Chapter 8: Assessments Flashcards
What should assessments evaluate?
Health
Fitness
Performance
What are the most common injury risks for clients?
Poor technique, overuse, lack of functional strength, and poor movement patterns
What is heart rate variability training?
Measures the distinct time between heartbeats known as interbeat intervals
HRV is easily affected by stress
What’s an average healthy HRV?
Ages 20-25: 55 and 105 milliseconds
Over 65: 25 and 45 milliseconds
What’s included in basic fitness assessments?
Flexibility
Posture
Mobility
General strength
What is posture?
the position of an individual’s body in space
What’s the difference between static and dynamic posture?
Static posture is maintaining the same position for a length of time without moving, while dynamic posture is during a task or range of motion
What’s the preferred nomenclature for posture?
Ideal or not ideal
What is ideal posture?
A condition of muscular control contributing to an individual’s well-being, proper movement patterns, reduced injury risk, minimal pain, and optimal performance
What are muscle imbalances?
When muscles surrounding a joint are abnormally weakened or overactive and thus limit the joint’s movement
Explain the 4 main back dysfunctions
Lordosis: increased inward curving of the lower spine
Kyphosis: excessive forward rounding of the back
Flat back: reduction of the normal curve in the lower spine
Scoliosis: sideways curvature of the spine
What is postural control?
An individual’s ability to maintain control over their posture and maintain this equilibrium
What is neutral alignment?
A position directly between the extremes of motion at a joint; equilibrium of body posture
What is adaptive shortening?
Muscle fiber shortening from overuse or extended time in a shortened length or from repetitious movement
What is stretch weakness?
When a muscle is lengthened beyond its physiological neutral but still within its normal range of motion
What is upper crossed syndrome (UCS):?
A combination of overactive and under-active muscles in the shoulder, chest, and neck regions
Typically consists of rounded shoulders, curvature in the neck and upper back, and forward head (in front of the body)
What is lower crossed syndrome (LCS)?
A combination of overactive and underactive muscles in the lower back, abdominals, and hips
Typically consists of a forward pelvic tilt and excessive arching of the lower back
What are the dynamic posture assessments?
Gait assessment
Standard squat assessment
Overhead squat assessment
Lunge assessment
What is a corrective exercise?
Exercises geared toward injury prevention and optimal movement patterns focusing on reducing muscle adhesions (knots), strengthening weak musculature, stretching overactive muscles, and improving functional movement
What is the goal of a cardiorespiratory assessment?
To determine an individual’s VO2 max
What are two effective ways a trainer may test a client’s VO2 max?
Rockport walk test and the Cooper run test
Why is the three-minute step test a less effective option?
it has a lower percentage of participant completion
What is agility?
The ability to move quickly and easily
What is strength?
the ability to exert muscular force under a given condition
How do athletes translate strength into athletic performance?
by using bilateral movement, eccentric training and loading, and variable resistance training
What is force?
An action capable of changing the motion of an object
What is maximal strength? How long can it be sustained?
The maximum amount of force a muscle can produce by activating the largest motor units; 5-15 seconds
What us power?
The maximal amount of force and velocity that can be produced by the neuromuscular system at a given load
What is work capacity?
The maximum amount of exercise an athlete can recover from to elicit a positive adaptation
What is the 10-point scale that measures the athlete’s rate of perceived exertion (RPE) on an analogue scale?
Borg CR10 scale
What’s the proper warmup for a 1RM attempt?
3 warm-up sets of 2 reps each, with progressively heavier loads
What are the options of a 2-3RM test?
Increases the chances of finding the right load in less time
Uses a lower total load for those concerned about (or who are prone to) injury
What is relative strength?
How strong an athlete is in relation to their body weight
What is explosive strength?
The ability to express maximum force in minimal time, expressed as F = m x a
What is the rate at which an athlete can develop force with rapid voluntary contraction?
Rate of force development (RFD)
What’s the relevance of RFD?
An athlete builds explosive strength by increasing the RFD of the prime mover, which then allows them to be more explosive in less time
How is RFD increased?
By heavy resistance strength training, which increases muscle contractility and neural drive (in the form of motor neuron outflow)
What is speed strength?
The ability of the neuromuscular system to create the largest impulse in the shortest amount of time with maximum load
SS=(FxD)/T
What does the equation SS=(FxD)/T imply?
You can increase speed strength by
- Producing more force in the same amount of time
- Producing the same amount of force in less time
- Producing more force in less time
What does HRV reflect?
The heart’s ability to react to changing environments
The balance of blood pressure, gas exchange, and blood vessel diameter
