UNIT III: PHYSICAL FITNESS ASSESSMENT

(PRE-TESTING/ASSESSMENT)
General Objectives:

At the of the unit, you should be able to:

a. Identify and explain the different Physical Fitness Tests.

b. Increase awareness of personal fitness level.
c. Perform the different fitness tests properly.

LESSON 1: CARDIOVASCULAR/CARDIORESPIRATORY
ENDURANCE
Cardiorespiratory fitness: (sometimes called aerobic fitness or cardiorespiratory
endurance) is considered to be a key component of health-related physical fitness. It is a measure of
a heart‘s ability to pump oxygen-rich blood to the working muscles during exercise. It is also a
measure of the muscle‘s ability to take up and use the delivered oxygen to produce the energy
needed to continue exercising. In practical terms, cardiorespiratory endurance is the ability to
perform endurance-type exercise such as (distance running, cycling, swimming, etc.). The
individuals that have achieved a high measure of cardiorespiratory endurance are generally capable
of performing 30 to 60 minutes of vigorous exercise without undo fatigue.

1.1 Assessment of Cardiorespiratory Fitness

The most accurate means of measuring cardio respiratory fitness is the laboratory
assessment of maximal oxygen consumption called VO2 max. In simple terms, VO2 max is a measure
of the endurance capacity of both the cardio respiratory system and exercising skeletal muscles.
Because direct measurement of VO2 max requires expensive laboratory equipment and is very time
consuming, it is impractical for general use. Fortunately, researchers have developed numerous
methods for estimating VO2 max using simple field tests.

1.2 The 3-Minute Step Test

An alternative test to determine your cardio respiratory fitness level

is the step test. The step test works on the principle that individuals with a
high level of cardio respiratory fitness will have a lower heart rate during
recovery from 3 minutes of standardized exercise (bench stepping) than less
conditioned individuals. Although the step test is not considered the best
field method to estimate Cardio respiratory fitness, it does have advantages
in that it can be performed indoors and can be used by people at all fitness
levels. Further, the step test does not require expensive equipment and can
be performed in a short amount of time.

Step height for both men and women should be approximately 18

inches. In general, locker room benches or sturdy chairs can be used as
stepping devices.
 The test is conducted as follows:

1. Select a partner to assist you in the step test. Your partner is responsible for timing the test
and assisting you in maintaining the proper stepping cadence (rhythm pace). The exercise
cadence is 30 complete steps (up and down) per minute during a 3-minute exercise period,
which can be maintained by a metronome or voice cues from your friend ("up, up, down,
down"). Thus, you need to make one complete step cycle every 2 seconds (i.e., set the
metronome at 60 tonnes/min and step up and down with each sound).

Note: It is important that you straighten your knees during the "up"
phase of the test.

2. After completing the test, sit quietly in a chair or on the step bench. Find your pulse and
count your heart rate for 30-second periods during the following recovery 'times:
 1.5 minutes post exercise
 2- 2.5 minutes post exercise
 3- 3.5 minutes post exercise

Your partner should assist you in timing the recovery period and recording your recovery heart
rates. Note that the accuracy of this test depends on the faithful execution of 30 steps per minute
during the test and the valid measurement of heart rate during the appropriate recovery times.

To determine your fitness category, add the three 30-second heart rates obtained during
recovery; this is called the recovery index. The table 3.1 contains norms for step test results in a
college-age population (18-25 years).

Table 3.1 Norms for cardio respiratory fitness using the Sum of three recovery heart rates obtained
following the Step Test. Afterwards, encircle or highlight what level you have obtained based on the
norms presented below.

Fitness Category 3-Minute Step Test Recovery Index

Women Men

Superior 95-120 95-117

Excellent 121-135 118-132

Good 136-153 133-147

Average 154-174 148-165

Poor 175-204 166-192

Very Poor 205-233 193-217

 LESSON 2: BODY COMPOSITION
Every person should possess at least a minimal amount of fat (percent body fat) for a good
health. This fat is called essential fat and is necessary for temperature regulation, shock absorption
and regulation of essential body nutrients, including vitamins A, D, E and K.

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in
meters. A high BMI can be an indicator of high body fatness. BMI can be used to screen for weight
categories that may lead to health problems but it is not diagnostic of the body fatness or health of
an individual.

The exact amount of body fat considered essential to normal body functioning has been
debated. But most experts agree that males should possess no less than 5% and females no less than
10%.

2.1 Assessment of Body Composition

It is not surprising that several methods of assessing body composition have been
developed. A technique considered being the gold standard for laboratory assessment of body fat in
humans is hydrostatic weighing and involves weighing the individual both on land and in a tank of
water. The two body weights are then entered into a simple formula to calculate the percent of body
fat. Unfortunately, underwater weighing is very time consuming and requires expensive equipment.
Thus, this procedure is rarely employed to assess body composition in collegiate physical fitness
courses. Therefore, we will use the most convenient and most useful yet effective to measure body
composition and that is Body Mass Index.

2.2 Body Mass Index

Although many limitations exist, research has shown that the body mass index (BMI) is a
useful technique for placing people into categories of normal or too much body fat. The BMI is
simply the ratio of the body weight (kilograms; kg) divided by the height (in meters) squared (m2).
BMI is used to broadly define different weight groups in adults 20 years old or older. The same
groups apply to both men and women.

FORMULA:
BMI = weight (kg)
height (m2)

Note: 1 kg = 2.2 pounds and 1 m = 39.25 inches.)

For example, if an individual weighs 64.5 kg and is 1.72 m tall, the BMI would
be computed as follows: 64.5 kg/(1.72 m)2 = 64.5/2.96 = 21.8
Table 3.2 Norms for Body Composition rates obtained following Body Mass Index formula.
Afterwards, encircle or highlight what level you have obtained based on the norms presented
below.

Fitness Category Body Mass Index

Underweight Less than 18.5

Normal Weight 18.5-24.9

Overweight 25-29.9

Obese 30 or more

LESSON 3: BALANCE
In biomechanics, balance is an ability to maintain the line of gravity (vertical line from center
of mass) of a body within the base of support with minimal
postural sway.[1] Sway is the horizontal movement of the
center of gravity even when a person is standing still. A
certain amount of sway is essential and inevitable due to
small perturbations within the body (e.g., breathing,
shifting body weight from one foot to the other or from
forefoot to rear foot) or from external triggers (e.g., visual
distortions, floor translations). An increase in sway is not
necessarily an indicator of dysfunctional balance so m

STORK BALANCE STAND TEST

.The stork balance test is a simple test of whole body static balance and requires standing on one leg
for as long as possible.

Purpose: To assess whole body balance ability.

Equipment Required: flat, non-slip surface, stopwatch, paper and pencil.

Procedure: Remove the shoes and place the hands on the hips, then position the non-supporting
foot against the inside knee of the supporting leg. The subject is given one minute to practice the
balance. The subject raises the heel to balance on the ball of the foot. The stopwatch is started as
the heel is raised from the floor. The stopwatch is stopped if any of the follow occur:

 the hand(s) come off the hips

 the supporting foot swivels or moves (hops) in any direction

 The non-supporting foot loses contact with the knee.

 The heel of the supporting foot touches the floor.

Table 3.3 Norms for Balance rates obtained following Stork Balance Stand Test procedure.
Afterwards, encircle or highlight what level you have obtained based on the norms presented
below.

Fitness Category Score (seconds)

Excellent > 50

Good 40 – 50

Average 25- 39

Fair 10 – 24

Poor < 10

NOTE:

The total time in seconds is recorded. The score is the best of three
attempts. The table lists general ratings for this test.