Physiological Assessments & Health Screening

• Physiological assessments are conducted to collect baseline data, aiding fitness professionals in creating personalized exercise programs.
• The PAR-Q+ is a minimal screening tool for Health Risk Appraisal (HRA).
• Fitness professionals use Health History Questionnaires (HHQ) to gather additional information for selecting assessments, designing programs, and monitoring progress.
• HHQs include a client's medical history (injuries, surgeries, medications, chronic diseases) and lifestyle habits (exercise, diet, sleep, stress, occupation).
• Resting and exercising heart rate and blood pressure show health risks and training adaptations.
• For accuracy, safety, and ease, NASM suggests measuring a client's radial (wrist) pulse.
• Blood Pressure (BP) measures the outward pressure of blood on arterial walls.
• Higher BP scores indicate greater risks for cardiovascular disease.
• A normal BP reading is less than 120/80 mm Hg.
• Anthropometry measures living humans to understand size, weight, and proportion variations.
• Anthropometric measures include body fat assessments, BMI, and circumference measurements.
• These measurements help predict a client's mortality and morbidity risks.
• Body fat percentage can be measured by underwater weighing, skinfold measurements, and bioelectrical impedance analysis.
• Bioelectrical impedance is a popular method in fitness facilities due to ease of use.
• Cardiorespiratory assessments help fitness pros identify safe exercise intensities and appropriate cardio exercise types for clients.
• Examples of cardiorespiratory assessments include VO2max testing, YMCA 3-minute step test, Rockport walk test, and 1.5-mile run test.
• VO2max testing is the gold standard for identifying cardiorespiratory fitness, needs specialized equipment.
• VO2max requires maximal effort and isn't used outside labs or medical facilities.
• The talk test is an informal cardiorespiratory assessment gauging intensity via the ability to converse.
• The VT1 test is an incremental test on any device, gradually increasing intensity, relying on speech to determine metabolic changes.
• VT1 aims to estimate intensity where the body uses balanced fuels (50% fat, 50% carbs).
• The VT2 talk test measures the highest sustainable steady-state intensity for a few minutes.

Posture, Movement, and Performance Assessments

• Static posture is assessed standing to identify postural distortions: pes planus distortion, upper/lower crossed syndromes.
• Pes planus distortion syndrome: flat feet, knee valgus, internally rotated and adducted hips.
• Lower crossed syndrome: anterior pelvic tilt and excessive lordosis of the lumbar spine.
• Upper crossed syndrome: forward head and protracted shoulders.
• The OHSA is the first movement assessment which evaluates posture, core stability, and control during a squat.
• During the OHSA, note movement impairments to identify imbalances; look for feet turning out or knees caving in (anterior), low-back arching, or forward lean.
• The single-leg squat is for clients who perform well in the OHSA, or if considering single-leg exercises.
• Single-leg squat tests balancing ability.
• Pushing/pulling assessments evaluate upper extremity function and core stability and can be part of programming or an intake assessment.
• When performing pushing or pulling assessments, look for low-back arching, elevating shoulders, or head jutting forward.
• Performance assessments measure athletic performance: strength, power, endurance, speed, and agility.
• The push-up test measures upper extremities' muscular endurance.
• Bench press and squat assessments measure maximum strength capabilities.
• These strength assessments are for strength-specific goals and those experienced in resistance training.
• Vertical jump and long jump asses lower-body power.
• The LEFT tests lateral speed and agility which is an advanced assessment.
• The 40-yard dash test measures reaction, acceleration, and sprinting speed.
• The pro shuttle (5-10-5) test assesses acceleration, deceleration, agility, and control, which is appropriate for clients goals seeking to assess agility and sprinting speed.
• All assessments need a specific sequence: health screening and physiological assessments before posture, movement, cardio, and performance assessments.
• Use caution when implementing movement and performance assessments, modify, or avoid certain movement and performance assessments with specific populations like obese, children, older adults, and pregnant clients.

Physiological assessments gather baseline data for personalized exercise programs. The PAR-Q+ is a screening tool for Health Risk Appraisal (HRA). Health History Questionnaires collect client's medical history and lifestyle habits. Monitoring heart rate and blood pressure reveals health risks and training adaptations.