Motor and Aptitude Assessment Methods
(in memory of Prof. Marcello Faina)
PROF. CHRISTEL GALVANI
COURSE AIMS
To learn about health-related physical fitness testing for healthy adults and for
special groups of the population.
To learn about functional assessment as applied to sports, in order to be able to
study the functional model of performance and training.
COURSE CONTENT
Content covered in the lectures:
– Implications and purposes of functional assessment.
– Functional assessment applied to research methodology in sports and motor
activity.
Health-related physical fitness test.
– Energy expenditure assessment.
– Lifestyle assessment.
– Risk factors assessment.
– Anthropometric measurements.
– Assessing the body’s composition.
– Maximum oxygen consumption assessment.
– Strength assessment.
– Flexibility assessment.
Skill-related physical fitness test
– Agility, speed, power, coordination, balance, reaction times.
Parameters of functional assessment.
– Mechanical-muscular parameters.
– Anaerobic metabolic parameters.
– Aerobic metabolic parameters.
– How to define a functional model.
– The physiological response to exercise.
Content covered in practical lessons (laboratory+internship):
Health-related physical fitness test.
– TEE (total energy expenditure): REE (resting energy expenditure), AEE
(activity energy expenditure).
– Anthropometric measurements: BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-thigh ratio,
waist-to-height ratio.
– Body composition: Tape measure test, plicometer test.
– Cardiovascular endurance.
– Direct submaximal testing to assess VO2max:
* Multiple stage model on the cycle ergometer.
– Indirect submaximal testing to assess VO2max:
* Fitness Test on the treadmill.
* Step test using Actiheart.
– Direct maximal testing on the treadmill to assess VO2max (ventilatory method
to determine anaerobic threshold).
– Indirect maximal testing to assess VO2max:
* Cooper test.
* Multi Stage Fitness test.
* Walking test.
– Muscular strength: Isometric test on the leg press, MR test on the leg press.
– Muscular endurance: Push-up test, Curl-up test, 30s Chair stand.
– Flexibility: quantitative and qualitative Sit&Reach.
Skill-related physical fitness test
– Agility: Semo agility test, , 8 feet up and go.
– Speed: 50-yard dash
– Power: Long jump from standing
– Balance: One-foot stand test
Functional assessment of the athlete
– Testing for mechanical-muscular factors.
* Muscular power: Optojump Jump Test (SJ and CMJ), Push-up Test on the
press (SP and CMP).
* Strength/velocity and power/velocity curve on the cycle ergometer.
– Testing for anaerobic alactacid factors.
* Wingate test 10 sec on the cycle ergometer.
* Bosco test 15 sec on the Optojump.
* Test with 16 pushes on the leg press.
– Testing for aerobic metabolism.
* Lactate/speed test on treadmill or lactate/power on cycle ergometer.
* Conconi test (FC’s method for determining SAn).
* Mognoni test.
* Energy expenditure on the treadmill.
* Kinetics of oxygen consumption on the treadmill.
* Analysis of adjustments in steady state and with loads above threshold.
– Alternate aerobic-anaerobic metabolism test.
Specific resistance.
* Shuttle tests.
* Alternate test.
* Repeated sprint ability.
Load training
– Subjective methods: Foster’s RPE-based method.
– Objective methods: Edwards’ heart rate-based method, a means of
calculating player-load based on GPS technology.
The functional model of a sport
Study of the physiological response to exercise
READING LIST
J.W. KLANE-M.M. STERAHEIM, Fisica biomedica, EMSI, 1980.
E.L. FOX-R.W. BOWERS-M.L. FOSS, Le basi fisiologiche dell’educazione fisica e dello sport, Pensiero
Scientifico Editore, 1995.
A. DAL MONTE-M.FAINA, Valutazione dell’atleta. Analisi funzionale e biomeccanica della capacità
di prestazione, Collana Scienze dello Sport, UTET, Torino, 1999.
P. CERRETELLI, Fisiologia dell’esercizio. Sport, ambiente, età, sesso, Società Editrice Universo,
Roma, 2001.
W.D. MCARDLE-F.I. KATCH-V.L. KATCH, Exercise physiology 7th edition, Lippincott Williams &
Wilkins, Baltimore, 2010.
J.R. MORROW-JR-A.W. JACKSON-J.G. DISCH-D.P. MOOD, Measurement and evaluation in human
performance 4th edition, Human Kinetics, Champaign, 2011.
W.L. KENNEY-J.H. WILMORE-D.L. COSTILL, Physiology of sport and exercise 5th edition, Human
Kinetics, Champaign, 2012.
AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SPORT MEDICINE, ACSM’s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription 9th
edition, Human Kinetics, Champaign, 2013.
TEACHING METHOD
Lectures and laboratory lessons.
ASSESSMENT METHOD
Internship.
Written and oral exams.
NOTES
Further information can be found on the lecturer's webpage at
http://docenti.unicatt.it/web/searchByName.do?language=ENG or on the Faculty notice
board.