Author Description

This unique laboratory manual describes an empirical framework for tailoring individualized exercise programs to client attitudes and perceptions. It presents laboratory experiments that analyze perceptual and psychosocial variables that influence participation in physical activities, describes methods for assessing these factors in clients, offers guidelines for exercise prescription and program evaluation, and features practical applications of current research. The focus on perceived exertion, the physiological responses and psychosocial feelings that occur during exercise, encourages innovative thinking about client self-efficacy, muscular pain, emotions and mood states, and other factors that influence physical activity behavior. These laboratory experiments explore a combination of scientific findings and psychological insights that will inspire practitioners to create effective strategies for increasing physical activity in clients at various stages of illness and health. Included in the coverage: Perceived exertion scaling and validation. The estimation-production paradigm for exercise intensity self-regulation. Self-selected versus imposed exercise intensities. Exercise-induced muscle pain in relation to physical activity. The affective response to exercise. Application of perceptual models to the measurement of pain and affective responses to exercise. The Perceived Exertion Laboratory Manual is a proactive learning resource for health psychologists, exercise physiologists, and health-fitness professionals seeking to further the health education of clients, and can also be used in the professional development of students and in-service practitioners.