Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Purpose
- 2 Instrumentation
- 3 Testing methods
- 4 Response variables
- 5 Data integration and interpretation
- 6 Illustrative cases and reports
- Appendix A Glossary (terms, symbols, definitions)
- Appendix B Calculations and conversions
- Appendix C Reference values
- Appendix D Protocols and supplemental materials
- Appendix E Frequently asked questions
- Index
Preface
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 August 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Purpose
- 2 Instrumentation
- 3 Testing methods
- 4 Response variables
- 5 Data integration and interpretation
- 6 Illustrative cases and reports
- Appendix A Glossary (terms, symbols, definitions)
- Appendix B Calculations and conversions
- Appendix C Reference values
- Appendix D Protocols and supplemental materials
- Appendix E Frequently asked questions
- Index
Summary
Exercise is fundamental to human existence. For most men and women exercise is essential for quality of life and for many it is the essence of their livelihood. Some have a competitive instinct for athletic performance in the pursuit of individual human achievement. We now understand that the maintenance of physical fitness throughout life is crucial if we are to remain healthy and live to an advanced age. In these contexts, the assessment of exercise ability is of considerable importance to humanity. Exercise testing becomes the means of assessing ability to perform specific tasks, quantification of athletic performance, diagnosis of disease, assessment of disability, and evaluation of responses to physical training, therapeutic intervention, and rehabilitation.
Recent years have indeed witnessed widespread applications of exercise testing that range from clinical uses in assessing debilitated patients to sports medicine venues and the testing of élite athletes. Some exercise tests are appropriately performed with a minimum of equipment, such as a watch and a measured course. Others involve more sophisticated instrumentation enabling more detailed assessments. Advances in technology have rendered all exercise tests more accessible and more affordable, although not necessarily easier to perform with accuracy and reliability. Wireless heart rate monitors give instantaneous and reliable heart rates in the field or in the laboratory. Bi-directional, light-weight, mass flow sensors have obviated the need for cumbersome valves and tubing and, together with miniaturized and fast-responding gas analyzers, enable the calculation of oxygen uptake with every breath.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Exercise Testing and InterpretationA Practical Approach, pp. ix - xiiPublisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2001