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Samantha Kosmacki

SER 311 01 Testing and Exercise Prescription Laboratory

Module 2 Cardiorespiratory Fitness

30 March 2021

Dr. Larouere
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Background

Cardiorespiratory fitness is the ability of the circulatory and respiratory systems to supply

oxygen to the muscles during physical activity. It is a health-related component of fitness

because it decreases the risk of all causes of death, including premature deaths and deaths that

result from cardiovascular disease. According to the ACSM, an individual that is 18-65 years old

should participate in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise 5 days per week

or at least 20 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic exercise 3 days per week. Another option

would be to do a combination of both. We measure cardiorespiratory fitness based upon an

individual’s VO2 max, which is their maximal volume of oxygen consumed per unit of time.

Cardiorespiratory fitness improves overall physical activity and therefore has many health

benefits associated with it. Cardiorespiratory fitness is important in order to prevent fatigue and

ensure that the heart is strong enough to function at an appropriate rate. We assess cardiovascular

fitness for both prevention and rehabilitative purposes. It can demonstrate the health and fitness

capabilities of a client. Additionally, it provides data that is useful for creating an individualized

exercise program that includes all of the health and fitness components.
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Discussion of Test Results

VO2 max is the maximal volume of oxygen consumed per unit of time. It is the product of

the maximal cardiac output and arterial-venous oxygen difference. The central component of

VO2 max is the ability of the cardiorespiratory system to transport oxygen to the muscles used for

physical activity. The peripheral component is the ability of those muscles to take in and absorb

ATP, thus allowing for a greater maximal volume of oxygen intake. The units for VO2 max are

mL kg-1  min-1, which is the milliliters of oxygen consumed per kilogram of weight times one

minute.

The variability in my predicted VO2 max from various tests can be attributed to multiple

factors. The client’s gender, weight, medical history, and amount of effort put into the tests are

all possible factors. Additionally, there could be some variability in how the test administrator

conducted the tests. Variability within tests can be seen with different speeds and intensities. In

the treadmill walk and treadmill jog tests, there was a relatively wide range of speed options. A

client running at a maximum speed of 6.5 versus a person running at a maximum speed of 5.0

resulted in two very different VO2 max values. There is also variability between different tests.

For example, an individual may find that the YMCA bike test is more difficult, and they put less

effort into it, which may result in a lower VO2 max potentially in the lower 20s. That same

person that runs for the treadmill jog test may get a VO2 max in the 40s or 50s. These tests are

run differently and thus result in different VO2 max values. Other factors may also play a role in

variability within and between tests, including caffeine consumption and physical activity prior

to testing, or the accuracy of the test administrator. This could lead to a client receiving different

VO2 max scores for the same test that is run multiple times.
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Four key assumptions underlying submaximal tests of cardiorespiratory fitness are that a

steady state heart rate is obtained for each exercise work rate, mechanical efficiency is the same

for everyone, a linear relationship exists between heart rate and work rate, and that the subject is

not using high quantities of caffeine, which may affect their heart rate response. A violation of

the assumption that steady state heart rate is obtained for each exercise work rate would lead to

an error in the estimation of VO2 max because if the client’s heart rate increased to a significantly

higher value than the rest during the last minute of the test, you would end up overestimating

their VO2 max. The assumption that mechanical efficiency is the same for everyone could lead to

error because each individual is built differently, has different health histories, medications, and

genetics, so your results would be skewed. The third assumption that could lead to an error in

estimation of VO2 max is that a linear relationship exists between heart rate and work rate. Over

the course of exercise, your heart rate will not be able to increase anymore, thus losing the linear

relationship. Additionally, some individual’s heart rates do not follow a linear trend; they may

increase, then decrease, then increase again. This assumption would lead to an over- or

underestimation of VO2 max. Finally, the assumption that the subject is not using high quantities

of caffeine would skew the value for VO2 max because caffeine increases heart rate. Therefore,

using a higher value for heart rate would lead to a higher VO2 max and an overestimation.

I believe that the YMCA bike test gave an accurate assessment of cardiorespiratory

fitness. This test was taken over a longer period of time and was relatively controlled. A

metronome was used to keep the client on track and prevented them from slacking in effort.

Workload and work rate were increased depending on the heart rate of the client. This allowed

for a linear relationship between work rate and heart rate.

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Learning

Most of the comments from my peers included that I was friendly and explained the tests

and results well. I made sure that my clients were comfortable, and I took measurements at the

appropriate times. I would agree with these comments as I do feel that I followed the proper

guidelines when administering the tests. One person provided the comment that I used

complicated terms in my explanation. I think this is something I can work on and that will be a

relatively easy fix. I know it is important that the client is comfortable and understands what they

will be doing prior to starting the tests. I found this lab module to be extremely helpful and

important. The tests allowed me to get more comfortable working with patients and provided me

with more opportunities to learn how to properly run tests. I will be able to translate what I have

learned throughout this lab module into my future career as a physical therapist because I will be

working with patients one-on-one on a daily basis.

One of the most challenging aspects of conducting the YMCA bike test was measuring

the heart rates and blood pressures at the appropriate times while ensuring that the correct

amount of weight was added to the bike. I dealt with this challenge by remaining calm and

focusing on taking the measurements as close to the appropriate time as possible. I was able to

overcome this challenge even more during the second test I conducted because I had a better feel

for how quickly the test moves and what I needed to do as an administrator.