| Course | EF310 Applied Exercise Science for Healthy Aging and Special Conditions |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 4 |
| Paper type | Exercise prescription |
| Length | About 740 words, 5 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Health Science |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for EF310 Unit 4
Nine Holes Without the Cart: A Unit 4 Exercise Prescription Written Around Two Arthritic Knees
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
EF310: Applied Exercise Science for Healthy Aging and Special Conditions
Unit 4 Exercise Prescription
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The client, his scores and his goal are composite; the osteoarthritis guideline, the guidelines text and the position stand cited are real.
Client Summary
A sixty-four-year-old retired flooring installer with osteoarthritis in both knees, worse on the right. Cleared by his physician for exercise. Knee pain at rest of 2 out of 10, rising to 5 after twenty minutes of walking on hills. He walks about a mile on flat ground before stopping. He takes an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory as needed. A nine-hole round on his local course is about two and a half miles with two moderate hills, which he wants to walk by the end of the summer.
Why Exercise, and Why This Mix
Exercise is strongly recommended for people with knee osteoarthritis, including walking, strengthening, aquatic exercise and balance training (Kolasinski et al., 2020). Strong quadriceps and hip muscles reduce the load the knee absorbs with each step, and aerobic conditioning lets him walk farther before fatigue changes his gait. The prescription therefore combines four components, each with a reason.
The FITT Prescription
Aerobic. Frequency: four days a week. Intensity: moderate, a rating of 12 to 13 on the 6 to 20 effort scale, where he can talk but not sing. Time: start with two or three ten-minute bouts a day, building toward thirty continuous minutes. Type: stationary cycling and pool walking for two of the days, flat outdoor walking for the other two. Reason: cycling and water walking build endurance with less impact on the knee, and flat walking practices the actual task.
Resistance. Frequency: two non-consecutive days a week. Intensity: a load he can lift 10 to 15 times with good form, ending at moderate effort. Time: two sets of each exercise. Type: leg press through a limited range, about 0 to 60 degrees of knee bend; seated knee extension through a pain-free arc; side-lying or standing hip abduction; hip extension; calf raises. Reason: stronger quadriceps and hip abductors reduce knee load, and a limited range avoids deep bending that compresses the joint.
Flexibility. Frequency: daily. Intensity: gentle stretch, no pain. Time: two holds of 30 seconds each. Type: calf, hamstring and hip flexor stretches. Reason: tight calves and hips alter his walking pattern and add stress at the knee.
Balance. Frequency: three days a week. Intensity: challenging but safe, near a counter. Time: five to ten minutes. Type: single-leg stance, tandem stance and stepping on and off a low step. Reason: uneven fairway ground and hills demand balance he does not practice now.
Every exercise that stays out of the plan is left out for the same reason the others are in: deep squats, kneeling, jumping and running all load the knee in ways his goal does not require.
What the Plan Leaves Out
Deep squats and lunges: replaced by the limited-range leg press. Kneeling exercises: replaced by standing or seated versions. Jumping, running and high-impact classes: unnecessary for walking a golf course. Downhill walking on steep grades in the first month: added later in short segments, since descending loads the knee heavily.
Pain Rules
Mild discomfort during exercise is acceptable if it stays at 3 out of 10 or below and settles to his usual level by the next morning. If pain rises above that, or swelling appears, the next session reduces load or duration. Sharp pain, locking or giving way means stopping and checking with his physician.
Progression
Every two weeks, increase one variable only: aerobic time by five minutes, then resistance load by about five percent, then add a hill to the walking route. The target is three continuous miles on flat ground with no more than mild pain by week ten, then the course with its hills by week fourteen. The guidelines text describes this kind of gradual, one-variable progression for adults with chronic conditions (American College of Sports Medicine, 2021).
Checkpoints
Week six: retest the distance he can walk on flat ground and his thirty-second chair stand. Week twelve: walk five holes of the course with a friend, using the cart for the rest. Guidance on activity in later life supports combining aerobic, strength, flexibility and balance work at his age (Chodzko-Zajko et al., 2009).
References
American College of Sports Medicine. (2021). ACSM's guidelines for exercise testing and prescription (11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
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
Kolasinski, S. L., Neogi, T., Hochberg, M. C., Oatis, C., Guyatt, G., Block, J., Callahan, L., Copenhaver, C., Dodge, C., Felson, D., Gellar, K., Harvey, W. F., Hawker, G., Herzig, E., Kwoh, C. K., Nelson, A. E., Samuels, J., Scanzello, C., White, D., . . . Reston, J. (2020). 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation guideline for the management of osteoarthritis of the hand, hip, and knee. Arthritis Care & Research, 72(2), 149-162. https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.24131
Reading the EF 310 Unit 4 instructions
The fourth unit typically asks for an exercise prescription for a client with a chronic condition, organized by the FITT components with a rationale for each. Prescriptions usually run three to five pages. Graders look for all four components where appropriate, specific exercises with sets, repetitions and ranges, intensities stated in a measurable way, a reason for each choice tied to the client's condition and goal, and a progression plan. Many sections also expect a pain or symptom rule and a list of exercises deliberately excluded. Cite a condition-specific guideline and the guidelines text. Write it so a colleague could run a session from the page without asking questions.
How this EF310 Unit 4 example is built
The prescription opens with the client's history, pain levels, current walking distance and the course he wants to walk. A section explains why exercise is recommended for knee arthritis, citing the rheumatology guideline. The FITT section covers aerobic, resistance, flexibility and balance work, each with frequency, intensity, time, type and a reason. The highlighted sentence explains that exclusions follow the same logic as inclusions, and a section lists them with substitutes. A pain rule sets an acceptable level and a next-day check. Progression changes one variable every two weeks toward clear targets, citing the guidelines text, and checkpoints at weeks six and twelve retest walking distance and chair stands.
Reading the EF310 Unit 4 grading rubric
Prescriptions for EF310 are commonly judged on completeness of the FITT components, specificity, the rationale for each choice, safety and progression. The rationale usually carries the most weight, because the unit tests whether students can tie each number to the client's condition and goal. Completeness rewards including balance and flexibility as well as aerobic and resistance work. Specificity earns points when exercises, loads and ranges are named. Safety credit goes to pain rules and exclusions. Progression is rewarded when it changes one variable at a time toward stated targets. Citations to a condition guideline and the guidelines text complete the expected support. Naming the client's goal in the progression targets shows the plan never lost sight of why he is exercising.
EF310 Unit 4 help from the desk
A common gap is a prescription that lists exercises without intensities or reasons, which a colleague could not apply. Another is choosing high-impact or deep-flexion exercises for an arthritic knee without justification. Some students give an aerobic target but no way for the client to judge it. Others progress several variables at once, which makes flare-ups hard to explain. Leaving out a pain rule leaves the client guessing when to stop. Prescribing for a different condition, perhaps hip arthritis or low back pain? Share the client's goal and limits, and the FITT table can be built with a reason in every cell. A prescription with no checkpoints gives neither client nor trainer a way to tell whether it is working.
Get an EF310 Unit 4 example written to your instructions
Share the Unit 4 client profile, any screening result carried over from Unit 2 or 3, the prescription layout your instructor expects, and the rubric. Each FITT variable arrives with the finding behind it, exclusions are listed with reasons, and monitoring fits the condition. It is written in 24-48h, and there is no charge for the first. 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 4 questions, answered
Should intensity be set by heart rate or by effort rating?
Whichever the client's situation supports, with the choice explained. Heart rate ranges work when the response is predictable; effort ratings suit clients on medications that blunt heart rate or whose limit is a joint rather than the heart. Many EF310 prescriptions give both, naming one as primary. What loses marks is a method chosen without any reason tied to the client.
Does the prescription need all four components?
Usually, since older-adult guidance in most course texts includes aerobic, resistance, flexibility and balance work. The weight given to each should follow the client's goal and limits, and one component can be brief if the reason is stated. Leaving balance out entirely for a client over sixty-five is a common deduction, even when the prompt does not mention it.
How specific should the exercises be?
Specific enough for a colleague to run the session from the page: named exercises, sets, repetitions and ranges of motion where they matter. A category such as lower-body strength is too vague to grade. Specificity also shows the condition was considered, because the choice between a leg press and a squat, and the range allowed, is exactly where a joint problem changes the program.
Where can I find a free EF310 Unit 4 sample paper?
This page contains the complete Unit 4 prescription, built around two arthritic knees and the goal of walking nine holes of golf.
Why limit the leg press range for knee osteoarthritis?
Deep knee bending compresses the joint more. A limited range still strengthens the quadriceps while keeping pain and joint load lower.