Health-related Fitness Practice

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of cardiorespiratory fitness? A. More blood is pumped through the body. B. The risk of cardiovascular disease is decreased. C. Longer durations of large muscle exercises are possible. D. The efficiency of the respiratory system increases.

A

Which of the following tests uses calipers to assess body composition? A. skinfold test B. sit-and-reach C. arm hang D. curl-up

A

Which of the following is a direct benefit of good flexibility? A. increased muscle strength B. increased range of motion C. improved muscle endurance D. none of the above

B

Which of the following exercises would be BEST for improving muscular strength and endurance? A. walking B. running C. push-ups D. bicycling

C

Which of the following is TRUE about assessing muscular strength and endurance? A. All muscle groups can be tested simultaneously. B. Muscle strength and endurance are always assessed together. C. Different muscle groups have to be tested separately. D. One test can determine an individual's muscle group focus area.

C

Explain why improving cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength and endurance are considered good strategies for improving body composition.

Exercise uses energy, and when energy expenditure exceeds energy intake, the difference is made up by burning fat. Thus, improving one's cardio respiratory fitness and muscular strength and endurance can help improve one's body composition by changing the ratio of body tissue to fat.

Explain the relationship between muscular strength and endurance and describe their impact on health-related fitness.

Muscular strength is a measure of how much force a muscle can exert in a single effort, while muscle endurance describes the ability of muscles to contract repeatedly over time. Muscle strength and endurance develop together: that is, building muscle strength also helps build endurance and vice versa. However, some exercises and activities are best for developing muscle strength and others for muscle endurance. Both muscular strength and endurance are important components of health-related fitness.

Explain why the greatest benefits to cardiorespiratory fitness come from sustained physical activities like running, walking and cycling.

Sustained physical activity allows the body to work its muscles while providing oxygen to the muscle groups. This activity develops the muscle groups in addition to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems that deliver oxygen to the muscles via blood circulation. Sustained physical activity exercises all these systems in concert and improves cardiorespiratory fitness levels.

Compare and contrast the curl-up and arm hang test and explain why different tests cannot be used interchangeably.

The curlup tests the strength and endurance of the abdominal muscles, while the arm hang tests the strength and endurance of the arm muscles. Since different muscle groups are developed and tested in different ways, tests for different groups cannot be used interchangeably because the results do not pertain to the same group of muscles.

Distinguish between different kinds of cardiorespiratory fitness assessments and explain why different tests provide different information about fitness levels.

There are several different kinds of assessments of cardiorespiratory fitness such as timed runs, timed walks, and step tests. The different tests assess the use of different muscle groups as well as different levels of exertion. Running is more intensive than walking, and walking for a mile at a steady pace over level ground uses different muscle groups than stepping up and down repeatedly. Using multiple, different fitness assessments gives a more complete picture of the various factors that contribute to an individual's level of cardiorespiratory fitness.