| Course | EF310 Applied Exercise Science for Healthy Aging and Special Conditions |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 1 |
| Paper type | Discussion board post |
| Length | About 370 words, 2 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 discussion post |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Health Science |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for EF310 Unit 1
Three Miles a Morning, Two Hands to Stand: A Unit 1 Discussion Post on the Aging Change a Program Must Accommodate
EF310 · Unit 1 Discussion Board Post
Posted by [Student Name]
The client and the classmate are composite; the review of muscle power and the position stand cited are real.
Initial Post
My example is a composite retired machinist, seventy-six, who walks three miles at a steady pace most mornings and has done so for twenty years. His endurance is good for his age. Yet he cannot rise from his daughter's low sofa without pushing hard on both armrests, and twice he has rocked back into the seat.
The change I would build his program around is the loss of muscle power, the ability to produce force quickly. Power declines with age faster than maximal strength does, and it is more closely tied to everyday tasks like rising from a chair or recovering from a trip (Reid & Fielding, 2012). Part of the reason is that the fast-twitch muscle fibers that produce quick force shrink more with age than slow-twitch fibers, which walking keeps busy.
Walking, however far, trains his slow fibers and his heart, and he is right to keep doing it. It does little for the quick, forceful leg drive a low sofa demands.
His program does not need more endurance; it needs to add the one quality his daily walk has never trained, and that quality is speed of force, not just force.
For him, I would keep the walks and add two short sessions a week of leg exercises done with a deliberately quick lifting phase and a slow, controlled lowering, starting with sit-to-stands from a firm chair and moving to lower seats. The position stand on exercise for older adults recommends strength training for all older adults, including power work where appropriate (Chodzko-Zajko et al., 2009).
My question for the class: what everyday task do your older clients find hardest, and does it depend more on strength, power or balance?
Reply to Grace
Grace, your client who struggles with curbs sounds similar. Have you timed her sit-to-stands? Five rises in a set time might show whether power is the limit.
References
Chodzko-Zajko, W. J., Proctor, D. N., Fiatarone Singh, M. A., Minson, C. T., Nigg, C. R., Salem, G. J., & Skinner, J. S. (2009). Exercise and physical activity for older adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 41(7), 1510-1530. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181a0c95c
Reid, K. F., & Fielding, R. A. (2012). Skeletal muscle power: A critical determinant of physical functioning in older adults. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 40(1), 4-12. https://doi.org/10.1097/JES.0b013e31823b5f13
EF310 Unit 1 instructions, in plain terms
The first EF310 discussion typically asks you to identify one or more physiological changes of aging and explain how an exercise program should accommodate them. Opening posts are short, often 250 to 350 words, with replies later in the week. Strong posts describe a specific person and a specific task, name the change precisely, and connect it to a programming decision. Citing at least one source for how fast a capacity declines is usually expected. Choose a change that explains something surprising, such as good endurance with poor chair rises, since a surprise forces the post to explain something. Finish by asking something classmates can answer from a client or a relative they know, and keep replies brief and specific.
Inside the EF310 Unit 1 example
The post opens with the composite client, his daily walk and the sofa problem, including two failed attempts. A paragraph names muscle power as the change, cites a review showing that power declines faster than strength and is closely linked to function, and explains the role of fast-twitch fibers. A short paragraph concedes what walking does well and what it leaves untrained. The highlighted sentence states that his program needs speed of force, not more endurance. A practical paragraph proposes two weekly sessions of quick-lift, slow-lower leg work progressing to lower seats, citing the position stand on older adults. A question to the class and a two-sentence reply about a client who struggles with curbs close it.
Where the points sit in the EF310 Unit 1 rubric
The first EF310 post is generally scored for sound physiology, a tie to programming, sources, peer replies and writing. The link between the aging change and a specific programming choice tends to carry the most weight, since the course is applied. Accuracy rewards naming the change correctly, for example distinguishing power from strength. Evidence earns credit when a source supports a claim about decline. Engagement points go to replies that suggest a test or an exercise for a classmate's client. Writing covers length, organization and APA citations. Posts built around one concrete task, rather than a list of changes, generally read as more thoughtful and earn more.
EF310 Unit 1 help from the desk
A common weakness is a post that lists several aging changes without connecting any of them to what a program would do. Another is treating strength and power as the same thing, which leads to slow, heavy lifting when quick movement is the need. Some students describe an older client in general terms rather than a specific person and task. Others make claims about decline rates without a source. Agreeing with a classmate and stopping there earns almost nothing. Picturing a different client, perhaps someone who walks slowly or avoids stairs? Name the task they struggle with, and the post can work back from it to the aging change behind it.
Get an EF310 Unit 1 example written to your instructions
Tell us which age-related change your Unit 1 prompt focuses on, or paste its case, with the board question and rubric. The post ties each change to a programming consequence, commits to a claim a classmate could answer, and includes a reply where your section expects one. The draft lands within 24-48h, and a first sample is never billed. 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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EF310 Unit 1 questions, answered
Should a Unit 1 post discuss disease, or only normal aging?
Usually normal aging, unless the prompt names a condition. Early EF310 units tend to establish what shifts in a healthy older body so that later units can layer disease on top of it. A post that mixes the two makes that later distinction harder to show. If a case includes a diagnosis, mention it briefly and keep the analysis on age itself.
How many aging changes should the post cover?
Fewer than most writers expect. Two or three changes, each tied to a clear programming consequence, usually score better than eight listed in a paragraph. Choose the change that best explains the case the prompt supplies, give it the most space, and treat the others briefly. Depth on one link between physiology and program is what discussion criteria here tend to reward.
Does the post need citations?
Most sections expect at least one, in APA style, and claims about how quickly a capacity declines need one more than anything else. The course text is a safe source; a review article adds weight. Avoid exact percentages unless the source states them, since decline rates vary widely between studies and between people, and a precise figure without a citation reads as invented.
Where can I find a free EF310 Unit 1 sample paper?
This page presents the complete Unit 1 post, on a walker who cannot rise from a low sofa and the loss of muscle power behind it.
What is the difference between muscle strength and muscle power?
Strength is the most force a muscle can produce. Power is force produced quickly, which matters for tasks like rising from a chair or catching a stumble.