PE 316: Assessment & Exercise Prescription

PE 316: Principles & Techniques of Fitness Assessment & Exercise Prescription

This course uses the SAKAI coursesite through the LAMP portal for access to complete syllabus, notes, handouts, etc.

Course Description:
The study of methods of determining fitness levels and developing safe exercise programs, developing and administering group exercise/wellness programs. Emphasis is placed on evaluation techniques and exercise prescription.

Required Textbook and Materials:
Guidelines Text:  ACSM.  (2010).  ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription.  8th Edition.  Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.
Health Text: ACSM (2010).  ACSM’s Health-Related Physical Fitness Assessment Manual.  3rd Edition.  Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.

Course Goals/Objectives:
This course will prepare students to work in settings with health-related physical fitness programs; demonstrate the use of exercise equipment; provide rationale for individualized exercise programs; detail the expected benefits of exercise; administer and interpret health appraisal, risk assessment, and fitness tests; and design the appropriate exercise programs and safety procedures for healthy adults.

Course Relationship to Major Program and Department:
This course is a requirement for all students in the Physical Education, Exercise Science, and Sports and Fitness Management emphases in the Department of Exercise & Sport Sciences.

Course Relationship to Knowledge of Content Area and Skills:
Upon course completion, students should have knowledge of the five areas of physical fitness; be able to administer and interpret health appraisal, risk assessment, and fitness tests; the ability to create an exercise program for typical and atypical individuals; knowledge of behavior modification techniques; and ability to design a wellness program.

 Course Topics:

  • Health-related physical fitness, risk factors & indicators, & risk stratification
  • Fundamentals of fitness assessment & pre-screening
  • Fitness testing (including body composition, cardiorespiratory, muscular, & flexibility fitness)
  • Submaximal & maximal testing
  • Interpretation of testing results
  • Exercise prescription for general population and healthy population and special populations (cardiac patients, older adults, children)
  • Hands-on assessment activities