Palawan State University
College of Teacher Education
Unit 2: Monitoring Exercise Intensity
I. Cardiorespiratory System
The cardiovascular system keeps the blood circulating when tissue cells take
in nutrients from and excrete metabolic by-products such as lactic acid and carbon
dioxide to their immediate environment.
This ensures a continuous supply of oxygen and nutrients and prevents
pollution from the build-up of wastes.Using blood as the transport medium, the
heart pumps the oxygen, nutrients, metabolic by-products, and other substances
into the vessels that move to and from the cells.
A. Heart
The heart has four chambers: two superior atria and two inferior
ventricles. The right side of the heart is the pulmonary circuit pump.
Deoxygenetaed blood returning from the body enters the right atrium and
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passes into the right ventricle, which pumps it to the lungs via the pulmonary
trunk. In the lungs, the blood unloads CO2 and picks up O2. The freshly
oxygenated blood is carried by the pulmonary veins back to the left side of
the heart.
The left side of the heart is the systemic circuit pump. Freshly
oxygenated blood leaving the lungs is returned to the left atrium and passes
into the left ventricle, which pumps it into the aorta.
The pulmonary circuit, served by the right ventricle, is a short, low-
pressure circulation, whereas the systemic circuit, associated with the left
ventricle, takes a long pathway through the entire body and encounters great
resistance to blood flow. Consequently, the left ventricle can generate much
more pressure than the right and is a more powerful pump.
The alternating expansion and recoil of elastic arteries during each
cardiac cycle creates a pressure wave which is felt as the pulse. By
compressing an artery against the firm tissue, the heart rate can be counted.
The radial pulse (at the wrist) and the carotid pulse (at the side of the
neck) are routinely used because of their accessibility. (see Figure 2 below)
B. Lungs
The lungs are the main organs of the respiratory system.
Deoxygenated blood that is pumped by the heart to the lungs unloads its
carbon dioxide. This is expelled from the body through expiration or
exhalation (breathing out). Through inspiration or inhalation, the body
breathes in air that contains oxygen which diffuses into the blood. This
oxygenated blood returns to the heart, which now pumps it to the rest of the
body.
When the oxygenated blood reaches the cells, gas exchange takes
place - cells give off their waste products, and take in oxygen from the blood.
This process is known as internal respiration. Deoxygenated blood now
returns to the heart and the entire process is repeated.
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Handout 4: Monitoring Exercise Intensity
C. Cardiac Output, Stroke Volume, and Heart Rate
Stroke volume - The amount of blood pumped out with each contraction.
Heart rate - The frequency at which the heart beats or contracts
Cardiac output - refers to the heart’s ability to pump out blood every
minute. The product of stroke volume and heart rate.
At rest, only 15-20% of the cardiac output goes to the muscles. During
the intense exercises, the muscle receives 80-85% of the cardiac output.
II. Assessing Cardiorespiratory Endurance
VO₂ max, or the maximum amount of oxygen your body can transport and
utilize during maximum exercise is the best quantitative measure of cardiorespiratory
endurance.
How do we assess Cardiorespiratory Endurance?
1. Step Test
The Queens College step test is also known as the McArdle Step Test.
Determine your VO₂ max using the following formula:
Men: VO2 max = 111.33 - (0.42 x HR recovery)
Women: VO2 max= 65.81 - (0.1847 x HR recovery)
2. Fixed Distance Test
a. The Rockport 1-mile walk test is recommended for those who are unable to
run because of low fitness (e.g. deconditioned, obese, elderly). It requires
you to walk briskly for 1 mile or 4 laps around a standard 400 meters track
oval. You need to determine your body weight in pounds first before the test.
After completing four laps, immediately:
Record your completion time, and
Count your pulse for 15 seconds and multiply it by 4 to obtain your
recovery heart rate in beats per minute.
Convert your walking time such that the seconds is divided into 60
(because there are 60 seconds in one minute). For example, if you
completed the test in 12 minutes and 15 seconds, yur walking time is 12
+ 15/60 = 12.25 minutes.
VO2 max = 88.768 - (0.0957 x weight) + (8.892 x sex) - (1.4537 x time) -
(0.1194 x HR recovery)
Where: weight is in pounds; sex is 0 for women, and 1 for men; time is
walking time in minutes and HR recovery is 15 second pulse count x 4.
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b. The 1.5 mile run test is for individuals who are able to jog continuously for
15 minutes. It requires completing 1.5 mile distance or 6 laps around
standard track oval.
Record the walking time (divide the seconds into 60) to complete the
test and determine the VO2 max using the formula below.
VO2 max = 3.5 + (483/time)
c. Fixed Time Test
The 12 - minute walk /run test (also known as the Cooper test)
requires you to cover the maximum distance in 12 minutes by walking,
running, or combination of both.
At the end of 12 minutes, record the distance covered in meters and
determine VO2max using the formula:
VO2 max = (distance in meters - 504.9) / 44.73
After obtaining your VO2 max you can determine your current fitness level
based on the table:
III. Assessing Exercise Intensity
The most individualized and critical criterion for determining an exercise
prescription is the exercise intensity. It reflects the level of difficulty of an exercise or
how much effort one exerts during exercise. You can monitor the intensity through
the heart rate, rating of perceived exertion, talk test, metabolic equivalent (MET)
and caloric expenditure.
a. Heart rate - When performing low-to-moderate exercise, there is a linear
relationship between heart rate and oxygen consumption. This means that an
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increase in heart rate is accompanied by an increase in oxygen consumption.
Conversely, if heart rate decreases, so does the oxygen consumption.
b. Rating of Perceived Exertion
RPE, sometimes called the Borg Scale (Borg, 1982), was design by Dr.
Gunner Borg in order to indicate one’s level of perceived physical effort.
It avoids the need to stop and count heart rate during exercise. The
original scale was based on numerical (6-20) and descriptive associations (light
to hard) of fatigue or exertion.
c. Talk Test
Individual should be able to breathe comfortably and rhythmically
throughout all phases of a workout to ensure a safe and comfortable level of
exercise, especially for those just beginning a exercise program.
A moderate- intensity exercise is one wherein you can carry on a
conversation, but cannot sing. If you struggle to say a few words and need to
take a breath to do so, you are exercising at a vigorous-intensity.
Like the RPE, it is subjective (measure relative intensity) but is quite
useful in determining a “comfort zone” of aerobic intensity.
d. Metabolic Equivalent (MET)
Metabolic equivalent is a physiological measure of the amount of oxygen
consumed while sitting at rest and is equal to 3.5 ml O2 per kg body weight per
minute.
Multiples of a MET are then used to classify various activities in terms of
their intensity relative to the resting state.
For example, walking 3.5 miles per hour is equal to 4 METs. This means
that the oxygen you consume while performing this activity is four times above
that of resting time.
The table below provides approximate MET values for a variety of light,
moderate, and vigorous activities.
Table 3: MET Values
Light Moderate Vigorous
< 3.0 METs 3.0 - 6.0 METs > 6.0 METs
Sitting at a desk: 1.3 Housework (cleaning, Walking at very brisk pace (4.5
sweeping) : 3.5 mph): 6.3
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Sitting, playing cards: Weight training (lighter Bicycling 12 - 14 mph (flat
1.5 weights) : 3.5 terrain) : 8
Standing at a desk: 1.8 Golf (walking, pulling clubs) : Circuit training (minimal rest) :
4.3 8
Srolling at a slow pace: Brisk walking (3.5 - 5 mph): 5 Singles Tennis: 8
2.0
Washing dishes: 2.2 Weight training (heavier Shoveling, digging ditches: 8.5
weights): 5
Hatha yoga: 2.5 Yard work (mowing, moderate Competitive soccer: 10
effort): 5
Fishing (sitting) : 2.5 Swimming laps (leisurely Running (7 mph) : 11.5
pace): 6
For example:
Let’s say you weigh 160 pounds (approximately 73 kg) and you play
singles tennis, which has a MET value of 8 (according to the table).
The formula would work as follows: 8 (MET Value) x 3.5 x 73 (weight
in kg) / 200 = 10.2 calories per minute. If you play tennis for an hour,
you’ll burn about 613 calories.
e. Caloric Expenditure
Calories are used to measure the cost of energy expenditure of physical
activities. The more work we do, the more energy we expend and that more
calories we use. (BMR and TDEE formula and computation)
IV. Muscular System
The word muscle was coined from the Latin word ‘mus’ which means ‘mouse’
because flexing the muscle looks like a mouse scurrying beneath the skin. Muscles
are classified into cardiac, skeletal (striated, or striped in appearance and voluntary),
and smooth (non-striated and involuntary).
They all possess the following:
1. Excitability – respond to stimulus;
2. Contractility – generate force to produce movement;
3. Extensibility – to stretch beyond resting length; and
4. Elasticity – to resume original length after being stretch
a. Skeletal Muscle Structure
The structure of skeletal muscle forms the basis for understanding how
it contracts. A skeletal muscle is composed of individual fibers bond together
by a sheath of connective tissues.
Myofibrils are the basic unit of a muscle. Individual fibers appear
elongated are called myofibrils. Strength training increases the size
(hypertrophy) of the myofibrils. Myofibrils are called a fascicle.
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Actin (thin), Myosin (thick one) - The contractile unit within the
myofibrils contains myofilaments.
The myosin filaments have tiny projection (called cross bridges) on each
end that extend toward the actin filaments. A myofibril consists of two
protein filaments, the actin (thin) and myosin (thick with cross bridges).
When powered by ATP, these filaments slide over each other and
overlap to a certain degree, thereby producing significant force. When
this happens, we describe it as muscle contraction.
b. Muscle Contraction
There are two types of muscular contraction:Dynamic and Static. Dynamic
contraction refers to a change in the length of the muscle when it applies force
as a result of cross bridge activity. When the muscle applies force as it shortens,
the contraction is referred to as concentric. When it lengthens, it is referred to
as eccentric contraction.
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Just like performing a push up, when you lower your self to the ground,
the biceps muscles are contracting eccentrically, while the triceps muscles are
contracting eccentrically.
Furthermore, static or isometric contraction produces significant force
without any considerable change in the length of the muscle. An example of this
contraction is plank position, where the core hip, and leg muscles are
contracting isometrically.
V. Assessing Muscular Fitness
Musculoskeletal fitness integrates not just muscular strength, but also
muscular endurance, and flexibility. Muscle strength, or the maximal force that can
be generated, is specific to the muscle group tested , the type of contraction, and
the angle of the joint. Thus, there is no single test for muscle strength because of
these various specific considerations.
One-repetition maximum or 1-RM, which represents the greatest resistance
that can be moved through the full range of motion in a controlled manner, has
been traditionally used to measure dynamic strength.
An example of this includes the one-repetition or 1- RM of bench press test
and 1-RM leg press test. 1-RM testing is determined through trial-and-error, which
means, it involves several maximal or near-maximal attempts at lifting a certain
weight or resistance. Finally, a true 1-RM might be difficult to establish because of
fatigue.
The following tables are used to interpret the test score for push-up, curl-up,
and sit-and-reach.
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PATHFIT 2: Fitness Exercises
Handout 4: Monitoring Exercise Intensity
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Handout 4: Monitoring Exercise Intensity
