Running head: PHYSICAL FITNESS EXERCISES 1

Physical Fitness Exercises

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Institutional Affiliation

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PHYSICAL FITNESS EXERCISES 2

Abstract

Obesity has been considered a health risk and has been linked to diseases such as diabetes and

has even been considered a cause of disability. People dealing with obesity have known to be

physically unfit given that they cannot perform certain activities that would otherwise be easy if

they were of not obese. The Adolescents Surveillance System for Obesity prevention (ASSO) is

a project that involves the development of standardized and web-based tools or collecting data on

obesity rates among the youths hence establishing potential determinants. The Fitness Test

Battery (ASSO-FTB) involves a number of exercises aimed at establishing the physical fitness of

people categorized as obese. Through time, these exercises have been used to study the physical

fitness of obese individuals. This study seeks to utilize these exercises to find out if obese or

overweight individuals are physically unfit as compared to other people with normal or average

weights.

Keywords: obesity, exercises, fitness, practice, Adolescents Surveillance System for

Obesity - Fitness Test Battery (ASSO-FTB)

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Physical Fitness Exercises

Introduction

Obesity has been medically defined as an abnormal accumulation of body fat on a one's

body that is considered not ideal. Obesity has been considered a health risk and has been linked

to diseases such as diabetes and has even been considered a cause of disability. Bariatric is the

department of medicine that specifically specializes with the diagnosis and study of obesity. This

branch was initiated in the United States when studies revealed that there has been a rise in the

percentage of American citizens dealing with obesity. Due to this, the branch was separated from

other medical and surgical specialty (Ogden et al., 2010). Due to the associated health risks,

people are seeking health advice on how to live healthily and keep fit. In this paper, ASSO

fitness test batteries will be used to investigate the physical fitness or unfitness of people dealing

with obesity.

Material and Method

The ASSO-FTBs is a combination of physical tests or activities such as; the hand drip

test, broad jump, the sit-ups tests, a four by a ten-meter shuttle run, ten minutes of recovery, and

twenty meters shuttle run tests. These simple tests are used to distinguish how obese and non-

obese individuals carry out the activities. These exercises require participants to use most of their

body functionality to complete. This test can be performed by everyone including ones with

physical or mental disabilities. These following are the methods utilized in the study:

Hand and Grip Test

This particular test involves the use of a handgrip dynamometer to measure the maximum

isometric strength of the hand muscles. The experiment helps in determining the index of general
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upper body strength. The procedure required the subject to apply maximum isometric strength at

maximum speed and intensity. To achieve this, the subjects were required to perform an arm

flexing exercise in which the arm reached an angle of 90 degrees between forearm and arm.

Then after, the subjects carried out three seconds of arm contraction. The step was repeated for

three times for each hand separated by a 30-seconds recovery time between trials. The three trials

were recorded, however, only the best trial will be chosen for analysis (Jemni et al., 2017).

The Standing Broad Jump Test

The test involves a broad jump or standing broad jump exercise. To record this test, a

tape measure is used to measure the distance jumped. The exercise required subjects to stand

behind the starting line with feet slightly apart. They take-off with both feet simultaneously

while swinging arms while on a bent body position so as to generate drive. The subjects would

then try to attain the most height by jumping and landing on both feet following a slight bent of

the legs and accompanied by the movement of the upper limbs and trunk, without falling

backward. This step was repeated thrice with a recovery time of 180 seconds in between. From

the test, only the best trials were chosen for the analysis (Motlagh et al., 2017).

The Sit-up Test

This experiment involves common sit-up exercise. This exercise was used to measure the

abdominal muscular endurance of the subject. For this experiment, a non-slippery floor, floor

mat or flat ground was used by subjects. The results were then recorded in a data collection form.

The procedure required the subject to be lying but with legs firmly on the floor but while bent at

90 degrees and each subject should be held down by a partner. From this position, each subject

performed a trunk flexion to the thigh for as many times as possible until exhaustion or until he

or she cannot perform the exercise anymore. The subjects were required not to cross their fingers
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behind their necks but rather on the sides of the head. The subjects' upper body needed to attain a

vertical position when on the sit-up position and with each sit-up the body touched the floor. The

sit-ups by each subject are then recorded (Harris et al., 2017).

The Four by Ten Meters Shuttle Run Tests

For this test, the requirements were; digital stopwatches, tape measure, tape, a non-

slippery floor, and four cones. The cones were placed on a ten by five meters formation. The

subjects were then required to run to and from the ten meters for times without stopping. During

their run, their start and stop time is timed using the stopwatch. The average time was then

recorded. Each of the subjects was allowed to repeat the exercise once with a recovery time of

3.30 minutes which is equivalent to 300 seconds (González-Ruíz et al., 2018).

Results

The table below shows the results of all the above tests:
grip (kg)
Name of

sit up (#

sit up (#
run test

run test
the test

shuttle

shuttle

jump
hand

4*10

4*10

BMI
(cm)

BFP
long
of)3
of)

W/H
Participan

Test with

Test with

test w/o
test w/o
weight

weight

weight

weight

weight
with
t

1 30.4 13.64 13 20 30 71 37 34 0.87

2 22 10.83 9.79 26 35 161 16.6 23 0.73
3 32 12.1 10.12 45 60 188 25.1 29 0.8
4 22.6 10.65 10.42 16 28 117 17.7 23.9 0.76
5 31.6 12.4 11.1 25 40 170 22.7 24.9 0.69
6 30 11.7 10.9 33 42 145 22 25 0.81
7 25 12.4 10.7 8 25 85 18.8 23 0.64
8 27 12.5 11.7 12 15 95 24.5 26 0.73
9 31.2 11.2 10.6 29 50 160 23.5 24.5 0.66
10 40 11.4 9.4 28 35 133 31 32 0.84
11 45 11.23 12.55 20 30 99 34.5 34 0.85
12 20 12 11.5 7 10 105 18 22 0.74
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Name of hand 4*10 4*10 sit up sit up long BMI BFP W/H
the test grip shuttle shuttle (# of) (# of)3 jump
(kg) run test run test (cm)
(s) (s)2
Participant Test test Test test with
with w/o with w/o weight
weight weight weight weight
1 30.4 13.64 13 20 30 71 37 34 0.87

2 22 10.83 9.79 26 35 161 16.6 23 0.73

3 32 12.1 10.12 45 60 188 25.1 29 0.8

4 22.6 10.65 10.42 16 28 117 17.7 23.9 0.76

5 31.6 12.4 11.1 25 40 170 22.7 24.9 0.69

6 30 11.7 10.9 33 42 145 22 25 0.81

7 25 12.4 10.7 8 25 85 18.8 23 0.64

8 27 12.5 11.7 12 15 95 24.5 26 0.73

9 31.2 11.2 10.6 29 50 160 23.5 24.5 0.66

10 40 11.4 9.4 28 35 133 31 32 0.84

11 45 11.23 12.55 20 30 99 34.5 34 0.85

12 20 12 11.5 7 10 105 18 22 0.74

13 30.4 13.64 13 20 30 71 37 34 0.87

14 24 25 0.73

15 19 23.5 0.60

16 23 26 0.78

17 18 22 0.68

18 19 24 0.71

19 29 31 0.77
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From the tests, it was established that most participants both fit and unfit exhibited

differences in each test irrespective of sexes. The table below illustrates the differences in scores:

Analyzing the Difference in Scores with and without the Weights

Beep test p = 0.48

Long jump p = 0.40

Sit up p = 0.04

Shuttle run p = 0.04

Discussion

From the table above, there is a less difference in the shuttle run and sit up test exercises.

As mentioned above, the sit-up exercise was mainly used to test for muscle endurance of each

subject. The fact that all the subjects show fewer differences means that all subjects irrespective

of weight registered close results in muscle endurance. The shuttle run exercise was also an

endurance test. These definitive results deduce a finding that all the participants irrespective of

sex and weight exhibited close endurance capabilities.

At the other tests; the hand and grip test and the standing broad jump test were exercises

that were specific to establishing the capability of specific body functionality such as explosive

leg power, motor skills, agility, and speed. This exercises revealed that the subjects exhibited

differences when it comes to specific body functionality. The individuals with high body weights

exhibited less body capability than individuals who had less body weight (Lambert, 2009).
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The strength of the study is on the effectiveness of the exercise; each of them focused a

particular physical ability. From the results, it is clear that high body weights affects body

effectiveness and contributes to inefficient body functionality. Furthermore, the exercises can be

carried out be carried out by everyone since the requirement are easy to achieve while the results

reliable. These exercises could be suitable solutions for big groups within a limited time. The

data collected could be considered as highly accurate and valid depending on the equipment you

use. On the other hand, the limitation is that although the study can reveal accurate results, there

are difficulties in interpreting and using the tests to inform policy practice. There is limited

evidence on studies conducted on large scale hence making hard to make generalized

conclusions.

Conclusion

From the studies, it was established that obese individuals can also perform certain

exercises as well those considered to be of normal or average weight. Therefore, future studies

ought to move away from the notion that physical unfitness is a symptom of obesity. It is

indisputable that exercising helps curb obesity. However, the exercises ought to be designed so

that people can practice effective exercises that target specific areas of the body hence the

achievement of physical fitness. The findings of the project will contribute to the studies on

treatment strategies for conditions associated with diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
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References

González-Ruíz, K., Correa-Bautista, J. E., Izquierdo, M., García-Hermoso, A., Dominguez-

Sanchez, M. A., Bustos-Cruz, R. H., & Prieto-Benavides, D. H. (2018). Effects of an

exercise program on hepatic metabolism, hepatic fat, and cardiovascular health in

overweight/obese adolescents from Bogota, Colombia (the HEPAFIT study): Study

protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 19(1), 330.

Harris, S. K., Aalsma, M. C., Weitzman, E. R., Garcia-Huidobro, D., Wong, C., Hadland, S. E.

& Ozer, E. M. (2017). Research on clinical preventive services for adolescents and young

adults: where are we and where do we need to go?. Journal of Adolescent Health, 60(3),

249-260.

Jemni, M., Zaman, M. J., La Rocca, D., & Tabacchi, G. (2017). Southern Italian teenagers: the

older they get, the unfit they become with girls worse than boys: a cohort epidemiological

study: The adolescents surveillance system for the obesity prevention project

(ASSO). Medicine, 96(51).

Motlagh, M. E., Ziaodini, H., Qorbani, M., Taheri, M., Aminaei, T., Goodarzi, A., & Shahsavari,

A. (2017). Methodology and early findings of the fifth survey of childhood and

adolescence surveillance and prevention of adult noncommunicable disease: The

CASPIAN-V study. International journal of preventive medicine, 8.

Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Curtin, L. R., Lamb, M. M., & Flegal, K. M. (2010). Prevalence of

high body mass index in US children and adolescents, 2007-2008. Jama, 303(3), 242-

249.
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