1. Physical Fitness and Activity Assessment in Adults
C H A P T E R 09
Physical Fitness and Activity Assessment in Adults
Physical Fitness and Activity Assessment in Adults

2. Objectives
Identify and define components of health- related physical fitness and the risks for fitness testing
Use measurements of aerobic capacity, body composition, and muscular fitness
Identify test items designed for older adults
Understand the issues with measurement of physical activity in all populations

3. Physical Fitness
Multifaceted objective with different meanings for different people
Two factors provide the framework for defining physical fitness for any person
Purpose of the tests
Defined population

4. Populations and Purposes of Physical Fitness Testing

5. Health-Related Fitness Factors and Benefits

6. Supporting Evidence for Health-Related Fitness
Epidemiology
Examines the incidence, prevalence, and distribution of disease
Relative risk
The risk of mortality (death) or morbidity (disease) associated with one group compared to another
(continued)

7. Supporting Evidence for Health-Related Fitness (continued)
Physically active groups have lower relative risk of developing fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) than sedentary groups (Caspersen 1989)
Inverse relationship between death rates and cardiovascular endurance (Blair, Kohl, et al. 1989; Blair et al. 1996; Ekelund et al. 1988)
(continued)

8. Supporting Evidence for Health-Related Fitness (continued)
People who suffer from obesity have higher rates of CVD, cancer, and diabetes (ACSM 2010)
Inverse relationship between muscular strength, obesity, and all-causes mortality after controlling for cardiovascular endurance (FitzGerald et al. 2004; Jackson et al. 2010; Ruiz et al. 2008)

9. Major Risk Factors and Classifications for Cardiovascular Disease

10. Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire

11. Conditions Requiring Exercise Stress Test, Medical Exam, and Medical Supervision

12. Relationship Between Cardiorespiratory Endurance and Cardiovascular Death Rate

13. Measuring Aerobic Capacity
Aerobic power
The ability to supply oxygen to the working muscles during physical activity
Laboratory vs. field methods

14. Laboratory Methods Maximal Oxygen Consumption (VO2max)
Most reliable (rxx’ > .80) and valid measure
Expired gases are monitored with a gas analysis system during a maximal exercise performance
Can be difficult to measure due to expensive equipment, exhaustive exercise performance, and time restrictions

15. Other Laboratory Methods
Estimating VO2max
Maximal exercise performance
Submaximal exercise testing
Perceptual effort during exercise testing

16. Relative Intensity Scale

17. Important Facts Concerning Laboratory Testing
Equipment should be calibrated and checked
Test administrators should be trained and qualified
Practice test
Standardized testing procedures
Treadmill VO2max values > cycle ergometer tests
Cycle ergometer test can produce artificially low values (most people don’t ride bikes daily)
Submaximal VO2max estimates typically have a SEE ≥ 5.0 ml ∙ kg−1 ∙ min−1

18. Field Methods Distance runs Step tests
Rockport 1-Mile [1.6 km] Walk Test
Predicting VO2max without exercise

19. Measuring Body Composition
Obesity refers specifically to overfatness not overweight
A well muscled athlete may be overweight but may actually be quite lean
Measuring body composition involves estimating a person’s percent body fat
Body composition can be looked at as two components: lean body mass and fat mass
(continued)

20. Measuring Body Composition (continued)
Hydrostatic weighting
Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)
Air displacement plethysmography
CT scans and MRI
Isotopic dilution
Ultrasound
Anthropometry (skinfold and girths)
Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)
Total body electric conductivity (TBEC)
Near-infrared interactance

21. Calculating Body Density and %Body Fat From Hydrostatic Weighting
%fat = (495 ÷ BD) − 450
fat weight = (%fat ÷ 100) x body weight
lean weight = body weight − fat weight
target weight = lean weight ÷ [1 − (target %fat ÷ 100)]

22. Calculation of Fat, Lean, and Target Weights

23. Skinfold Assessment
Most reliable, valid, and popular field method for estimating %body fat
Uses skinfold calipers to measure skinfolds at multiple sites to estimate %body fat using prediction equations

24. Skinfold Calipers: Lange

25. Skinfold Calipers: Harpenden

26. Body Mass Index (BMI)
Simple measure expressing the relationship of weight to height
Commonly used in epidemiology research
Acceptable for those people who are obese but may produce inaccurate results for people who are lean or of normal weight

27. Disease Risk Relative to Normal Weight and Waist Circumference

28. Measuring Muscular Strength and Endurance
Work
Result of physical effort
work (W) = force (F) x distance (D)
Power
Amount of work performed in a fixed amount of time
power (P) = (F x D) ÷ time (T) = W ÷ T
(continued)

29. Measuring Muscular Strength and Endurance (continued)
Force that can be generated by contracting muscles
Torque
The effectiveness of a force for producing rotation around an axis
Muscular endurance
Physical ability to perform work
(continued)

30. Measuring Muscular Strength and Endurance (continued)
Relative endurance
Measurement of repetitive performance related to maximum strength
Absolute endurance
Measurement of repetitive performance at a fixed resistance

31. Types of Contractions Measured
Concentric
Muscle generates force as it shortens
Eccentric
Muscle generates force as it lengthens
Isometric
Muscle generates force but remains static in length and causes no movement
Isotonic
Muscle generates enough force to move a constant load at a variable speed through full range of motion (ROM)
Isokinetic
Muscle generates force at a constant speed through full range of motion (ROM)

32. Measuring Muscular Strength and Endurance
Laboratory methods
Generally assed by measuring force, torque, work, and power generated through concentric, eccentric, isokinetic, and isometric contractions
Field methods
Assessed with concentric and isotonic contractions
Can be difficult to assess power, torque, etc. in the field due to lack of necessary equipment. Field assessments of muscular strength tend to be more subjective in nature.

33. Laboratory Methods Computerized dynamometers
Biodex
Back extension strength test
Noncomputerized dynamometers
Handheld dynamometers (HHD)

34. Manual Muscle Test Precursor to HHD testing
Most often used in clinical situations to assess muscle strength
Patients are given a rating from 0 to 5 based on their ability to move a joint through a full range of motion against gravity (0: no movement; 5: muscle contracts normally against full resistance)

35. Field Measures for Strength and Endurance
Involves lifting external weights or the repetitive movement of the body
Muscular Strength = 1-repetition maximum (1RM)
Muscular Endurance = Maximum number of repetitions with a submaximal weight load

36. Field Measures for Strength and Endurance
1RM values of the bench press and the leg press (upper- and lower-body strength)
YMCA Bench Press Test (upper-body endurance)
Push-up test (upper-body endurance)
(continued)

37. Field Measures for Strength and Endurance (continued)
Trunk Endurance
YMCA Half Sit-up Test
Curl-up test (Robertson & Magnusdottir 1987)

38. Measuring Flexibility
Range of motion of a joint or group of joints (flexibility is joint specific)
Laboratory methods
Goniometry, visual estimation, radiography, photography, linear measurements, trigonometry
Field methods
Trunk flexion (sit-and-reach) test, trunk extension

39. The Sit-and-Reach Test

40. Health-Related Fitness Batteries
YMCA Physical Fitness Test Battery
Canadian Standardized Test of Fitness
The President’s Challenge: Adult Fitness Test

41. YMCA Physical Fitness Test Battery
Used by the YMCA to assess physical fitness of its members (Golding 2000)
Easily adaptable to many adult physical fitness testing situations
Test battery includes the following components:
Height, weight, resting heart rate, resting blood pressure, body composition, cardiorespiratory endurance, flexibility, and muscular strength and endurance

42. Canadian Standardized Test of Fitness
Canadian Fitness Survey conducted in to develop an understanding of the fitness level of the Canadian population
Test battery includes the following components:
Resting heart rate, resting blood pressure, body composition (skinfolds), cardiorespiratory endurance, flexibility, abdominal endurance, and upper-body strength and endurance

43. The President’s Challenge: Adult Fitness Test
Online adult fitness self-test
Designed to be self-administered; however, a partner is needed to complete
Test battery includes the following components:
Aerobic fitness, body composition, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility

44. Physical Fitness Assessment in Older Adults
Defined as persons aged 65 years and over
Highest rates of chronic diseases
Health care costs for older adults are contributing to health financing problems
Studies show that older adults respond to appropriate endurance and strength training programs similar to younger adults

45. Fitness Parameters and Items of the Older Adult Fitness Test

46. Special Populations
Include people with physical or mental disabilities or both
Valid and reliable fitness assessment of adults with disabilities is not a well- researched or well-understood topic
Fitness assessment should include these:
Anaerobic power, aerobic capacity, electrocardiographic response to exercise, muscular fitness, and body composition

47. Measuring Physical Activity
Physical activity (PA)
The behavior of bodily movement that requires the contraction of muscles and the expenditure of energy
Roles of measurement in PA
Amount of PA, amount of sedentary behavior, role of PA in health status, factors that relate to PA behavior, and the effect of interventions to promote PA

48. The Relationship of Health-Related Fitness to the Physical Activity Pyramid

49. Physical Activity Assessment in Age Groups of the Population

50. Single-Response Physical Activity Scale (Five Levels)

51. Steps per Day as Indices for Public Health for Adults (Tudor-Locke & Bassett 2004)
<5000
Sedentary lifestyle index
Low active
Somewhat active
≥10,000
Active
≥12,000
Very active

52. Measuring Muscle-Strengthening Physical Activity
Adults should engage in moderate- or high- intensity muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week in seven major muscle groups (Healthy People 2020 & Physical Activity Guidelines)
Muscle-strengthening activities have numerous health benefits in addition to those provided by regular physical activity:
Increased bone mass, improved posture, improved glucose tolerance, ability to conduct daily activities, and increased resting metabolism

53. Certification Programs
Health Fitness Certifications
ACSM Certified Group Exercise Instructor
ACSM Certified Personal Trainer (CPT)
ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist (HFS)
Clinical Certifications
ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist (CES)
ACSM Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist (RCEP)
National Strength and Conditioning Association
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)
NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT)

54. Summary
Various factors are involved in assessing adult fitness and physical activity reliably and validly
Mastering the material does not make you qualified to administer (but it’s an important step)
Seek out appropriate education and training to obtain certifications