Chapter 16

Exercise Prescriptions
for Health and Fitness
EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY
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 Introduction

• Physical activity is any form of muscular activity

• Related to physical fitness
• Physical fitness is defined as a set of attributes that people have or
develop that relate to the ability to perform physical activity.
• Exercise represents a subset of physical activity that is planned, with
a goal of improving or maintaining fitness
• Can reduce the risk of death from all causes
• Physical inactivity is a primary risk factor for coronary heart disease

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

 Objectives
1. Characterize physical inactivity as a coronary heart disease
risk factor comparable to smoking
2. Contrast exercise with physical activity; explain how both
relate to a lower risk of CHD and improvement in
cardiorespiratory fitness
3. Describe the physical activity recommendation by ACSM
and the CDC and Prevention to improve health status of
sedentary U.S. adults
4. Explain what screening and progression mean for a person
wishing to initiate an exercise program

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 Objectives

5. Identify optimal range of frequency, intensity, and duration

of activity associated with improvements in CRF. Why is
more not alway better than less?
6. Calculate a target heart rate range by either the heart range
reserve or percent of maximal HR
7. Explain why the appropriate sequence of physical activity
for sedentary persons is walk, walk/jog, jog, followed by
games
8. Explain how target heart rate (THR) helps adjust exercise
intensity in times of high heat, humidity, or while at altitude

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

 Prescription of Exercise
Dose-Response Relationship
• The effect (response) of the amount of a drug
(dose)
• Potency
• Slope
• Maximal effect
• Variability
• Side effect

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 Dose-Response Relationship
for Medication

Fig 16.1
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 Dose-Response
• Exercise dose is usually characterized by:
• Intensity
• % V02 max,
• % maximal heart rate
• rating of perceived exertion, and
• the lactate threshold.
• Frequency
• number of days per week and
• number of times per day
• Duration
• number of minutes of exercise,
• total kilocalories (kcal) expended, and
• total kcal expended per kilogram body weigh
• Type of activity
• resis­tance exercises or cardiovascular endurance

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
 Physical Activity and Health

• The benefits of physical activity may be more related to

total number of calories expended than exercise intensity
• The “Exercise Lite” recommendation

“Every U.S. adult should accumulate thirty

minutes or more of moderate-intensity
(3-6 METs) physical activity on most,
preferably all, days of the week.”
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
 Dose Response of Exercise

• The following terms are used to describe the patterns of

responses in the weeks following the initiation of a dose
of exercise
• Acute responses – occur with one or several exercise bouts, but
do not improve further
• Rapid responses – benefits occur early and plateau
• Linear – gains are made continuously over time
• Delayed – occur only after weeks of training

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

 Dose-Response Relationship
for Exercise

Fig 16.2
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 Dose-Response Relationship
for Physical Activity

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

 In previously sedentary subjects, small changes
in physical activity result in large health
benefits with only minimal risk.

Strenuous exercise increases the risk of a heart

attack during the activity, but reduces the over­
all (rest + exercise) risk of such an event

Moderate to high levels of cardiorespiratory

fitness reduce the risk of death from all causes

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

 General Guidelines
for Improving Fitness

• Screening
• Health status screening (PAR-Q)
• Progression
• Moderate-intensity walking (3-4 mph)
• Then increase duration and/or intensity
• Warm-up, cool-down, and stretching
• Light exercise and stretching performed at beginning and
end of exercise session

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

 Exercise Prescription for CRF

• Frequency: two being the minimum

• Gains level off after 3 to 4 sessions/wk
• Duration: must be considered with intensity
• Total work/session should 200-300 kcal

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 Optimal Training:
Intensity, Duration, and Frequency

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

 Exercise Prescription for CRF

• Intensity: describes the overload on the CVS needed to

bring about a training effect
• 50%-85% of VO2 MAX
• Target heart rate (THR) range
• Direct method form maximal GXT
• Indirect method estimated by some simple calculation

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 Target Heart Rate Range Determined From
GXT

Fig 16.5
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
 Sequence of Physical Activity

• Walking
• Start at a comfortable speed for 15 minutes
• Gradually increase duration and speed
• Jogging
• Start by adding some running when walking
• Gradually increase speed/duration of running
• Games and sports
• Intermittent higher-intensity activities within THR range

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

 Strength Training

• Muscular strength is an important component of

physical fitness
• Recommendations
• Dynamic resistance exercises
• Full range of motion
• 8-10 different exercises
• 8-12 repetitions per exercise

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 Environmental Concerns

• Environmental conditions can alter exercise heart

rate
• Adjust exercise intensity in adverse environments
• High temperature and humidity
• Altitude
• Use THR range as a guide for intensity

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Physical Activity
Pyramid

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Thank you