CORANARY RISK FACTORS.
It is well documented through viable sources that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in North America. When dealing with clients in the fitness industry, a personal trainer must be competent in knowing primary and secondary coronary risk factors that cause coronary artery disease or CAD. These factors include Age, family history, gender, current cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, and sedentary life style. When a personal trainer encounters a client with one or more risk factors, it is than that a personal trainer must proceed with special considerations before, during and after developing an exercise program to suit the clients needs.
A personal trainer can obtain a clients coronary risks, by issuing a heath questioner or having their client consult with a physician. A trainer can than analyze the questioner by defining the criteria that is associated with coronary risk factors. When a client has one or more coronary risk factors, than the trainer should obtain medical clearance from a physician before perusing any physical activity with them. These include variable factors and non variable factors. Non variable factors can not be changed, these factors include
Age: men over 45 and women under 55 years old or premature menopause without estrogen replacement therapy are at greater risk of developing CAD.
Family history: myocardial infraction or sudden death before 55 years of age in father or male-first degree relative or before 65 years of age in mother or female first-degree relative.
The above factors cannot be changed and therefore personal trainers must determine and consider these factors before training a client. The next factors are preventative or changeable coronary factors that may effect exercise program development and can lead to coronary artery disease.
Current cigarette smoking: any smoking is a huge coronary risk factor. Clients under the supervision of a personal trainer should be encouraged to pursue a means of terminating smoking in their life.
High blood pressure: A resting blood pressure greater than 140/90 is a coronary risk factor, that can lead to a number of coronary diseases. Exercise and proper nutrition along with stress management are known to decrease blood pressure
Hypercholesterolemia: Those with high blood cholesterol levels have many coronary risks. A personal trainer who has a client with Hypercholesterolemia must make sure that their client is on a healthy diet and a practical exercise program to control cholesterol levels.
Diabetes mellitus: diabetes greatly increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Personal trainers must monitor the nutrition & exercise of their client closely. Trainers should also ask their clients on a regular basis if they are following their physicians recommendations.
Sedentary life style: If a personal trainer has a client who has been on a long detraining phase, does not regularly exercise, has a high fat diet, has high stress, has an inactive job, or even lacks motivation. Than the trainer must encourage the opposite of their former lifestyle.
The last five factors are deemed variable risks and must be improved on by the client, with the help of their physician and personal trainer. Considerations trainers must make after receiving a clearance from a physician is to test a client to find their true level of fitness. A comprehensive assessment with a 3 min step test will determine their cardiovascular fitness level. Exercise than must be kept to a moderate intensity to prevent any injury or cardiac infraction. The goal of exercise in clients with coronary risk factors is to improve their functional capacity and exercise tolerance. By eliminating and controlling variable risk factors and monitoring non variable risk factors client can than improve their quality of life.
Written by: Bobby Triantafillou, CPT
Sources for coronary risk factors in exercise essay
Internet: www.physspotsmed.com/issues/2001/01-01/thompson.html
Internet: www.acefitness.org/fitfacts-display.cfm?itemid+283