Discussion 3: Exercise Testing Protocols and Termination Criteria Flashcards
What considerations are made when performing a GXT?
- Mode
- Protocol
- Procedures
- Termination criteria
Define mode.
Type of exercise equipment to be used during the GXT
What modes will be used in this lab?
- Treadmill
- Bicycle ergometer
- Arm bike
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a treadmill as a GXT mode?
Advantages:
- Familiar movement
- Engages large amount of muscle mass
- Generates a greater CV response
- Workload can be adjusted thru speed and incline to be appropriate for a wide range of abilities
Disadvantages:
- Motion artifact on ECG
- Safety concerns if person is prone to tripping or loss of balance
- Orthopedic conditions may prevent some individuals from being able to perform weight-bearing exercise
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a bicycle ergometer as the mode of a GXT?
Advantages:
- Familiar movement
- Very little artifact on the ECG
- Workload is highly adjustable thru changes in cadence or resistance
- Not weight-bearing for those w/ orthopedic concerns
- Very safe w/ minimal risk of falling
Disadvantages:
- Engages a smaller amount of muscle mass
- Takes longer to reach CV end points
- Limited by localized muscle fatigue rather than CV responses
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using an arm bike as the mode of a GXT?
Advantages:
- Good alternative for individuals w/ conditions that prevent the from using their lower body
Disadvantages:
- Uses a very small amount of muslc emass limited to the upper body
- Movement is less familiar
- Excessive movement artifact on ECG
- DIfficult to measure BP
- Limited by localized muscle fatigue rather than CV responses
Define protocol.
Design of the GXT
Describe the protocol for a GXT. What determines duration? Workload?
- Multiple stages of increasing workload that are 2-3 mins in duration
- Duration long enough to allow individual to reach steady state
- Each increase in workload needs to be small enough to prevent severe hemodynamic challenges and avoid muscle fatigue, but large enough to ensure that the individual will reach the chosen test termination point in under 20 mins
What comprises the procedures of a GXT.
- How a test is administered
- What is being measured
- How it is measured
- When it is being measured
What will be measuring in this lab?
- ECG activity
- BP
- RPE
- Changes to subject’s appearance
- Workload
During exercise, what sound do we use to denote diastolic BP?
4th Korotkoff sound: the point at which the tappings sounds become severely muffled
What is RPE?
Rating of Perceived Exertion = subjective measure of the amount of work the subject feels they are doing
- Can be measured using the conventional 6-20 Borg Scale or a simplified 1-10 scale
What indicates steady state during exercise?
Chagne in HR < 5 bpm per min b/t measurements for a given workload
When does a GXT end?
When the individual reaches a pre-determined end point of demonstrates any of the termination criteria
What are some common end points of a GXT?
- Reaching a particular HR (usually determined as a percent of predicted HRmax or HRreserve)
- Reaching a particular workload (certain MET or metabolic equivalent)
