Fitness Assessment and Exercise Prescription
Fitness Assessment and Exercise Prescription
This domain tests health screening, test selection, interpretation and safe prescription. Expect questions on pre-participation screening, field and laboratory tests, norms, and FITT-VP principles.
Core rules and concepts
- Screen before testing: informed consent, PAR-Q+ or health questionnaire, risk factors, resting BP and medical clearance where indicated.
- Components: body composition (BMI, waist circumference, skinfolds), cardiorespiratory fitness (Cooper 12-minute run, beep test, VO2max), muscular strength (1RM), endurance (push-ups, sit-ups), flexibility (sit-and-reach), balance and agility.
- Test order usually places resting measures and body composition first, then flexibility and muscular tests, with maximal aerobic testing last.
- FITT-VP: frequency, intensity, time, type, volume, progression.
- For health-related aerobic exercise, build toward 150 minutes/week of moderate activity or 75 minutes/week vigorous, plus muscle strengthening twice weekly.
- Target HR via Karvonen: HRmax − resting HR = reserve; target = resting + (reserve × %).
Worked example
A 20-year-old with resting HR 60 wants 70% intensity. Estimated HRmax = 220 − 20 = 200. Reserve = 200 − 60 = 140. Target = 60 + (140 × 0.70) = 60 + 98 = 158 beats/min. Reasoning: Karvonen uses heart-rate reserve, so it is more individual than %HRmax alone.
Traps
- Treating BMI as a direct measure of body fat.
- Maximal testing without screening or supervision.
- Using 220 − age as a precise individual value; it is only an estimate.