Training and conditioning

Why study physical fitness?

To understand and apply fitness concepts, motivate others, and improve longevity and quality of life.

What is “use it or lose it” referring to?

Evolutionary principle; our bodies are meant to be physically active.

Why does science still study fitness if it’s “obvious”?

To provide evidence and support the benefits with research.

What is the broad definition of “fitness”?

Includes exercise fitness, ideal body composition, diet, CV health, stress management, and absence of risky behaviors

Define physical activity

Bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles requiring energy expenditure with health benefits.

Define exercise.

Planned, structured, repetitive activity designed to improve or maintain fitness.

How many kcal/week reduces CHD risk by 50%?

1000 kcal/week through physical activity.

How much brisk walking reduces breast cancer risk by ~20%?

1.25-2.5 hours per week

What percent of U.S. adults don’t meet minimal activity guidelines?

Over 55%

Which groups show the highest inactivity rates?

Women, African Americans, Hispanics, older adults, and less affluent adults.

What percentage of U.S. adults are overweight?

Over 60%

What percentage are obese?

Over 30%.

What percentage of youth (12–21) do not participate in regular activity?

50%.

What percentage of U.S. children are overweight?

15–20%.

How many U.S. states require PE in every grade K–12?

Six (IL, HI, MA, MS, NY, VT).

What are some responsibilities of fitness professionals?

Educating, testing, program design, teaching, motivating, evaluating, correcting, and promoting safe exercise.

Define VO2 max.

Maximal oxygen uptake; max amount of O2 used during intense exercise (ml/kg/min).

Define MET.

1 MET = 3.5 ml/kg/min O2 consumption (resting level).

Principle of specificity?

Training adaptations are specific to the exercise performed.

Principle of overload?

To improve, training must stress the body beyond normal levels

Principle of progression?

Gradual increase in training intensity, duration, or frequency.

Law of Initial Values (LOIV)?

Greater improvements occur in those with lower initial fitness.

Interindividual variability?

Different people respond differently to the same training.

Diminishing returns principle?

Improvements slow as fitness increases.

Reversibility?

Fitness gains are lost when training stops.

Components of fitness?

Cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular fitness, body composition, flexibility, neuromuscular relaxation.

Cardiorespiratory endurance?

Ability to sustain large-muscle dynamic exercise at moderate-to-high intensity.

Muscular strength vs endurance?

Strength = max force; Endurance = sustain submax force for time.

Bone strength depends on what?

Bone density and mineral content.

Define body composition.

Ratio of fat mass to lean body mass.

Minimum essential fat levels?

Men: 3.5%, Women: 12–15%.

Define lean body mass.

Fat-free mass: water, muscle, bone, tissues.

Define flexibility.

Ability to move joints through full range of motion.

Poor low back/hip flexibility is linked to what?

80% of low back pain cases.

Neuromuscular relaxation?

Reducing unnecessary muscle tension.

Steps in a successful program?

Screening, baseline testing, prescription, safety, health behavior promotion, evaluation

ACSM Testing order (general population)?

1. Resting BP/HR, 2. Body comp, 3. Cardiorespiratory, 4. Muscular fitness, 5. Flexibility.

Testing order (athletes, NSCA)?

Non-fatiguing, agility, max strength, sprint, endurance, anaerobic capacity, aerobic capacity.

Define test reliability.

Consistency/reproducibility of test results.

Define test validity.

The degree to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure.

What does maximum muscular strength measure?

The force a muscle/group can exert in one maximal effort (often via 1RM)

What is anaerobic or maximal muscular power?

High-speed strength; ability to exert force quickly (e.g., vertical jump, sprint).

Define anaerobic capacity.

Max rate of energy production from phosphagen + glycolytic systems for moderate-duration activities.

Define local muscular endurance.

Ability of muscles to perform repeated contractions against submax resistance.

Define aerobic capacity.

Max rate of energy production via oxidative metabolism; expressed as VO₂ max.

Define agility.

Ability to change direction/speed in response to stimulus.

How is speed measured?

Movement distance per unit time (time to cover a set distance).

Define flexibility.

Range of motion (ROM) about a joint.

Define balance.

Ability to maintain static or dynamic equilibrium.

Define stability.

Ability to return to a desired position after disturbance.

Define body composition.

Ratio of fat mass to lean tissue.

Define anthropometry.

Measurement science applied to human body (ex. height, weight, girths).

Why should testing conditions be standardized?

To maximize reliability and ensure consistency across tests.

What factors should be consistent in testing?

Temperature, humidity, surface, equipment, warm-up, hydration, and nutrition.

Define mean in descriptive statistics.

The average of test scores.

Define median in descriptive statistics.

The middle score when ordered by magnitude.

Define mode in descriptive statistics.

The score occurring most frequently.

Define range in statistics.

The interval between the lowest and highest score

Define standard deviation.

Measure of score variability around the mean.

Define percentile rank.

Percentage of test-takers scoring below a given score.

What shape do normally distributed test scores form?

A bell-shaped curve.

Why is standard deviation most useful in normal distributions?

It shows how far most scores fall from the mean.

What is an athletic profile?

A set of test results identifying strengths/weaknesses to guide training.

Steps in developing an athletic profile?

Choose valid tests → administer → compare to norms → repeat testing → identify strengths/weaknesses.

Why is test reliability important?

Reliable tests ensure meaningful comparisons over time and across athletes.

What are the positive effects of warm-up?

Faster contraction/relaxation, improved force development, reaction time, strength/power, ↑ blood flow, ↑ metabolism, psychological readiness.

What are the 3 parts of a typical warm-up?

Aerobic activity → stretching → sport-specific activity.

How long does a warm-up usually last?

10–20 minutes

General warm-up examples?

Jogging, cycling, skipping for 5–10 minutes.

Specific warm-up examples?

Sport-specific movements (e.g., dribbling for basketball).

What does RAMP stand for in warm-up protocol?

Raise, Activate & Mobilize, Potentiate.

What happens in “Raise”?

Elevate body temp, HR, respiration, blood flow, viscosity.

What happens in “Activate & Mobilize”?

Move actively through ROM.

What happens in “Potentiate”?

Perform progressive intensity sport-specific drills.

Define flexibility.

Ability of a joint/joints to move fluidly through full ROM.

Static flexibility?

ROM during passive movement.

Dynamic flexibility?

ROM during active movement or torque/resistance to movement.

What tissues contribute most to joint resistance?

Joint capsule (47%), muscle/fascia (41%), tendons/ligaments (10%), skin (2%)

How does warm-up affect flexibility?

↑ ROM up to 20%; cold joints ↓ ROM by 10–20%.

What is contracture?

Muscle/connective tissue shortening due to inactivity.

How does age affect flexibility?

Decreases with age due to elasticity loss, fibrosis, and lower activity

How does sex affect flexibility?

Women ↑ hip flexion & spinal lateral flexion; men ↑ hip extension and spinal flexion/extension.

How can body type affect flexibility?

Hypertrophied muscles or fat may limit ROM, but stretching can offset.

What is hypermobility?

Excessive joint ROM leading to joint laxity & ↑ injury risk.

Why test flexibility?

Identify limitations, monitor progress, and tailor training.

Tools for direct flexibility measurement?

Goniometer, flexometer, inclinometer.

What is the sit-and-reach test used for?

Assess hamstring and lower back flexibility.

Why is sit-and-reach limited?

Segment size differences and poor correlation with spinal mobility.

What is the skin distraction test?

Measures lumbar flexion by distance between spine markings.

What is a proprioceptor?

Sensory receptor responding to internal stimuli like muscle length/tension.

What do muscle spindles detect?

Muscle length changes; trigger stretch reflex.

What do Golgi tendon organs detect?

Muscle tension; cause reflex relaxation (autogenic inhibition).

Define autogenic inhibition.

Muscle relaxation after contraction due to GTO activation.

Define reciprocal inhibition.

Relaxation of antagonist when agonist contracts.

Benefits of chronic flexibility training?

↑ torque, ↑ rebound strength, ↓ stiffness, ↑ performance.

Ballistic stretching?

Bouncing/jerky; ↑ injury risk, stimulates muscle spindle reflex.

Static stretching?

Slow, controlled; safest, most efficient.

How long should static stretches be held?

10–60 seconds.

PNF stretching principle?

Alternating contraction & relaxation to enhance ROM.

Three common PNF techniques?

Hold-Relax, Contract-Relax, Hold/Relax with Agonist Contraction.