Hannah Schmidt

SER 331 01 Testing and Exercise Prescription Lab

Module 2 - Cardiorespiratory Fitness Tests
30 March 2020
Dr. Larouere
 Background: When giving the most straightforward definition of cardiorespiratory

fitness, you would simply state that it is the ability of the heart, lungs, and vascular

system to deliver blood containing oxygen to working muscles during that period of

physical activity. Some of these forms of exercise include swimming, running, jogging,

cycling, and so on.

There are plenty of reasons why we assess cardiorespiratory fitness, and the

most simple reason would be that it can provide information about how well your heart

and lungs function to get oxygen to your muscles during exercise. With these results,

they can help in determining your risk of developing heart disease or other chronic

diseases. These tests can also be used to help in determining the specific type of

exercise and weight loss programs that are needed for the client. These tests being

performed will include taking the patients blood pressure and heart rate during the

period of exercise.
 Discussion and Test Results: Cardiorespiratory fitness is measured by maximum

oxygen uptake, and how it's used during intense exercise. This peak is called the VO2

max. If these levels are high, it shows that you are using more oxygen and that your

cardiorespiratory system is functioning properly. There are two components that can

limit the VO2 max of an individual. These include the central nervous system, which

includes the heart, lungs, and blood vessels, and the peripheral, which is the tissue

extraction of oxygen. Throughout the lab procedures, there was great variability in the

VO2 max tests performed on individuals. For the general average, many of the clients

had a VO2 max range from 40-45. There were a few instances where the numbers were

below this average, but this could have been for a multitude of reasons. For the

Rockport 1 mile test for instance, the equation used to determine VO2 max does not

include any of the client's health information, but simply the amount of distance covered.

This lack of distance could have been due to lack of effort, with the client not pushing

themselves. These scores ranged from the 12-13 range. However, with the other

equations used to determine VO2 max, weight, HR, and other more personalized

information are included, giving us a more accurate result. There are several factors

that can disrupt the accuracy of finding a VO2 max, simply because there is plenty of

information that needs to be considered when calculating. Not being able to feel a

pulse would definitely become a large issue when solving for a clients VO2 max. This

number is needed to be accurate when plugging into the VO2 max equation, and if it is

not done accurately, can throw off the entire number. Another factor that can actually

throw off the heart rate itself would be the behavior of the client. If an individual drinks

caffeine or smokes before they perform the test, this can throw off their results
drastically. The environment of the room could also be a large factor, when determining

the heart rate. Not only could noises make it hard to focus on the heart rate and blood

pressure of the client, but also could cause them additional stress which could possibly

create and increase in numbers. The final thing that can be an issue in finding the VO2

max would be that the client can not follow the tempo of the metronome. With

inaccurate speed on the YMCA bike test, this can result in too low or high of number in

heart rate and blood pressure. Because all these numbers are thrown into an equation,

any inconsistency would automatically result in an incorrect VO2 max. Based on the

answers listed above, I believe that the tests that were most accurate in assessing my

cardiorespiratory fitness would be the jog and walk treadmill test. When collecting my

VO2 max among the various tests, these seemed to be the most accurate. Unlike the

YMCA bike test, no metronome was needed, and not nearly as hectic.They were both

pretty straightforward, and the speed and incline were able to be properly tracked on the

treadmill versus some of the other walk and run tests.

 Learning: When evaluating the comments and scores from peer observations for

my testing skill, for the most part they go hand and hand with my own personal self

evaluation. In tests from the past lab, I personally believed I lacked confidence in my

capabilities and the comments also conveyed this. However after completing lab two I

believe that this has drastically improved from previous. I was able to provide motivation

to the clients, all well giving a clear explanation to the clients. I was also able to

maintain professionalism throughout with few errors included.

Something I had noticed which was included in the evaluation that I had

struggled with using the heart monitor. Because of this, there were moments that the

times were slightly thrown off when collecting data for the treadmill test. In the future I

will make sure that it is working properly before the test, so I can receive more accurate

results. If it does not work, I will take their heart rate manually. Something I had also

noticed was that towards the beginning of taking the tests, I had to refer back to the

manual to look at the testing steps. In the future, I will be sure to have a proper

understanding of the entire procedure before I begin.

The most challenging part of conducting the YMCA testing was the timeliness

and franticness of it all. It's very difficult to maintain that professionalism as well as keep

track of the time because there was a lot of running back and forth throughout it all. I

had to deal with these challenges by making sure I had a general understanding of what

this test entailed and that I was properly prepared. There was no time to look back at

your manual for this test.