Chapter 8 Physiological Assessments

Question 1

Physiological Assessments

Answer 1

Select and administer assessments according to:
Client’s needs and desires
Availability of equipment
Time allotment
Trainer’s level of comfort with the assessment
procedures

Question 2

Health-related Assessments

Answer 2

Cardiorespiratory fitness
Body composition and anthropometry
Muscular endurance
Muscular strength
Flexibility

Question 3

Skill-related Assessments

Answer 3

Anaerobic power
Anaerobic capacity
Speed
Agility
Reactivity
Coordination

Question 4

Testing and Measurement

Answer 4

Personal trainers must act professionally and be
competent when evaluating a client’s level of fitness.

There are a number of resources for gaining hands-on
training in fitness assessments, including:

ACE-sponsored workshops
Local colleges or universities with exercise science
departments
Experienced personal trainers, athletic trainers, or
rehabilitation specialists
Repeated practice, using friends, family members, or
other trainers

Question 5

Signs and Symptoms for Fitness Test
Termination

Answer 5

These signs or symptoms merit immediate test
termination and possible referral to a qualified
healthcare professional:
Onset of angina, chest pain, or angina-like symptoms
Significant drop (>10 mmHg) in systolic blood pressure
(SBP) despite an increase in exercise intensity
Excessive rise in blood pressure (BP): SBP >250 mmHg or
diastolic blood pressure (DBP) >115 mmHg
Excess fatigue, shortness of breath, or wheezing (does not
include heavy breathing due to intense exercise)
Signs of poor perfusion: lightheadedness, pallor, cyanosis,
nausea, or cold and clammy skin
Increased nervous system symptoms
Leg cramping or claudication
Subject requests to stop
Physical or verbal manifestations of severe fatigue
Failure of testing equipment

Question 6

Push Up Test

Answer 6

• measures upper-body endurance
• pectoral muscles, triceps, and anterior deltoids
• hands point forward, shoulder width apart, directly under shoulders
• hips and shoulders aligned
• goal of test to perform consecutive, complete push-ups before reaching a point of fatigue.
• without any rest
• test starts in the “down” position.

Question 7

Curl up Test

Answer 7

• full sit up also requires recruitment of hip flexors, places increased loads across the lumbar spine.
• Many clients pull on the neck in an effort to generate momentum during a full sit up.
• supine, feet flat on the floor, both knees bent to a 90 degree angle and arms crossed at the chest.
• Cue the client to perform a curl-up to lift the shoulder blades off the mat (approximately 30 degrees of trunk flexion)
• lower the torso back down to momentarily rest the shoulders completely on the mat (the head does not need to touch mat).
• start in the “down” position.
• curl-up is counted until client reaches fatigue.
• don’t hold breath

Question 8

Body Weight Squat Test

Answer 8

• adequate warm up and stretching if needed
• Evaluate the depth of the squat
• To enhance balance and stability the client may extend his or her arms to the sides or front for balance.
• The goal of the test is to complete as many controlled and proper repetitions
• Once the client is unable to complete a full squat, the test is over.

Question 9

Relative Strength

Strength to Weight Ratio

Answer 9

• Maintaining muscular strength is important for everything from performance of ADL to sports performance.
• Strength can also be expressed as Absolute or Relative.
• Absolute strength is defined as the greatest amount of weight that can be lifted at one time.
• In sports science this is defined as a one-repetition maximum. Or 1-RM.
• Relative Strength takes the person’s body weight into consideration and is used when comparing individuals.