ABSTRACT
In addition to measuring heart rate, physical fitness assessments may involve the measurement of another basic vital sign: blood pressure (BP). Blood pressure is commonly defined as a measurement of the force of the blood acting against the vessel walls during and between heartbeats. 2 The pressure exerted against the vessels during a heartbeat (systole) is called the systolic blood pressure, while the pressure recorded between heartbeats (diastole) is called the diastolic blood pressure. The BP measurement is a combination of both the systolic and diastolic pressure and is usually written as “systolic / diastolic” (e.g., 120 / 80). BP is usually measured in units of millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). A common and normal BP measurement would be written as 120 / 80 mmHg.
