| Course | EF205 Principles of Exercise Science |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 5 |
| Paper type | Fitness assessment |
| Length | About 860 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Health Science |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for EF205 Unit 5
A VO2max of About Thirty and Nine Knee Push-Ups: A Unit 5 Fitness Assessment With Protocols, Results and Honest Norms
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
EF205: Principles of Exercise Science
Unit 5 Fitness Assessment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The student and her results are composite; the tests and sources cited are real, and norm comparisons are approximate.
Conditions
All tests were done on a Saturday morning after a normal night's sleep, no caffeine for two hours, no hard activity the previous day and after the preparticipation screening in Unit 4 cleared me for moderate exercise. A friend recorded times and counted repetitions.
Test One: Resting Heart Rate
Protocol. Seated for five minutes, heart rate taken with a chest-strap monitor and checked with a 60-second pulse count at the wrist.
Result. 76 beats a minute.
Interpretation. Within the normal adult range. Resting heart rate often falls with aerobic training, so it is a simple measure to track.
Test Two: Rockport One-Mile Walk Test
Protocol. After a five-minute warm-up, walk one mile as fast as possible on a flat quarter-mile track without running, then record the time and heart rate immediately at the finish. Kline et al. (1987) developed an equation from time, heart rate, age, sex and body weight that estimates VO2max, validated against laboratory testing.
Result. Time 16 minutes 20 seconds; finishing heart rate 152; age 33; female; weight 172 pounds. Estimated VO2max: about 30 milliliters per kilogram per minute.
Interpretation. In commonly used norm tables for women aged 30 to 39, this falls below the middle of the range. Estimates from field tests carry error compared with laboratory measurement, but the test is repeatable, which makes it useful for tracking change.
Test Three: Modified Push-Up Test
Protocol. From a kneeling position with hands under the shoulders, lower the chest to a fist's height above the floor and press back up, as many times as possible with good form and no rest.
Result. 9 repetitions.
Interpretation. Below average for my age group on common norm tables. Upper body strength and endurance have the most room to improve.
Test Four: Sit-and-Reach
Protocol. Seated with legs straight and feet against a box, reach forward slowly with both hands and hold for two seconds; best of three trials.
Result. 24 centimeters on a standard box.
Interpretation. Near the middle of common norms. Hamstring and lower back flexibility are adequate but may be worth maintaining given my back tightness.
Test Five: Waist Circumference
Protocol. Measured at the top of the hip bones after breathing out, tape level and snug.
Result. 35 inches.
Interpretation. At the threshold often used for women to signal higher cardiometabolic risk. It is a useful marker to track alongside fitness.
The walk test says my heart and lungs need the most work; the push-ups say my arms and shoulders need it just as much.
How the Tests Felt
The numbers do not capture everything. The walk test felt hard from the third lap, and I had to resist breaking into a jog, which the protocol does not allow. The push-ups were the most discouraging: my arms gave out well before my breathing did. The sit-and-reach was the only test that felt easy. Recording these impressions now will make the retest more meaningful, because I will be able to tell whether the tests feel different as well as whether the numbers change.
Summary of Results
Aerobic fitness: below average. Upper body muscular endurance: below average. Flexibility: about average. Waist: at a risk threshold. Resting heart rate: normal.
What the Results Mean for the Plan
Aerobic training starts below continuous running. A walking pace already brought my heart rate above 80 percent of my estimated maximum, so the plan will begin with brisk walking and short jogging intervals, building toward continuous running. The 2011 exercise guidance from Garber and colleagues supports starting at a moderate intensity and progressing gradually in people who are not yet active (Garber et al., 2011).
Strength training targets the upper body and core as well as the legs. Push-ups, rows and planks will appear twice a week.
Flexibility is maintained, not prioritized. Brief stretching after sessions should be enough.
Waist and resting heart rate are tracked monthly.
How the Retest Will Work
I will repeat the same tests, in the same order, at the same track and time of day, after eight weeks of training. Keeping conditions identical matters because each result varies from day to day. The perceived exertion at the end of the walk test will also be recorded on the Borg scale, which Borg (1982) developed to rate effort on a scale linked to heart rate.
Limits
Field tests estimate rather than measure. Norm tables differ between sources, so the categories are approximate. One test day can be affected by sleep, stress or weather.
Conclusion
My baseline shows below-average aerobic fitness and upper body endurance, average flexibility, a waist at a risk threshold and a normal resting heart rate. These results set the starting point for a gradual plan that begins with walk-jog intervals and strength work for the whole body, and they give me numbers to compare at the eight-week retest.
References
Borg, G. A. V. (1982). Psychophysical bases of perceived exertion. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 14(5), 377-381. https://doi.org/10.1249/00005768-198205000-00012
Garber, C. E., Blissmer, B., Deschenes, M. R., Franklin, B. A., Lamonte, M. J., Lee, I.-M., Nieman, D. C., & Swain, D. P. (2011). Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: Guidance for prescribing exercise. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43(7), 1334-1359. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e318213fefb
Kline, G. M., Porcari, J. P., Hintermeister, R., Freedson, P. S., Ward, A., McCarron, R. F., Ross, J., & Rippe, J. M. (1987). Estimation of VO2max from a one-mile track walk, gender, age, and body weight. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 19(3), 253-259. https://doi.org/10.1249/00005768-198706000-00012
Reading the EF 205 Unit 5 instructions
Unit 5 typically asks students to complete and interpret field fitness tests against norms. Expect to describe testing conditions, give each test's protocol, report the result and compare it honestly with norms for age and sex. Common tests include a walk or step test for aerobic fitness, push-ups or curl-ups for muscular endurance, sit-and-reach for flexibility and a body composition measure. Instructors look for protocols described well enough to repeat and for results interpreted without exaggeration. The assessment should identify which results set the starting point for training and how the retest will be done under the same conditions. Unflattering results, reported plainly, make the training plan more credible than results presented in the best light.
How this EF205 Unit 5 example is built
The assessment opens with testing conditions: morning, no caffeine, no hard training the day before, screening already done. Each test then gets its own section with protocol, result and interpretation: resting heart rate, the Rockport walk with its equation and estimate, knee push-ups, sit-and-reach and waist. A highlighted line ranks heart and lungs and upper body as the areas needing most work. A section records how each test felt. A summary lists the five results by category. Implications for the plan follow: walk-jog intervals to start, whole-body strength work, brief flexibility and monthly tracking. Retest conditions, including Borg ratings, and the limits of field tests close the assessment.
Reading the EF205 Unit 5 grading rubric
Fitness assessments earn their points through protocol detail, accurate results and honest interpretation. Protocols should be detailed enough for a classmate to run the same test on the same terms. Graders reward comparison with norms appropriate to age and sex, stated plainly even when results are low. Identifying which results drive the training plan shows purpose. Defining retest conditions in advance demonstrates understanding of valid comparison. Recording subjective experience adds useful context. Limits of field tests should be acknowledged. The walk test validation, the exercise guidance and the perceived exertion scale belong in APA 7. Ranking the results by how much each needs work shows the student read the numbers rather than only recording them.
EF205 Unit 5 help from the desk
Fitness assessments often report results without protocols, so nobody can tell how the numbers were obtained. Another frequent problem is comparing results with norms for the wrong age or sex. Some students round results up or skip tests they did poorly on. Interpretations that call every result good undermine the plan. Retests done under different conditions make change impossible to judge. Before writing, set up your tests at the same place and time you can return to, and write the protocol before you begin. Send your results and conditions, and the assessment can be drafted with norms. Forgetting to note sleep, caffeine or weather on test day leaves the retest without a fair comparison.
Get an EF205 Unit 5 example written to your instructions
Send your results and the assessment instructions with the rubric. A custom assessment reports the results with protocols and norms. The first one costs nothing, back within 24-48h. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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EF205 Unit 5 questions, answered
What is the Rockport walk test?
A one-mile walk test that estimates VO2max from time, heart rate, age, sex and weight.
Why compare to norms?
To see where a result falls for people of the same age and sex.
What if my results are low?
Report them honestly; a low baseline makes the plan's starting point clear.
Where can I find a free EF205 Unit 5 sample paper?
The complete EF205 Unit 5 fitness assessment can be found on this page, reporting five field tests with protocols and norms before a beginner's 5K training plan.
Which results set the starting point in the EF205 Unit 5 sample?
The walk test, estimating VO2max near 30, and nine modified push-ups, both below average, so training starts with walk-jog intervals and whole-body strength work.