List some key focuses of common health related assessments.
- Cardiorespiratory fitness
- Body composition & anthropometry
- Muscular endurance
- Muscular strength
- Flexibility
Define anthropometry.
The scientific study of the measurements and proportions of the human body.
What does a cardiorespiratory fitness test measure?
- Overall functioning of the heart and lungs
- Efficiency of the cardiovascular system in delivering oxygen to working muscles
What does a muscular endurance test measure?
The ability of muscle groups to sustain repeated activity and withstand fatigue.
What does a muscular strength test measure?
The ability of a muscle to overcome external resistance.
What does a flexibility test measure?
The range of motion (ROM) of a given joint or group of joints, or the level of tissue extensibility that a muscle group possesses.
Name some key focuses of common skill related assessments.
- Anaerobic power
- Anaerobic capacity
- Speed
- Agility
- Reactivity
- Coordination
What does an anaerobic power test measure?
The amount of work performed in a given unit of time (usually represents one single and explosive bout, event or repetition performed at maximal efforts)
What does an anaerobic capacity test measure?
The sustainability of power output for brief periods of time.
What does an agility test measure, and what three stages does agility testing involve?
How accurately and rapidly a person can change direction. Acceleration, stabilization, and deceleration.
What is reactivity?
The rate at which an individual responds to a stimulus.
What is coordination?
The ability of an individual to complete complex movements while providing accurate responses in both timing and intensity.
What is important to be aware of during the administration of any exercise test involving exertion?
Any identifiable signs of symptoms that merit immediate test termination.
What signs and symptoms merit immediate exercise test termination?
-Angina, chest pain or angina-like symptoms
-Significant drop (>10mmHg) in SBP despite increase in exercise intensity
-Excessive rise in BP: SBP reaches .250 mmHg or DBP reaches >115 mmHg
-Excess fatigue, shortness of breath or wheezing (heavy breathing is ok)
-Signs of poor perfusion: lightheadedness, pallor (paleness), cyanosis (bluish coloration), nausea, or cold
and clammy skin
-Increased nervous system symptoms: ataxia, dizziness, confusion, or syncope
-Leg cramping or claudication
-Subject requests to stop
-Physical or verbal manifestations of severe fatigue
-Failure of testing equipment
What is considered the most practical assessment tool for measuring body composition in the fitness setting, and why?
Skinfold measurements. Ease of administration and low cost.
Why is it extremely important that a trainer demonstrate strong skills and reliability when assessing body composition?
A body composition score can be critical to a client’s psyche or motivational levels.
Anthropometric measures include what?
Measurements of height, weight and/or circumference to assess body size or dimension.
When does the margin of error increase with skinfold measurements?
When the trainer is unfamiliar with identifying exact skinfold locations or lacks experience or technique in correctly grasping the skinfold site.
What is WHR?
Waist to hip ratio.
Name two common anthropometric measures that demonstrate strong correlations to health, morbidity and mortality.
BMI and WHR. These are only estimations.
What does body composition refer to?
The proportion of lean tissue to body fat tissue.
Lean body mass (LBM) is composed of:
- Muscles
- Connective tissue
- Bones
- Blood
- Nervous tissue
- Skin
- Organs
LBM means:
Lean body mass.
A certain amount of body fat is necessary for:
- Insulation and thermoregulation
- Hormone production
- Cushioning of vital organs
- Maintenance of certain body functions
What is the normal amount of essential body fat for males and females?
Males: between 2 and 5%
Females: between 10 & 13%
Where is the remainder of fat, other than essential body fat, stored in the body?
Adipose tissue: either subcutaneously or viscerally.
Why is it important to differentiate between overweight and overfat?
Excess body weight could be attributed to either fat mass or lean tissue.
What conditions has excess body fat been linked to?
- CAD
- Metabolic syndrome
- Diabetes
- Breast, colon, and endometrial cancer
- Osteoarthritis
- Low back dysfunction
- Sleep apnea
- Premature death
What percentage of clients join a fitness center and cite weight management as a top reason for their membership?
50%.
Regarding body composition assessments, what may a trainer need to say to instruct or remind clients?
1) Wear appropriate clothing for assessment
2) Clothing may change as body composition changes
3) The scale does not measure body composition changes
Explain Bioelectrical Impedence Analysis (BIA).
- Primarily lab setting; less sophisticated devices in fitness setting.
- Measures electrical signals as they pass through fat, lean mass, and water in the body.
- Optimal hydration is necessary for accurate results.
Explain Air Displacement Plethysmography (ADP).
- aka “Bod Pod”
- Egg shaped chamber that measures displaced air
- High accuracy rate but expensive equipment
- Marketed for fitness facilities
- Not accurate with obese clients
BIA stands for:
Bioelectrical impedance analysis.
ADP stands for:
Air displacement plethysmography.
Explain Dual-energy X Ray Absorptiometry (DXA).
- Typically in clinical settings; sometimes universities
- Most accurate and precise method
- Scans whole body; x-ray reads bone & soft tissue mass
- Can identify regional BF distribution
- Not accurate with obese clients
DXA stands for:
Dual-energy X Ray Absorptiometry.
Explain hydrostatic weighing.
- Underwater weighing, measures displaced water
- Gold standard
- May be found in physiology dept at universities
Explain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
- Uses magnetic fields to assess how much fat and where
- Clinical setting, not practical otherwise
MRI stands for:
Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
Explain Near-Infrared Interactance (NIR).
- Uses a fiber optic probe connected to a digital analyzer that measures fat and water indirectly
- Biceps are the typical site of measurement
- Calculations are then plugged into an equation
- Inexpensive & fast, not as accurate
- Not accurate with obese clients
- ie: Futrex
NIR stands for:
Near-Infrared Interactance.
Explain Total Body Electrical Conductivity (TOBEC).
- Uses electromagnetic force field to assess relative BF
- Found in clinical and research settings; not practical otherwise
TOBEC stands for:
Total Body Electrical Conductivity.
What three body composition assessments are not accurate for obese clients?
- Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA)
- Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA)
- Near-Infrared Interactance (NIR)
What is the gold standard for body composition assessments?
Hydrostatic (underwater) weighing
What percentage of an average person’s body fat is subcutaneous?
50%.
In general, the skinfold caliper method produces a measurement that compares to hydrostatic weighing how?
Calipers measure +2.0 to 3.5% of hydrostatic weighing.
Inexperience, poor technique, an extremely obese or thin client, or improper calibration can cause an error for skinfold caliper measurements that can range as high as:
6 to 8%.
What 3 things can lead to a larger error in skinfold caliper measurement?
- Trainer inexperience or poor technique
- Extremely obese or thin client
- Improper calibration of calipers
Jackson & Pollock three site skinfold locations for males:
Chest
Thigh
Abdominal
Jackson & Pollock three site skinfold locations for females:
Triceps
Thigh
Suprailium
