Exercise Prescription The exercise prescription should be developed with careful consideration of the individual’s health status (including medications), risk factor profile, behavioral characteristics, personal goals and exercise preferences.

Purposes Various purposes of exercise prescription include enhancing physical fitness, promoting health by reducing risk factors for chronic disease, and ensuring safety during exercise participation.

Purposes In all cases, specific outcomes identified for a particular person should be the ultimate target of the exercise prescription.

Caution When an exercise prescription is given by a non-licensed health care provider, it is important that the provider not independently present a prescription which would otherwise be utilized for the purposes of treating or alleviating disease or illness.

Caution Such prescriptions must necessarily be limited to those who are authorized by law to provide such recommendations.

Caution In practice, this typically translates into the co-signing of a prescription by a physician.

Principles of Conditioning Specificity Overload Progression Individual differences Reversibility

Basic Elements F = Frequency I = Intensity T = Time or duration S = Specific exercise or mode

Quantity The quantity of exercise needed to significantly reduce disease risk appears to be considerably less than that needed to develop and maintain high levels of physical fitness.

Art Given the diverse nature and health needs of the population, guidelines cannot be applied in an overly rigid or precise fashion.

Art The techniques presented should be used with flexibility and with careful attention paid to the goals of the individual.

Art Exercise prescriptions will require modification in accordance with observed individual responses and adaptations because:

Art Physiological and perceptual responses to acute exercise vary. Adaptations to exercise training vary in terms of magnitude and rate of development.

Art Desired outcomes based on individual need(s) may be obtained with exercise programs that vary considerably in their structure.

Art Behavioral adaptation to the exercise prescription is likewise quite variable.

Art A fundamental objective of exercise prescription is to bring about a change in personal health behavior to include habitual physical activity.

Art Thus, the most appropriate exercise prescription for a particular person is the one that is most useful in achieving this behavioral change.

Art The art of exercise prescription is the successful integration of exercise science with behavioral techniques that result in long-term program compliance and attainment of the individual’s goals.

Art As such, knowledge of methods to change health behaviors is essential.

Stages of Progression Initial training stage: Stretching exercises, light calisthenics, and low intensity aerobic or resistive exercises.

Stages of Progression Have your clients progress slowly by increasing exercise duration first, followed by small increases in exercise intensity.

Stages of Progression The initial stage of the exercise program may be skipped for some physically active individuals, provided that their initial fitness level is good-to-excellent and they are accustomed to the exercise modes prescribed for their programs.

Stages of Progression Improvement Stage: During this stage the frequency, intensity, and duration systematically and slowly progress, increasing one element at a time, until the client’s fitness goal is reached.

Stages of Progression This stage typically lasts 4 to 5 months and the rate of progression is more rapid compared to the initial stage.

Stages of Progression Maintenance Stage Usually beings after 6 months. Continues on a regular, long-term basis.