Physical Fitness Questions

Choose one of the learning experiences below and write a 250-word essay response.

1.  Take your blood pressure and the blood pressure of someone else. List  both the systole and diastole. Define systole, diastole, and list the  ranges of excellent, good, fair, and poor. Do you see any correlations  between blood pressure and lifestyle, stress level, or activity level?  How will you incorporate knowledge of blood pressure into your future  training endeavors?

2.  Have a graded exercise test (GXT) performed on you by a qualified  physician. Describe the experience. What were the results? Are you  surprised by the results, or are they as expected? How does this  learning experience influence your future training endeavors?

3.  Use the Karvonen method and the general method (220-age) to determine  the target heart rate for yourself and four individuals. What are the  differences between the two. What method do you think is more  appropriate and why? Once you determine target heart rate for yourself,  perform any exercise until you reach your target heart rate. (Only  attempt this experience if you are in good health and have a solid grasp  on how to achieve your target heart rate. Be sure to warm up and cool  down.) What exercise did you do? How did you monitor your heart rate?  How long did it take to get into your target heart rate? How long did  you remain in the target range? How will you use target heart rate in  your future training endeavors?

4.  Meet with three individuals who have been regularly working out for  over a year. Test different fitness components such as maximal strength,  strength endurance, aerobic endurance, flexibility, etc. List the  component and the results. How do your results compare to theirs? Is one  of you more fit than the other or are you just different from one  another? How does this learning experience influence your future  training endeavors?

5.  Following a good warm up, start in a seated position on an exercise  ball and jump as high as you can. Do this for a total of three  repetitions. Record the height you reach each time you complete the  exercise. Next, repeat the process, but start from a standing position.  Jump as high as you can. Record the height you reach each time you  complete the exercise from standing. Now, compare your results of the  seated start and the standing start. In which scenario did you jump  higher? Why? Relate this example to weight training technology and  explain how it is used in exercise performance.***May require outside  research of the stretch-shortening cycle. How will you incorporate this  knowledge into your future training endeavors?

6.  Critically analyze the following three popular training systems:  bigger, faster, stronger (BFS); crossfit; and high intensity training  (HIT). How do they compare to the seven laws of training? Which of these  systems of training would be most appropriate for you? Why?

7.  Critically evaluate the workout programs of five individuals. How do  they compare to the seven laws of training? Under what conditions would  you change these programs? How will you utilize your knowledge of the  seven laws of training in your future training endeavors?

8.  Define periodization and its components (cycles). Provide a detailed  explanation for how periodization could specifically benefit each of the  following clients and how it would assist them in obtaining their  ultimate goal(s)/objective(s): college soccer player, 35-year-old  sedentary adult wanting to tone, long distance runner. Is periodization  beneficial for everyone? Why or why not?