ACSM 2011 guidelines

Question 1

What is the purpose of the ACSM Position Stand?

Answer 1

To provide guidance to professionals who counsel and prescribe individualized exercise to healthy adults of all ages. These recommendations can be applied to adults with certain chronic diseases or disabilities when evaluated and advised by a health professional. This document updates the scientific evidence published since 1998

Question 2

What is the primary focus of the recommendations in the Position Stand?

Answer 2

Exercise, which connotes intentional physical activity for improving health and fitness

Question 3

What are the components of an exercise program?

Answer 3

Cardiorespiratory, resistance, flexibility, and neuromotor exercise training.

Question 4

What are the recommendations for frequency of cardiorespiratory exercise?

Answer 4

At least 5 days a week of moderate exercise or at least 3 days a week of vigorous exercise, or a combination of moderate and vigorous exercise 3-5 days per week

Question 5

What are the recommendations for intensity of cardiorespiratory exercise?

Answer 5

Moderate and/or vigorous intensity is recommended for most adults. Light-to-moderate intensity exercise may be beneficial for deconditioned persons.

Question 6

What are the recommendations for time/duration of cardiorespiratory exercise?

Answer 6

30-60 minutes (150 minutes per week) of purposeful moderate exercise, or 20-60 minutes (75 minutes per week) of vigorous exercise, or a combination of moderate and vigorous exercise per day is recommended for most adults. At least 20 minutes of exercise can be beneficial, especially in previously sedentary persons

Question 7

What type of cardiorespiratory exercise is recommended?

Answer 7

Regular, purposeful exercise that involves major muscle groups and is continuous and rhythmic in nature

Question 8

What is the target volume of cardiorespiratory exercise?

Answer 8

A target volume of 500-1000 MET-minutes per week is recommended. Increasing pedometer step counts by at least 2000 steps per day to reach a daily step count of at least 7000 steps per day is beneficial. Exercising below these volumes may still be beneficial for persons unable or unwilling to reach this amount of exercise.

Question 9

What are the recommendations for pattern of cardiorespiratory exercise?

Answer 9

Exercise may be performed in one continuous session per day or in multiple sessions of at least 10 minutes to accumulate the desired duration and volume of exercise per day. Exercise bouts of less than 10 minutes may yield favorable adaptations in very deconditioned individuals. Interval training can be effective in adults

Question 10

What are the recommendations for progression of cardiorespiratory exercise?

Answer 10

A gradual progression of exercise volume by adjusting exercise duration, frequency, and/or intensity is reasonable until the desired exercise goal (maintenance) is attained. This approach may enhance adherence and reduce risks of musculoskeletal injury and adverse CHD events.

Question 11

What are the recommendations for frequency of resistance exercise?

Answer 11

Each major muscle group should be trained on 2-3 days per week.

Question 12

What are the recommendations for intensity of resistance exercise?

Answer 12

◦ 60%-70% of the 1RM (moderate to hard intensity) for novice to intermediate exercisers to improve strength.
◦ At least 80% of the 1RM (hard to very hard intensity) for experienced strength trainers to improve strength.
◦ 40%-50% of the 1RM (very light to light intensity) for older persons beginning exercise to improve strength.
◦ 40%-50% of the 1RM (very light to light intensity) may be beneficial for improving strength in sedentary persons beginning a resistance training program.
◦ Less than 50% of the 1RM (light to moderate intensity) to improve muscular endurance.
◦ 20%-50% of the 1RM in older adults to improve power

Question 13

What are the recommendations for type of resistance exercise?

Answer 13

Resistance exercises involving each major muscle group are recommended. A variety of exercise equipment and/or body weight can be used to perform these exercises

Question 14

What are the recommendations for repetitions of resistance exercise?

Answer 14

◦ 8-12 repetitions are recommended to improve strength and power in most adults.
◦ 10-15 repetitions is effective in improving strength in middle aged and older persons starting exercise.
◦ 15-20 repetitions are recommended to improve muscular endurance

Question 15

What are the recommendations for sets of resistance exercise?

Answer 15

◦ Two to four sets are recommended for most adults to improve strength and power.
◦ A single set of resistance exercise can be effective especially among older and novice exercisers.
◦ At least 2 sets are effective in improving muscular endurance.

Question 16

What are the recommendations for pattern of resistance exercise?

Answer 16

Rest intervals of 2-3 minutes between each set of repetitions are effective. A rest of at least 48 hours between sessions for any single muscle group is recommended.

Question 17

What are the recommendations for progression of resistance exercise?

Answer 17

A gradual progression of greater resistance, and/or more repetitions per set, and/or increasing frequency is recommended.

Question 18

What are the recommendations for type of flexibility exercise?

Answer 18

A series of flexibility exercises for each of the major muscle-tendon units is recommended. Static flexibility (active or passive), dynamic flexibility, ballistic flexibility, and PNF are each effective.

Question 19

What are the recommendations for volume of flexibility exercise?

Answer 19

A reasonable target is to perform 60 seconds of total stretching time for each flexibility exercise

Question 20

What are the recommendations for pattern of flexibility exercise?

Answer 20

Repetition of each flexibility exercise two to four times is recommended. Flexibility exercise is most effective when the muscle is warmed through light to moderate aerobic activity or passively through external methods such as moist heat packs or hot baths

Question 21

What are the recommendations for frequency of neuromotor exercise training?

Answer 21

At least 2-3 days per week is recommended

Question 22

What are the recommendations for time/duration of neuromotor exercise?

Answer 22

At least 20-30 minutes may be needed

Question 23

What type of neuromotor exercise is recommended?

Answer 23

Exercises involving motor skills (e.g., balance, agility, coordination, and gait), proprioceptive exercise training, and multifaceted activities (e.g., tai ji and yoga) are recommended for older persons to improve and maintain physical function and reduce falls in those at risk for falling

Question 24

What is the definition of ‘physical activity’?

Answer 24

Any bodily movement produced by the contraction of skeletal muscle that results in a substantial increase in energy expenditure

Question 25

What is the definition of 'exercise'?

Answer 25

A type of physical activity consisting of planned, structured, and repetitive bodily movement done to improve and/or maintain one or more components of physical fitness.

Question 26

What is the definition of 'physical fitness'?

Answer 26

A set of attributes or characteristics that individuals have or achieve that relates to their ability to perform physical activity

Question 27

Define 'MET'.

Answer 27

An index of energy expenditure. The ratio of the rate of energy expended during an activity to the rate of energy expended at rest. 1 MET is equal to an oxygen uptake of 3.5 mL·kg-1·min-1

Question 28

Define 'MET-minutes'

Answer 28

An index of energy expenditure that quantifies the total amount of physical activity performed in a standardized manner across individuals and types of activities. Calculated as the product of the number of METs associated with one or more physical activities and the number of minutes the activities were performed.

Question 29

Define 'sedentary behavior'

Answer 29

Activity that involves little or no movement or physical activity, having an energy expenditure of about 1-1.5 METs. Examples are sitting, watching television, playing video games, and using a computer

Question 30

What volume of physical activity is needed to improve health and cardiorespiratory fitness?

Answer 30

An energy expenditure of approximately 1000 kcal per week of moderate-intensity physical activity (or about 150 minutes per week) is associated with lower rates of CVD and premature mortality. This is equivalent to an intensity of about 3-5.9 METs (for people weighing approximately 68-91 kg) and 10 MET-hours per week.

Question 31

What are the recommendations for sedentary behavior?

Answer 31

Reducing total time spent in sedentary pursuits and interspersing short bouts of physical activity and standing between periods of sedentary activity should be a goal for all adults, irrespective of their exercise habits

Question 32

What are the classifications of exercise intensity?

Answer 32

Light, Moderate, Vigorous, Near-maximal to maximal.

Question 33

What are the methods of estimating relative exercise intensity during cardiorespiratory exercise?

Answer 33

%VO2max, %HRmax, HRR, VO2R, %METmax.

Question 34

What are the recommendations for pre-exercise screening?

Answer 34

Screening for and educating about the forewarning signs or symptoms of CVD events may reduce the risks of serious untoward events.

Question 35

What are the key components of muscular fitness?

Answer 35

Strength, endurance, and power

Question 36

What is the effect of exercise training on cardiorespiratory fitness?

Answer 36

Exercise of recommended intensity, duration, and frequency results in improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness. A plateau in the training effect occurs, whereby additional increases in exercise volume result in little or no additional improvements in VO2max

Question 37

What is the recommendation for exercise progression?

Answer 37

A gradual progression of exercise volume by adjusting duration, frequency, and/or intensity is reasonable until the desired exercise goal (maintenance) is attained.

Question 38

What are some considerations for exercise intensity?

Answer 38

Either moderate- or vigorous-intensity exercise can be undertaken to meet current exercise recommendations, provided the criterion for total volume of energy expended is satisfied. Exercise intensity is an important determinant of the physiological responses to exercise training

Question 39

What should be considered regarding the pattern of exercise?

Answer 39

Moderate-intensity physical activity may be accumulated in bouts of at least 10 minutes each to attain the daily goal

Question 40

What are the benefits of interval training?

Answer 40

Short-term interval training has resulted in similar or greater improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiometabolic biomarkers compared with single-intensity exercise in healthy adults and persons with metabolic, cardiac, or pulmonary disease

Question 41

How is exercise intensity estimated?

Answer 41

Measured or estimated measures of absolute exercise intensity include caloric expenditure, absolute oxygen uptake, and METs. For individual exercise prescription, a relative measure of intensity is more appropriate

Question 42

What are the recommendations for resistance exercise?

Answer 42

Each major muscle group should be trained on 2–3 days per week. Two to four sets are the recommended for most adults to improve strength and power.

Question 43

What are the different types of stretching exercises?

Answer 43

Ballistic, Dynamic, Static (active or passive), and PNF

Question 44

How can measures of perceived exertion be used?

Answer 44

Instruments that measure perceived effort and the pleasantness of exercise can be used to modulate or refine the prescribed exercise intensity of both cardiorespiratory and resistance exercise

Question 45

What is the effect of stopping or reducing physical conditioning?

Answer 45

Training-induced cardiorespiratory, metabolic, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor adaptations are reversed to varying degrees over time.

Question 46

How can exercise adoption and maintenance be improved?

Answer 46

Individualized, tailored behavioral programs can enhance the adoption and short-term adherence to exercise. Focusing on individual preferences and enjoyment and incorporating health behavior theory and behavior change strategies into exercise counseling and programs can enhance adoption and short-term maintenance of regular exercise

Question 47

What are the recommendations for reducing CVD risk during exercise?

Answer 47

Careful evaluation of exercisers for warning signs and symptoms, and informing both novice and regular exercisers about common signs and symptoms of CHD disease and how to respond to them may reduce the risk of untoward CHD events.

Question 48

What is the definition of physical function?

Answer 48

The capacity of an individual to carry out the physical activities of daily living. Physical function reflects motor function and control, physical fitness, and habitual physical activity and is an independent predictor of functional independence, disability, morbidity, and mortality

Question 49

What are the recommendations for those with health conditions or disabilities?

Answer 49

Adults, especially novice exercisers and persons with health conditions or disabilities, can benefit from consultation with a well-trained fitness professional