Exercise Testing and Prescription

Exercise Testing and Prescription Lab Manual fills a void for the health fitness practitioner studying for the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Health Fitness Instructor Certification Exam. The manual offers a focused, step-by-step presentation of the skills included in the exam.

The text includes all the worksheets needed for every lab activity, and it presents 12 case studies to help readers learn how to thoroughly examine and interpret available information on real-life patients in terms of risk factors, appropriate goals, and program design. Labs are easy to understand and provide an excellent tool for test preparation.

The text's features include
-13 experience-based labs that correspond directly with the practical skills evaluated on the ACSM's Health Fitness Instructor exam,

-reference tables and charts that supply all the information necessary to complete the labs, and

-sequentially organized information that carries readers progressively through each phase of exercise testing and prescription.
Part I, “Pretest Responsibilities,” reviews lab instruments, procedures, and responsibilities as well as risk factor evaluation, informed consent, and medical history.

Part II, “Techniques in Exercise Testing,” includes five labs that focus on techniques used to assess the components of health-related fitness, from body fat assessment to ECG placement and monitoring operations.

Part III, “Exercise Prescription,” includes labs that address the three phases of exercise prescription and participant goal assessment.

The practical examples used throughout Exercise Testing and Prescription Lab Manual reinforce specific information for readers, providing a solid foundation of knowledge for the Health Fitness Instructor certification. The text is a must-read for anyone preparing for the ACSM exam.

This manual is also a good accompaniment to the Health Fitness Instructor's Handbook, Fourth Edition, by Edward T. Howley, PhD, and B. Don Franks, PhD, when preparing for the ACSM Health Fitness Instructor Certification.

Edmund O. Acevedo, PhD, is an associate professor at the University of Mississippi, where he teaches exercise testing and prescription and serves as director of the Applied Physiology Laboratory.

Formerly a corporate fitness program coordinator, he is a fellow of the ACSM and a certified exercise specialist. His 14 years of teaching experience serve him well in the field, as do his memberships in the American Physiological Society, AAPHERD, AAASP, and NASPSPA.

Acevedo makes his home in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife, Tracy. In his free time, he enjoys running and competing in triathlons.

Michael A. Starks is a PhD candidate in exercise science and a graduate research and teaching assistant at the University of Mississippi. He holds a master's degree in exercise science from the University of Memphis, where he formerly served as health and fitness director of the Employee Wellness Unit.

Starks earned a graduate research fellowship at the University of Mississippi in 2001. Today he is a strength and conditioning specialist certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is a CPR and first aid instructor for the National Safety Council and American Red Cross.

Starks makes his home in Oxford, Mississippi, where he enjoys resistance training and spending time with his children.