Nautilus T9.16 Owner's Manual page 25

MORE WORKOUTS: FIT TEST PROGRAM
beats from the average given by a prediction equation. If an individual's age-predicted maximal heart rate is
higher than that person's true maximal heart rate, then his/her estimated VO
correct or actual value.
The final assumption addresses the issue of mechanical efficiency. Oxygen uptake at any given work rate can
vary by approximately 15% between different individuals. Therefore, individuals vary in the amount of oxygen
they require to perform a certain exercise workload. Some individuals are more efficient at performing a given
task than others. As a result, the average oxygen consumption associated with a given workload may vary
significantly from one person to another. Thus, VO
overestimated for those who are mechanically efficient and underestimated for those who are inefficient.
The point to remember is that sub-maximal exercise testing, though not as precise as maximal exercise testing,
is not without advantages. For example, the results of such testing can provide a fairly accurate reflection of
an individual's fitness status without the cost, risk, effort (on the part of the subject) and time involved in max
testing. If an individual is given repeated sub-maximal exercise tests and that person's heart rate response to
a fixed workload is found to decrease over time, it is reasonably safe to conclude that the individual has made
improvements in aerobic (cardiorespiratory) fitness, irrespective of the accuracy of the VO
Pretest Screening
Prior to any exercise test (maximal or sub-maximal), participants should complete a brief health/medical
questionnaire, have their resting blood pressure and heart rate measured, and provide an informed consent form.
The Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) is an example of a valid health/medical questionnaire
for screening individuals prior to sub-maximal exercise testing. Canadian health and fitness practitioners have
extensively (and quite successfully) used the PAR-Q to determine whether individuals should be given an exercise
test. A "yes" answer to any of the following seven questions taken from the PAR-Q would disqualify a participant
from taking part in an exercise test until appropriate medical clearance was obtained.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY READINESS QUESTIONNAIRE (PAR-Q)
1. Has your doctor ever said you have a heart condition and recommended only medically supervised physical
activity?
2. Do you have chest pain brought on by physical activity?
3. Have you developed chest pain within the past month?
4. Do you tend to lose consciousness or fall over as a result of dizziness?
5. Do you have a bone or joint problem that could be aggravated by the proposed physical activity?
6. Has a doctor ever recommended medication for your blood pressure or a heart condition?
7. Are you aware, through your own experience or a doctor's advice, of any other physical reason against your
exercising without medical supervision?
2 max
predicted by sub-maximal exercise tests tends to be
2 max
will be an overestimation of the
prediction.
2 max
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