YMCA Fitness Assessment

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)
  • Moderate Risk
    • Older individuals
      • Men >45 years of age
      • Women >55 years of age
      • or two or more risk factors (table 5.1)
  • 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
• 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)
• 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
• 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)
    • 7 site
  • Equipment
  • Procedure (page 132)
  • Sites (page 133, figures 6.4 & 6.17)
• Norms

• 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
• 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)
• 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
• 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
• 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
  • Isometric: static
  • Isotonic: moving with same resistance
• 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)
• YMCA Tests
  • Half Sit-Up Test(1 minute)
    • Online Calculator
  • Bench Press Test
    • Online Calculator