How can exercise assessment and prescription be personalised?

DP1

Define health screening

Health screening involves a set of checks or assessments to identify any medical conditions or risk factors that could affect a person’s ability to exercise safely. It helps prevent injury or complications during training and exercise.

Define pre-exercise questionnaire

A form completed before starting a training or fitness program. It is used by fitness professionals to collect detailed information about a person’s medical history, current health, and physical activity levels to identify any risks or special needs.

What are the 3 national organisations in Australia that have standardised pre-exercise screening across the health and fitness industry?

1. AUSactive

2. Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA)

3. Sports Medicine Australia (SMA)

What 3 things do health screening and pre-exercise questionnaires allow exercise and fitness professionals to do?

1. Identify medical history

2. Assess any potential risks

3. Understand the athlete’s current fitness level

What does information from health screening and pre-exercise questionnaires help set for participants?

A clear starting point, and ensures a personalised and safe program can be designed to meet the unique needs and goals of each person

What 5 factors do personalised exercise programs consider?

1. Unique needs and goals

2. Health status

3. Medical history

4. Fitness level

5. Lifestyle

What are 3 benefits of a personalised exercise program?

1. Boosts efficiency

2. Prevents injuries

3. Enhances motivation and commitment

What are the topics covered in a pre-exercise questionnaire?

1. Age

2. Gender

3. Current health status

4. Medical conditions

5. Family history of heart disease

6. Medical history

7. Medical use

8. Current or past injuries to muscles, joints or bones

9. Current physical activity levels

10. Lifestyle habits

11. Fitness goals

What does health screening do alongside a pre-exercise questionnaire?

It complements the questionnaire, providing a more comprehensive picture/insight into your physical condition

What 4 measurements do health screenings record?

1. Blood pressure

2. Heart rate

3. Cholesterol levels

4. Body composition

What do health screenings offer in relation to exercise programs?

1. Helps identify potential risks

2. Ensures the exercise program is safe

What principle are health screening questionnaires often framed around when asking about things like current weekly physical activity levels and the type of exercise previously engaged in?

The FITT principle

Define the 4 components of the FITT principle

1. Frequency — how often you engage in physical activity per week

2. Intensity — the level of intensity (light/moderate/vigorous)

3. Time — total minutes per week spent exercising

4. Type — type of activity

Which 7 types of individuals fall into ‘high-risk groups?’

1. History of heart disease or family history of heart conditions

2. Hypertension or high cholesterol

3. Respiratory conditions

4. Diabetes or difficulty managing blood sugar levels

5. Previous injuries to muscles, joints or bones

6. Low levels of physical activity

7. Over age 45 for men, over age 55 for women

What are individuals in ‘high-risk groups’ often required to do PRIOR to undertaking exercise?

Seek guidance from an appropriate allied health professional or medical practitioner

Define exercise assessments

Involves a series of physical tests and evaluations designed to understand your:

• Current fitness level

• Strengths

• Weaknesses

• Potential areas for improvement

What are the 3 major components of exercise assessments and their measurements

1. Cardiorespiratory fitness — measures heart and lung endurance

2. Muscular fitness (strength and endurance) —

3. Flexibility — assesses range of motion in joints

In order to personalise our exercise for later, what 4 factors do we need to personalise our tests on?

1. Age

2. Fitness level

3. Health status

4. Specific goals

Why should assessment methods and benchmarks align with a person’s unique circumstances and objectives?

To provide an accurate evaluation and inform an appropriate exercise prescription

What are the 3 steps in turning the data gathered from exercise assessments into a personalised training program?

1. Goal setting

2. Designing the routine

3. Making adjustments to the training program as needed

How can exercise assessments inform a goal-setting decision?

By highlighting weaknesses that need improvement and physical limitations or constraints worth considering

How can new goals be established to make adjustments to a training program?

By re-doing the initial questionnaire, screening or exercise assessment to establish a new baseline of strengths and weaknesses to inform those goals