ACE Chapter Notes

Chapter 1 Notes 

The Healthcare Continuum: 

  • Nutritional Support 

  • Rehab Professionals 

  • Physician/Nurse

  • Mental Health (psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, support groups)

  • Alternative Healthcare (Chiropractor, Acupuncture, Massage therapist) 

  • Trainers/Coaches/Instructors 

Credentials: 

• Professional certification — A voluntary process by which a nongovernmental body grants a time-limited recognition and use of a credential

• Certificates — Education or training program on a specific topic for which participants receive a certificate after attendance and/or completion of the coursework

• Licensure — The mandatory process by which a governmental agency grants a time-limited permission to an individual to

engage in a given occupation

• Registration — Either the professional designation defined by a governmental entity in professional regulations or rules, or to a listing, or registry, of practitioners who meet designated standards


Scope of Practice defines the: 

— Legal range of services that professionals in a given field can provide

— Settings in which those services can be provided

— Guidelines or parameters that must be followed


Chapter 2 Notes: Behavior-change Principles 

Factors that influence adherence: 

  • Personal Attributes (demographics, health status, physical-activity history, psychological traits, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs) 

  • Environmental Factors: (access to facilities, time, social support) 

  • Physical-activity factors: (intensity and injury) 


Core Communication Skills (OARS)

  • Open-ended questions 

  • Affirmation 

  • Reflective Listening 

  • Summarizing 

Nonverbal Skills (Voice Quality, Eye contact, Facial Expressions, Hand gestures, Body position) 

Health Belief Model: predicts behavior based on the perceived threat and the pros and cons of changing

This perceived threat is influenced by: perceived seriousness & perceived susceptibility

Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change : Combines behavioral, cognitive, and temporal elements. 

  • 5 stages of change, 10 processes of change, self-efficacy, decisional balance 

Precontemplation → Contemplation → Preparation → Action → Maintenance 

Self-Efficacy: the belief in one’s perceived ability to successfully achieve a particular goal or perform a specific task 

Decisional Balance: the number of pros and cons perceived about adopting and/or maintaining an activity program. 

Self-determination Theory: different types of motivation influence the extent to which a person will seek out new activities and persevere at a given task. 


Autonomous Motivation: 

Controlled Motivation: 

 RRAMP Approach: 

R - Respect 

R - Recognition 

A - Alignment 

M - Mistakes 

P - Participant

Cognitions and Behavior: 

Jumping to conclusions, All-or-nothing thinking, Magnification and Minimization, Labeling, Overgeneralizing, Personalization and Blame 


Chapter 3 Notes: Foundations of Movement and Healthy Eating 

  • Joint stability is the ability to maintain or control joint movement or position. It is achieved by the structures of the joints (e.g., muscles, ligaments, and joint capsules) and the neuromuscular system.

  • Joint mobility is the range of uninhibited movement around a joint or body segment. It is achieved by the structures of the joints and the neuromuscular system.


Kinetic Chain Movement: 

Open kinetic-chain exercises: the end of the chain farthest from the body is free to move (not fixed) 

Ex: Bench press, shoulder press, bicep curl, leg extension 

Closed kinetic-chain exercise: the end of the chain farthest from the body is fixed. 

Ex: squat, pushups, pullups 

Three planes of movement: 

  • Transverse (waistline half) 

  • Frontal (horizontal) 

  • Sagittal (forward and backward) 


Which do we need to know? 

  • Skeletal System 

  • Spine 

Anatomical Cues: stating specific parts of the body and how they should be in correct form or in use when instructing 


Terminology: 

 • Flexion – When the angle between two bones decreases

• Extension – When the angle between two bones increases

• Hyperflexion – When a limb or part of the body is flexed beyond its normal range of motion

• Hyperextension – When a limb or part of the body is extended beyond its normal range of motion


Agonist (Prime Mover) vs. Antagonist 

Agonist - the muscle responsible for the observed movement 

Antagonist - the muscle that works in opposition of the agonist 


Different Pelvic Tilts: 


Factors related to muscle imbalances: 

Correctible: 

  • Repetitive movements, awkward positions, side dominance, lack of stability/mobility, imbalance muscular-training programs 

Non-correctable: 

  • Congenital conditions, some pathologies, structural deviations, types of trauma 


Nutrition Scope of Practice

  • Instructor can give government guidelines or informational/factual nutrients contained in foods but shouldn’t give individualized recommendations or meal planning. 




4 Key Guidelines: 

1. Follow a healthy dietary pattern at every life stage.

2. Customize and enjoy food and beverage choices to reflect personal preferences, cultural traditions, and budgetary considerations.

3. Focus on meeting food group needs with nutrient-dense foods and beverages, and stay within calorie limits.

4. Limit foods and beverages higher in added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium, and limit alcoholic beverages.


Chapter 4: Exercise Principles and Preparticipation Screening 

Health-related components of physical fitness: cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, and body composition 

Skill-related components of physical fitness: Agility, coordination, balance, power, reaction time, and speed. 


Exercise Recommendations: 

Aerobic: 

Resistance Training: 

Flexibility: 


Principles of Training: 

Specificity: physiological changes are highly specific to types of activities performed 

Overload: regularly increasing demands placed on the body 

Reversibility: declines in fitness resulting from a lack of physical activity 


Types of training: Muscular and Cardiorespiratory 

Muscular Training: 3 phases of muscular training. 

  • Functional: This phase is focused on establishing, or reestablishing, postural stability and kinetic chain mobility.

  • Movement Training: This phase focuses on developing good movement patterns without compromising postural or joint stability.

  • Load/Speed Training: This phase focuses on applying external loads to movements that create a need for increased force production that results in muscular adaptations.

Cardiorespiratory Training: 3 phases of cardiorespiratory training 

— Base Training: This phase focuses on developing an initial aerobic base, through positive exercise experiences, in individuals who have been insufficiently active.

— Fitness Training: This phase focuses on enhancing the individual’s aerobic efficiency by progressing the program through increased duration of sessions, increased frequency of sessions when possible, and the integration of more intense exercise.

— Performance Training: This phase is for individuals who have goals that are focused on success in endurance sports and events and on outcomes such as increased speed, power, and endurance.


RPE (Rating of Perceived Exertion) : 

When using the Borg 6 to 20 scale:

  • RPE of 12 to 13 (somewhat hard) corresponds to about 64 to 76% of maximal heart rate (MHR)

  • RPE of 14 to 17 (hard to very hard) corresponds to about 77 to 95% of MHR

For GFIs, using a 0 to 10 scale is easier for participants.

  • An appropriate range for increasing cardiorespiratory fitness within the 0 to 10 scale is from 3 (moderate) to 6 (strong).


  • HIPAA Law 


Chapter 5: Getting to the Core of Class Offerings 

Group Fitness Class Formats: 

  • Cardiorespiratory Training 

  • Muscular Training 

  • Mobility/Flexibility 

  • Mind-Body 

  • Aquatic Exercise 

  • Skill-related 

Choreographic Methods: 

  • Freestyle 

  • Pre-choreographed 

  • Pre-planned 

Chapter 6: Key Considerations for Group Fitness Classes 

Promoting positive class experiences through themed classes and powerful opening and closing statements: 

Theme: increasing kinesthetic awareness, targeting specific body parts, philosophical concepts, emphasizing an event/time of year, time period or musical genre 

Opening Statements: personal introduction, expression of gratitude, acknowledging faces, class purpose and learning objectives, references to equipment and specific exercises, introduction to theme. 

Closing Statements: reiteration of class purpose, the theme of the experience, insight as to how what was covered in class applies in a meaningful way outside of the class environment, a thank you, a compelling reason to return 

Foster community among group exercise participants: 

Ideal room characteristics, including flooring and exercise surface qualities: 

Exercise apparel considerations, including the use of appropriate footwear: 

Key equipment considerations


Chapter 7: Group Fitness Class Program Design 

Define class purpose and objectives: 

Establishing objectives - construct specific learning objectives that capture the knowledge and skills that participants should be able to exhibit following instruction 

Warm ups conditions: enhance stability and mobility, rehearsal moves 

Conditioning considerations: exercise evaluation, scaling exercise intensity and complexity 

Cool-down considerations: stretching and myofascial release 

Systematic Class Design: determining beforehand the following aspects of class improves the experience for both participants and instructor. (class purpose, objectives, warm-up, moves, condition, cool-down) 


Comprehensive Class Design: overall, the principle of balance applies to group exercise in two ways: neuromuscular and programming 

Neuromuscular Balance: ability to stand on one leg, stand equally on both feet, raise one arm or one leg, maintaining pelvic and spinal posture, exercises on unstable surface

Programming Balance: training entire body, performing movement patterns left or right, balance training 


Apply knowledge of exercise science to the three core components of a group fitness class

Design intelligently structured and sequenced classes through proper exercise order, work-to-recovery ratios, and balanced movement patterns: 

Evaluate movements and exercises to determine safety and effectiveness: 


Chapter 8: Group Fitness Facility and Equipment Considerations 

Flooring - 3 layers, absorb shock, minimal level deformation


Chapter 9: Participant-centered Instruction

  • Domains of learning 

    • Psychomotor (physical skills), Affective (attitude and feelings), Cognitive (mental skills and knowledge) 

Cognitive Domain: the brain’s ability to gather, retain, apply and evaluate information and knowledge (counting out movements, remembering patterns of choreography) 

Affective Domain (emotion): emotional behaviors, beliefs, values, and attitudes. 

Psychomotor domain (physical): those activities requiring the utilization and coordination of motor skills.  

  • Three stages of learning : Cognitive, Associative, Autonomous 

Cognitive: slow and inconsistent movements, errors are common, frequent instructional and corrective feedback needed. 

Associative: movements are fluid and efficient, less cognitive activity required, errors are less common, people are able to make corrections with feedback. 

Autonomous: movements are consistent and accurate, little/no cognitive activity required, few errors, minimal feedback required. 

  • Three participants learning styles: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic 

Visual: see, watch observe

Auditory: listen, hear 

Kinesthetic: physically perform, do  (hands-on assists cues) 

  • Appropriate progressions and regressions of movements 

Providing Feedback: 

  • One corrective action at a time 

  • Form and corrective cues should be sequential 

  • Cues should be positive and solution-based 

  • Deliver feedback to whole group 

  • Make eye contact with those who need it 

  • Positive reinforcement 

Educating: Triple F, Performance, Health Benefits 

Triple F: Form, Function, Fit (target muscles) 


Chapter 10: Leading Group Fitness Classes 

— Differentiate between styles of teaching for group fitness classes

Coaching-based teaching: music beats not used, participants move at their own pace, instructor acts as coach and demonstrates movements before helping, not choreographed, and practice style. 

Practice style of teaching - provides opportunities for individualization and 1 on 1 feedback 

Self-check: relies on participants to provide their own feedback, equipment-based, participants perform a given task then view results. 

Beat-based training: music beats utilized, instructors performs majority, timing of cues is important, choreographed to music, dance, kickbox, command-based style. 

Command style of teaching - GFI makes all decision, imitated by participants, uniformity, choreographed class 

Simple-to-complex: layering 

RRAMP: Respect, Recognition, Alignment, Mistakes, Participant 

— Modify teaching styles, methods, and strategies to meet the needs of participants during group fitness classes

Variation Elements: level length, direction, plane, rhythm, intensity, style 

Transitions: Matching: complete one exercise in full and then perform the next exercise, 

Mending: String two exercises/movements or combine multiple movements into one exercise 

Patching: perform an additional movement between two exercises


Cueing Strategies: 

Anticipatory (signal change, urgent and consider, name of next pose) 

Instructional (exercise set-up, clear, posture, alignment, modifications) 

Follow up - additional modifications and enhancements to form or posture (“Let’s make sure that chest is fully in line with our body” 

Motivational- “Can we go even farther into that stretch? Or Can we add some gear” 

— Solicit meaningful feedback from a variety of sources and incorporate information to enhance the class experience or modify teaching strategies

— Understand leadership strategies that can be utilized to manage and enhance the group fitness class experience

— Implement strategies to avoid group fitness instructor burnout

Chapter 11: Offering group fitness classes in diverse settings 

Goes into teaching fitness classes online 

  • Music preparation, timing, keeping it engaging and changing tone of voice, heavy emphasis on vocal cues 

Outside group fitness classes (health benefits and community benefits such as accessibility and affordability) 

Considerations: 

  • May need permit, public land vs private land, risk mitigation (visit space beforehand, plan for potential emergency situations, consider impact of weather) 

Environmental Temperature-related illnesses: 

  • Heat Cramps (least serious), Heat Exhaustion, Heat Stroke (most serious - needs EMS) 

    • Biggest difference between Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke is that you are profusely sweating with Heat Exhaustion and you stop sweating with Heat Stroke. 

  • Hypothermia (possibly needs EMS) 


Leadership Strategies for outdoor group fitness classes 


Chapter 12: Working with people with health considerations

Heart (Cardiac Considerations) 

CVD - Cardiovascular Disease - refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system 

  • Coronary heart disease (CAD) 

    • Results in the development of atherosclerosis on the coronary arteries 

- Hypertension : systolic blood pressure (if its over 130/80 mmhg) 

Normal: <120 and <80 

Elevated: 120-129 and <80

Hypertension Stage 1: 130-139 and 

Stage 2: >140 and <90 


Considerations for Participants with Cardiac Conditions: 

  • Changes exercising abruptly cause cause orthostatic hypotension which is basically changing their blood pressure quickly, spiking or dropping it. 

  • - Avoid Valsalva maneuver (holding the breath) 


Pulmonary Conditions: 

  • Asthma - chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways 

Steps to manage on asthma attack: make them comfortable and relaxed, they need to administer inhaler themselves, drink slowly

Breathing Techniques: pursed-lip breathing and diaphragmatic breathing 


Arthritis 

  • Osteoarthritis: degeneration of synovial fluid (essential you don't have that cushion between your joints and once the fluid is gone its bone and bone and can cause pain) 

    • Hips, knees, ankles, and hands 

Exercise guidelines for participants with osteoarthritis: 

  • 5-10 min warmup 

  • Light aerobic exercise to increase blood flow and temperature 

  • Daily-living exercises 

  • Pay attention to posture (keep joints best aligned) 

  • Teach participants difference between soreness and pain 


Diabetes: 

Type 1: typically born with it ( has reduced or absent insulin levels) 


Type 2: typically brought on over time and by nature or by persons choices (typically overweight or obese) 

  • There body does not respond to insulin anymore (it’s present) ‘


Hypoglycemia: light-headed, dizzy, fast heartbeat, sweating, chills, nerves (doest have enough glucose in the blood) 

15-15 Rule: If blood sugar is 100 mg/dl or lower, take 15-20 grams of carbohydrate and recheck blood sugar level after 15 minutes, repeat every 15 minutes until blood sugar level is reached. 


Obesity: multifactorial disease involving a complex interplay among the following factors: 

  • Environmental, behavioral, 

  • Low to moderate exercises, shorter bouts of exercise and increase over time