Exercise Testing and Prescription Flashcards
What is the purpose of health-related physical fitness testing?
- Collecting baseline data & educating patients about current CRF status
- Assist in designing the Exercise Prescription (ExRx)
- Monitor progress through evaluation of serial measures
- Motivation
List the pretest instructions to gather prior to initiating cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) test
- Informed consent
- Preparticipation health screening - PAR-Q+
- Medical history and CV risk factor assessment
- Provide participant instructions
What are participant instructions prior to performing a physical fitness test?
- Refrain from food, alcohol, caffeine or tobacco within 3 hours of testing
- Participants should be well-rested
- Clothing should not limit performance
- May need someone to drive them home after due to fatigue associated with testing
- Continue prescribed cardiovascular medications
- Participant should provide a list of current medications
- Drink ample fluids to avoid dehydration
What is CRF?
Ability to perform large muscle, dynamic, moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise for prolonged periods of time
Why is CRF a health-related component of physical fitness?
- Poor CRF is associated with premature death from all causes, especially from CVD
- Increased CRF is associated with decreased rates of death from all causes
- High levels of CRF are associated with higher levels of habitual PA, which has many health benefits
What is VO2 max?
- The criterion measure of CRF– or the unit for how CRF is expressed.
- Typically expressed in mL/kg/minute
- Closely related to functional capacity of the heart
What does a plateau in VO2 max indicate during exercise testing?
The true physiologic limit of the central circulatory dynamics.
- Not commonly observed in testing situations
How is VO2max different from VO2 peak?
VO2peak represents the peak (or highest observed) oxygen consumption observed during testing.
- Often if another condition is limiting participation in exercise testing (i.e. strength, range of motion, pain), VO2peak (rather than VO2max) will be observed.
VO2max can only be observed during which type of exercise test?
maximal exercise testing
What is the primary difference between maximal and submaximal exercise tests?
- Maximal tests require volitional fatigue– which is not appropriate for all indvicduals.
- Submaximal testing allows for ESTIMATION or PREDICTION of the VO2max based on HR response during submaximal testing.
- Mode of testing should be consistent with the client’s primary exercise preference, if available
What elements must be achieved to allow for accurate estimation of the VO2max based on submaximal testing?
- Steady state HR at each exercise work rate (or stage) of the submaximal test
- Linear relationship between HR and work rate
- Minimal difference between actual and predicted HRmax
- Mechanical efficiency is the same for everyone
- The subject is not taking medications that alter HR response to exercise
- The subject is not using high amounts of caffeine, ill, or in a high-temperature (>72 degrees) environment
What should you measure to establish a baseline for exercise testing?
- Heart Rate
- Blood Pressure
- Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
- Presence of dyspnea
- Presence of angina
What are the indications for stopping an exercise test?
- onset of angina or angina-like symptoms
- drop in SBP of >/= 10 mmHg
- SOB, wheezing, leg cramps, or claudication
- Signs of poor perfusion: light-headedness, confusion, ataxia, pallor, cyanosis, nausea, or cold and clammy skin
- Failure of HR to increase with increased exercise intensity
- Noticeable change in heart rhythm by palpation or auscultation
- Subject requests to stop
- Physical or verbal manifestations of severe fatigue
- Failure of the testing equipment
Measurement of heart rate by what means is recommended to maintain accuracy?
Stethoscope or ECG
Performance may be impacted by which factors?
- Environmental (heat, humidity)
- Dietary
- Behavioral (anxiety, smoking status, and/or previous physical activity)