tests
- Equipment
- 12" (30 cm) bench
- metronome
- 96 bpm (4 clicks = step up, up, down, down)
- 24 steps per minute
- Timer
- Stethoscope
- Testing form
- Procedure
- Demonstrate stepping (figure 6.28)
- step up, up, down, down (3 minutes)
- explain: sit down quickly and remain still (1 min)
- Test
- Face subject toward block
- Start metronome
- Start timer when participant starts stepping
- Check rhythm and correct if necessary
- Inform subject time passed: 1 min, 2 min, etc.
- Remind subject to prepare to sit quickly
- 20 sec remaining
- Put stethoscope in your ears
- Turn off metronome (optional)
- 15 seconds remaining
- Count remaining cadence
- Say "Last step-up, up, down, and sit"
- Immediately place stethoscope on chest
- Get rhythm within 5 seconds
- Count beats for full minute
- Begin count from 0 on a beat
- Record beats in one minute (bpm)
- Demonstrate stepping (figure 6.28)
- Tests
- Re-testing intervals
- Beginners: retest in 10 to 12 wks then end of 6-12 mths
- One year plus; no more than once a year
Flexibility
- Flexibility Specificity
- Lower back integrity
- YMCA Flexibility Test (Sit & Reach)
- Equipment
- Yard stick, tape measure
- Procedure
- Warmup (previous aerobic test sufficient)
- Stretch hamstrings
- Demonstrate test
- Warn against fast, jerky movements
- Hand positions, fingertips together
- Exhale, drop head
- Reach and hold stretch
- Procedure
- Subject sits with knees straight
- Yard stick or tap on floor between subject's legs
- 15" (38 cm) footline, 0 mark toward
- Instruct subject to reach and hold
- Ensure subjects knees are held straight
- Measure to nearest 1/2" (1 cm) or 1/4" (5 mm)
- Score is best of 3 trials
- Use YMCA Norms
- Equipment
- AAHRERD Older Adult Flexibility Test
- Equipment
- 12" x 12" x 12" (30 cm) block
- Yard stick attached to top of block
- Projection starts at 15" (38 cm) mark
- Use AAHPERD norms
- Equipment
- Other norms
- Alternative techniques can be used but other norms must be used
Strength and Muscular Endurance
- Muscular strength: heavy resistance
- Muscular endurance: light resistance
- Types of contractions
- Specificity
- Other Tests
- 1 Repetition Maximum
- May be too strenuous
- Require skill and proper form
- 10 Repetition Maximum
- Predicting 1 rep max
- Grip test: included on YMCAs old test battery
- Other Strength measuring instruments
- Dynomometer, Cable Tensiometer, Load Cells, or Strain Gauges
- Research or Physical Therapy testing apparatuses
- Chin ups
- Push ups
- Uses bodyweight: some score "0"
- Sit ups
- Uses bodyweight: some score "0"
- May be contraindicated for some individuals
- Those with back problems or weak abdominal muscles
- Psoas' pull on spine may overpower abdominal strength
- Curl-ups (Cadence)
- 1 Repetition Maximum
- YMCA Tests
- Half Sit-Up Test(1 minute)
- Bench Press Test