Canadian Home Fitness Test

CANADIAN HOME FITNESS TEST

Canadian home fitness test was created in 1975 by the fitness and amateur sports branch of Recreation Canada so that Canadians could test their fitness at home if they wished. Criteria were established in this trial for both men and women aged 15 to 69 years. This test is used as a motivational and assessment tool for making changes in one’s lifestyle through an adult fitness program. In fact, the Canada Indian Home Fitness Test constitutes the exercise and fitness component of a total educational approach to the life-long pursuit of health and fitness.

 Historical speaking, the total educational approach to achieve Lifestyle change program was divided into the following three parts;

• Functional fitness appraisal
• Educational and motivational program
• Exercise and fitness regiments

 Functional Fitness Appraisal

For functional fitness appraisal, the participants are required to complete the physical activity readiness questionnaire abbreviate as PAR-Q. This questionnaire provides requisite knowledge of the participant’s initial status of fitness which helps in exercise prescriptions and in the screening process for proper medical advice with respect to one hypo kinetic problem if any.

Educational and Motivational Program

In educational and motivation components the participant is given knowledge about the need for involvement in physical activities. This knowledge helps the participant in their initiation and continuation of life-changing enhancing physically active Lifestyle change program. The total duration of the education and motivation components extends to 13 weeks schedule consisting of one lecture and three activities sessions per week.

Exercise and Fitness Regimens

The exercise program is based on the exercise recommendation after evaluating the fitness test result, interests, and abilities of the participant. the exercise program lays Emphasis upon improvement and maintenance of cardiovascular fitness,  strength  and flexibility  development as well as acquiring relaxation techniques, stress management, nutritional assessment procedure, and instruction for curbing cigarette smoking, and identify components of other personality hazardous Lifestyle [drug addiction, intoxication, alcoholism] and reinforcing healthful lifestyles. The improvement and maintenance of cardiovascular fitness is measured with the help of a Canadian home fitness test as described below;-

This test is suitable for both males and females aged 15 to 69 years and is divided into two stages. Stage 1 consists of three minutes of’ warm up’ exercises and stage two consists of 3 minutes of stepping at an increased cadence [rhythmic sequence of sound.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED- Two-step case with each step’s height of 20.3CM [8 inches], a tape recorder having a pleasant musical cadence adjustment for each sex and age group and, a stopwatch.

PROCEDURE – After finding the suitability of the subject for the test from his/her physical activity readiness questionnaire, a group of 10 to 15 people is given a demonstration of the stepping procedure of both the exercise regiments with the help of a trained helper. Now each person is asked to practice stepping until the correct ascending and the descending procedure is acquired. The tester describes the stepping procedure as step, step, up! Step, step, down! Up, 2, 3! Down, 2. 3! t now the subject are divided into various age and sex groups.

 In other words, both males and females are classified into 6 groups each according to their ages 15 to 19 years, 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. The subject is asked to stand in the front of stairs, feet together and to follow the instruction given below;-

•  while tapping place your right foot on step 1, place your left foot up on step2, bring your right foot on step 2 [that is both feet are together], start descending with left foot, placing it on step 1, place back your right foot on the floor, return your left foot to the starting position on the floor in front of stairs [both feet now together]

• While stepping you have to follow the exercise Tempo for a three minutes period each as per cadence set on the tape recorder.

• After a 3-minute exercise, you will have five seconds to locate your pulse.

• You will count your pulse rate for a 10 second period [time will be announced by the recorded voice].

• if your pulse rate does not equal or exceed the ceiling of your age group classification [as will be announced by the recorded voice as shown in the table], you step again for another 3 minutes period after which you will repeat instructions 3rd and 4th.

• If you are unable to count your pulse rate after the first three-minute periods, you will not be permitted to proceed to the second stepping stage. However, you will be allowed to repeat the testing procedure after an appropriate rest interval and after making provision of an assistant to count your pulse after exercise.

• 7. The pulse rate standards are expressed in a 10-second pulse count. Therefore, there is no need to multiply pulse count by 6 to obtain per minute pulse rate.

SCORING OF CANADIAN HOME FITNESS TEST

Each subject is given 1, 2, or 3 points for his/her CHFT score. In other words, the subject’s performance is evaluated in the form of any of the three fitness levels. The score is based on one’s ten-second pulse count after 3 minutes or 6 minutes exercise as the case may be, with the help of standards given in the table.

Fitness level 1

An undesirable personal fitness level, this fitness level represents that the subject is not following an active lifestyle and has a fitness level equal to sedentary individual ten years older than the subject. 

Fitness level 2 

The minimum personal fitness level- this fitness level indicates that the subject is following a reasonably active lifestyle and has a desirable fitness level equal to an otherwise occupationally sedentary individual of the same age as the subject. 

Fitness Level 3

The recommended personal fitness level- This is the best fitness level which is equal to the fitness level of a group of sedentary individuals ten years younger than the subject. 

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