Table 1.
Structure of the 40-hour peer-mentor preparation lecture series.
| Section | Topic | Number of Sessions | Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundations of Fitness Total: 10 sessions (20 hours) | Human anatomy | 2 | Basic anatomical terminology; skeletal system; muscular anatomy; major skeletal muscles and functions; |
| Biomechanics | 1 | Levers; planes of motion; joint movements; types of muscle contractions; role of muscles; actions of major muscles | |
| Nutrition | 2 | Macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate, fat); other nutrients; pre- post-exercise nutrition; dietary supplements; food guide pyramid; principles of weight gain/loss; eating disorders and obesity | |
| Bioenergetics | 1 | Basic terminology; metabolism; energy systems; principles of energy use; substrate depletion and repletion; oxygen uptake | |
| Structure and physiology of the muscular, cardiovascular and respiratory systems | 2 | The heart; measurement of heart rate; blood vessels and circulation; gas transport/exchange; the lungs; exchange of air and respiratory gases; basic physiological terms and principles; | |
| Aging related changes in muscular, cardiovascular endurance and flexibility fitness | 2 | Changes in musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health; adaptations to resistance/cardiovascular/flexibility training; detraining and overtraining in resistance training; | |
| Program Design Total: 10 sessions (20 hours) | Components of fitness and athletic performance; assessments of fitness | 1 | Definition of fitness components; assessment of fitness components; safety factors, administration and organization of assessment; interpretation of assessment data; |
| Principles of warm-up, cool- down and flexibility training | 2 | Purpose of warm-up and cool-down; physiological outcomes of warm-up and cool-down; warm-up and cool-down procedures; factors affecting flexibility; principles of flexibility training | |
| Resistance training program design | 3 | Basic terminology; training modalities; principles of resistance training; program design considerations (needs analysis, choice of exercise, training frequency, exercise order, training load, exercise volume and repetitions, rest periods, training system variations) | |
| Cardiovascular endurance training program design | 2 | General guidelines; safety considerations; factors of aerobic endurance; program design (mode, frequency, duration, intensity); monitoring intensity; types of training programs; | |
| Power, speed, agility, and balance training and program design | 2 | Neural and muscular physiology of power/speed/agility/balance training; principles of training design; training modalities; safety considerations; proper technique |