Kin 310 Testing Protocols – Overview2009-3

This document is intended to serve as an overview of techniques available for the assessment of physiological capacities in relation to exercise.

This is by no means exhaustive in content or in the detail of description.

Kin 343 covers the specifics of administration and application of many of these protocols.

Additional information regarding the caloric cost of a wide variety of household, work and sport activities can be found in

- Exercise Physiology, Mcardle , Katch and Katch ; Appendix C ; in CCW.

Surveys / Interviews

- Workers/supervisors or athletes/coaches can provide valuable information gathered from years of experience. This information can serve as a basis for further, more detailed biomechanical or physiological analysis.

Video Analysis

Can provide evidence of job demands such as

- Frequency of material handling

- Body positions – and potential stress on lower back

- Time devoted to each type of task

- Work rest ratio – time available for recovery

- Muscle groups that may be utilized (EMG used to substantiate expectations)

Psychophysical Testing

RPE – rate of perceived exertion – BORG scale 6 (very, very light)- 20 (very, very hard)

-can be utilized to evaluate workers perception of output on specific task

-either in real job situation or in simulation

-new BORG – scale is .5 - 10

Estimation of MAW (maximal acceptable weight)

- based on subjects own estimation of comfort with specifically designed task

- Requires close attention to Job demands when designing simulation protocol – distance, height of lift, box size, repetitions per minute, work/rest ratio

Aerobic Capacity

Sub maximal tests of aerobic capacity

Generally sub max tests are preferable for general population as they can be administered to many subjects at once, often do not require expensive equipment and pose a lower risk to the subject, thereby no requiring medical supervision.

CPAFLA step test (general population)

–HR for a minimum of three known work rates – stepping at known frequency up known height –

–Extrapolate to Max HR to provide estimate of max work rate – VO2 max

YMCA sub max bicycle test (general population)

–similar to CPAFLA

– using HR response to three known sub max work loads and max heart rate, estimate max work load (VO2 max)

Coopers test (general population – though best for runners or active population)

- 12 min run – distance over 400m track used to estimate VO2 max

Rockport Fitness Walking test –(general, older and less fit population)

–1600m walk – time and HR used to estimate fitness category

Maximal tests of Aerobic capacity

Maximal tests usually used with conditioned athletes or during experimental evaluation.

Bruce protocol used to stress cardiac patients hearts into illustrating signs of ischemia.

Medical supervision for Bruce protocol is required for cardiac patients.

20 m aerobic shuttle (beep test) (young, fit population)

-continually increasing speed required to complete 20 m shuttle run

-as rate of beeps increases, subjects drop out when they are no longer able to maintain output

-Final stage achieved provides indication of VO2 max

VO2 max treadmill test (Bruce protocol) (general – requires medical monitoring)

–maximal test potential increase in risk

–ECG required to monitor patient – Bruce used as stress test to induce changes in ECG for monitoring potential cardiac patients.

–Progressive increase in velocity and slope of treadmill

–Time on standard protocol indicates

Other methods of evaluating aerobic requirements

Calorimetry – direct and indirect – see Brooks p 40 –53 for detailed discussion

-used to indicate energy utilization over time

-indirect method measures Oxygen utilization (VO2) as estimate of caloric expenditure or metabolic rate

-also used to estimate the composition of the fuels utilized

-RQ – respiratory quotient is the ratio of CO2 produced toO2 consumed

-RQ = 1 indicates 100 % carbohydrate oxidation

-RQ =.71 indicates 100% fat oxidation

-Value in between indicates relative contribution of fuels

HR monitoring

– provides relative work load as % of max HR ( ~220-age)

-if work rate is known; or HR vs work rate

  • can estimate VO2 utilization or % VO2 max required for activity

-HR monitors can record data over long periods of time(hours, days) and download information into computer for analysis.

Anaerobic Capacity

Treadmill anaerobic test

- exhaustive run for 54 – 105 seconds - treadmill speed and slope chosen to result in optimum run time between 50 and 90 seconds before exhaustion

–run time less than 40 sec may not maximize blood lactate

–utilize subject mass, time on treadmill and slope and speed of treadmill to calculate anaerobic capacity

Wingate bike Test – estimate of power (phosphagens)

- 30 seconds all out - after warm up and practice trial

–peak anaerobic power - use max pedal revolutions per second and prescribed force to estimate

–anaerobic capacity – total number of revolutions in 30 sec trial (with force setting)

–Fatigue index – comparison of peak and lowest RPM’s

100 m shuttle run - phosphagens

50 yard sprint - phophagens

600 m run – anaerobic glycolysis

Vertical Jump – Power estimation – require individuals mass and height of vertical jump

Muscular strength – also see discussions in class notes

Dynamometers (isometric) – specialized equipment required

-only provides accurate information on specific joint angle tested

-very reproducible and controllable

Isotonic - rep maximum

-One rep max – potentially dangerous – often requires several attempts, no longer true maximum

-Conversion to one rep max from x RM

1 RM = (weight lifted) / [1 – (RM *.02)] – safer for variety of abilities, reliable from 2- 20 (best below 10)

Isokinetic – cybex, kincom

-very expensive specialized equipment

-see notes for validity regarding work capacity

EMG

-detects level of muscle stimulation for various body positions or tasks.

-Profile changes with fatigue for same output

Muscular endurance

Sit ups – max in 60 seconds –percentile ranking based on age and gender

Pushups – to failure

Isotonic weight lifting exercises

–to failure, or up to a maximum of 15 repetitions

- weight used is % of body weight (from 33-66 % depending on size and # of muscles utilized, also varies for men and women)

Flexibility

Static Flexibility – Leighton flexometer indicates joint ROM (range of motion)

Back Function Assessment – assessment by trained professional of strength and flexibility of lower back

Morphology

Muscle needle biopsy –staining – fiber type classification

MRI – magnetic resonance imagery – provides image of tissues, distinguishing by density

Body composition of fat, muscle and bone

Biochemistry

Radioactive tracer studies – see Brooks p 211-213

- Utilized to distinguish between the contributions of production and removal to overall blood content. Eg. provides turnover rate for lactate

Muscle sampling - needle biopsy, or excision

- Enzymatic activity analysis – Glycolytic (PFK, PHOS, LDH), Krebs (CS,SDH), Beta-Ox (B-HAD), ETC (CO) representative enzymes.

- Metabolite content – PC, Glycogen, ATP, ADP, Pi, Lactate…

Blood sampling

- Lactate

- Hormone levels – Epinephrine, HSL, GH, IGF-1 …

- Fuel levels -FFA, glycerol, TG, glucose content …

NMR - nuclear magnetic resonance – ATP, ADP, AMP, CP, HPO42-, H2PO4-

Molecular Biology – assess level of protein, mRNA . Distinguish between isoforms and determine if adaptation has occurred in response to stimulus.