Do you want to know how fitness and personal performance can be determined? A whole range of measurement methods is available to you for this purpose. But before the examinations are used, the first question to focus on is what purpose they serve. Human performance is determined by many factors: Physique, constitution, height and weight, muscular strength, endurance, training condition of heart, circulation and respiration as well as metabolism, water-electrolyte balance and temperature regulation. The nervous system, psyche and current life situation also play an important role – stress, anxiety, illness and medication can affect personal performance.
Goals of performance diagnostics
The range of examinations varies, depending on the goal with which performance diagnostics is performed. To train athletes or high-performance athletes, different and more elaborate methods may be required than if a healthy person wants to know which sports are suitable for him. In the case of patients, it is possible to determine how severely their performance is impaired, whether they develop new symptoms under physical stress or whether the current therapy is working. Areas of application are thus primarily sports medicine, prevention and rehabilitation.
Performance diagnostics: when does it make sense?
A distinction is made in sports between examinations for recreational, recreational, competitive and high-performance sports, as well as in sports therapy. The recorded values can be used to determine the current performance level and performance in general and of the cardiovascular system, respiration and metabolism. Of importance are individual abilities and prerequisites for specific load requirements, taking into account age, gender, nutrition and environmental factors. This serves as the basis for an effective training program, which should be reviewed and optimized at regular intervals.
In sports medicine, it is also important to identify individual factors that could possibly limit performance and to find causes for training errors or performance slumps. The main focus is on endurance – all the tests listed above are used. In addition, special tests can also be used to measure strength, agility and speed.
Performance diagnostics in rehabilitation
An important component in the post-treatment of diseases, especially of the cardiovascular system, are movement-oriented exercises, specific endurance and health training. To ensure that the training is effective but does not overtax the patient, the patient’s individual performance capacity and thus the adequate athletic load are first determined by means of ergometry. The examination is repeated at regular intervals. In this way, healing can be monitored and the effect of medication checked.
Performance diagnostics in prevention
In prevention In Germany, diseases of the cardiovascular system are the number one cause of death – in 2002, almost 400,000 people died of them in Germany. Experts believe that the proportion of chronic heart disease will increase in the future. This means that preventive medicine is of great importance. Targeted, regular training at any age can counteract risk factors such as lack of exercise and poor eating habits, increase resistance and performance, improve mobility, strength and coordination, and specifically counteract a decline in performance. Here, too, the training intensity must be adapted to the individual circumstances in order to achieve the desired effect without damaging the body.
A doctor should be consulted, especially in the case of overweight, older age and previous illnesses. Performance measurement by means of ergometry helps to work out an appropriate training plan to strengthen the heart, vessels, lungs and muscles.
