Owner’s Manual
23
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 HR 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
2 MAX
prediction.
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 HR 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?
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