NASM-SFS key terms

The legal and professional boundaries defining which services a certified senior fitness specialist may deliver, including exercise programming and basic education, while excluding diagnosis, prescription, and medical treatment.

Written or verbal permission from a licensed healthcare provider allowing a client with known disease or symptoms to begin or continue an exercise program under specified limits.

Directing a client to an appropriate licensed professional, such as a physician, physical therapist, or dietitian, when a need falls outside the fitness specialist's training and legal scope.

A seven-question self-screening tool that flags symptoms or conditions requiring medical follow-up before exercise participation, with follow-up questions for those who answer yes.

The structured process of gathering health history, medications, symptoms, and activity level before designing exercise, used to classify risk and determine clearance needs.

Age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength, and function that raises fall risk and reduces independence; it is slowed or partly reversed with resistance and protein intake.

Age-associated loss of muscle strength and power that is not fully explained by loss of muscle mass, and which predicts disability more strongly than mass alone.

Bone mineral density below the young-adult average but not low enough to meet osteoporosis criteria; weight-bearing and resistance exercise help slow further loss.

A skeletal condition of low bone mass and deteriorated bone structure that increases fracture risk, requiring careful loading, fall prevention, and spinal flexion precautions.

A syndrome of reduced physiological reserve and increased vulnerability to stressors, marked by weakness, low activity, slow gait, fatigue, and unintended weight loss.

Basic self-care tasks such as bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring, and eating; the ability to perform them independently is a core marker of functional status.

More complex tasks needed to live independently, such as shopping, cooking, managing money, driving, and using the telephone; decline here often precedes ADL loss.

Structured testing of movements and tasks required for daily living, such as sit-to-stand, reach, and gait, used to set goals and track change over time.

A battery of field tests measuring lower- and upper-body strength, aerobic endurance, flexibility, agility, and balance in older adults using simple equipment and established norms.

The time taken to walk a set distance, commonly 4 or 10 meters; a simple, reliable indicator of functional capacity, fall risk, and overall health in older adults.

A test in which the client rises from a chair, walks a short distance, turns, returns, and sits; it screens mobility, balance, and fall risk.

The likelihood that a person will experience a fall, influenced by strength, balance, vision, medications, home hazards, and history of previous falls.

A subjective scale, such as 6 to 20 or 0 to 10, on which clients rate exercise effort; useful when heart rate is unreliable due to medications or rhythm conditions.

A practical intensity gauge in which the client can speak in short sentences at moderate intensity but only a few words at vigorous intensity.

The difference between maximum and resting heart rate, used with a percentage to set target training intensities; requires an accurate maximum heart rate estimate.

A medication that lowers heart rate and blood pressure, blunting the normal heart rate response to exercise and making perceived exertion or talk-test methods preferable for intensity monitoring.

The concurrent use of multiple medications, common in older adults, which raises risk of side effects such as dizziness, dehydration, and impaired balance during exercise.

A drop in blood pressure on standing that causes dizziness or fainting; programming should include gradual position changes and careful monitoring during transitions.

Progressive exercises challenging stability, such as narrow stance, weight shifting, and reactive stepping, performed with appropriate support to reduce fall incidence.

Training that emphasizes moving a submaximal load quickly to improve the rate of force production, supporting faster reactions and safer recovery from slips.

Progressive use of external loads or body weight to increase muscle strength, mass, and function; a cornerstone for countering sarcopenia and preserving independence.

Systematically increasing training demand over time, through load, repetitions, sets, or complexity, so the body continues to adapt without excessive fatigue.

Activity in which the body supports its own weight against gravity, such as walking or stair climbing, providing stimulus to maintain bone density.

Organized variation of training variables across cycles of time to manage fatigue, target different adaptations, and sustain long-term progress.

Planned rest and lower-intensity periods that allow tissue repair and adaptation; older adults often need longer recovery between demanding sessions.

A preparatory phase of light aerobic activity and dynamic mobility that raises tissue temperature and prepares the body for the training session.

A closing phase of low-intensity activity and stretching that gradually returns heart rate and breathing toward resting levels after exercise.

Exercise that improves the ability to move a joint through its available range with control, supporting posture, gait, and performance of daily tasks.

The amount and distribution of dietary protein across meals; older adults generally need more per kilogram of body weight than younger adults to support muscle maintenance.

Maintaining adequate fluid intake; older adults have a blunted thirst response and higher dehydration risk, so scheduled drinking around exercise is advised.

The proportion of clients who continue training over a defined period, supported by clear goals, measurable progress, and consistent communication.