PET 4380 Exercise Testing and Prescription

Faculty: Dr. Petra Schuler
Department: Health, Leisure and Sports
Semester Hours: 3
Term: Fall

Course Description

This course is designed to provide students with competencies in fitness testing and prescription. Students will be introduced to laboratory instruments, techniques, and procedures necessary for assessing physical fitness and designing programs to develop physical fitness, according to guidelines established by the American College of Sports Medicine. Students are expected to have the prerequisites PET 3351 and PET 3351L or approved equivalent courses.

Objectives

The objective of this course is for students to develop competencies in the following areas:

• Health appraisal and risk assessment
• Fitness assessment
• Emergency procedures and safety
• Exercise programming
• Exercise prescription
• Basic electrocardiography

• Anthropometric measurement
• Body composition assessment
• Exercise demonstration and modification for special populations
• Flexibility assessment
• Muscular endurance assessment
• Preparing and conducting a physical work capacity assessment test
• Cardio-respiratory fitness assessment

Content
(subject to revisions)

Health Appraisal and Risk Assessment in nonmedical settings

• Risk factors for coronary artery disease
• Classification of blood pressure and blood lipids
• Health classification for exercise testing
• Components of health and lifestyle evaluation
• Components of physical fitness evaluation

• Assessing Cardiorespiratory Fitness (resting and exercise evaluation)
  • Submaximal and maximal exercise test protocols
  • Field tests
• Basics in electrocardiography (resting ECG interpretation)
• Assessing muscular endurance and muscular strength
  • Definition of terms
  • Devices for measuring strength and endurance
  • Calisthenics type strength and endurance tests
  • Problems with muscular fitness testing
• Assessing flexibility
• Factors affecting flexibility
• Designing flexibility programs

• The safety of exercise testing and exercise participation
• Emergency plans and procedures for an exercise facility
• Exercise related musculoskeletal injuries: risks, prevention, and care

• Designing and prescribing cardiorespiratory exercise programs
• Designing and prescribing muscular fitness programming
• Designing and prescribing flexibility programs

Textbooks

ACSM (1995). Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. Lea & Febiger.
Heyward, V.H. (1984). Advanced Fitness Assessment and Exercise Prescription, Human Kinetics.

Recommended Text:
ACSM (1988). Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. Lea & Febiger.

Evaluation

Students will be evaluated based on two written exams (100 points each), a comprehensive final exam (written and practical component), and a total of five (5) successfully completed laboratory assignments (100 points total).
Students taking this course for graduate credit will be required to prepare a 30 minute lecture on an assigned topic. Students will be required to use visual aids (e.g. overhead projector) when giving their lecture to the class. Materials covered in these lectures will be included in the final exam. Students will be graded based on clarity of materials presented, successful use of visual aids, comprehensiveness of materials presented, and ability to answer questions on their assigned topic during the lecture. The presentation is worth 100 points.

Grading
Grading Breakdown:

Undergraduate:		Graduate:
Exam one (1):	100 points	(1)	100 points
Exam two (2):	100 points	(2)	100 points
Final Exam	100 points	(3)	100 points
Lab Assignments:	100 points	Lab	100 points
		Lecture	100 points
Total	400 points	Total	500 points
A =	400 - 360	A =	500 - 450
B =	359 - 320	B =	449 - 400
C =	319 - 280	C =	399 - 350
D =	279 - 240	D =	349 - 300
F	< 240	F	< 300