Testing Fitness

Testing and Evaluating Fitness

Every individual has a different level of fitness. It is possible to test to see what this level is. Athletes usually test their fitness often.

  Reasons for testing. Tests can give information on the levels of health and fitness to an

individual. Results can be used as a base line at the start of a fitness

programme. Results can be used to plan a fitness programme specific for an

individual.. By repeating tests you can see if you’ve made progress. Results can be used to see what the fitness levels of an individual

are that’s been unable to train because of illness or injury. Individuals can compare their scores with other elite players.

Testing and Evaluating Fitness

The first tests are those of body composition.

This means :-Height, weight,

percentage body fat, Body mass index (BMI)- which is your weight compared to your height. This isn’t always a good indication of health and fitness as top sportspersons usually have a high amount of muscle and so a high BMI

Testing Aerobic Fitness Harvard Step test Equipment – bench / chair 50cm

in height stopwatch step onto the bench 30 times a

minute for 5 minutes rest for 2 minute then take your

pulse for 15 seconds calculate your fitness using the

formula below.

Score =

length of exercise in seconds(5x60) x 100 5.5 x pulse

The higher the score the more fit you are

Testing Aerobic Fitness Cooper Test Equipment – running track

measured out Stopwatch and whistle Warm up by jogging on the When you hear the whistle

begin running around the track as fast as you can counting the laps you make.

You will hear the whistle again after 12 minutes – stop running

The further you have run the more fit you

Testing Aerobic Fitness Multistage Fitness Test (Blip) This measures your maximum

usage of oxygen - VO2max. This is the most amount of oxygen

you can use when exercising. The higher your score the fitter you are.

Equipment – distance of 20m marked out

Copy of the test and a tape recorder Run backwards and forwards

between the lines to each blip. When the blip speeds up you must

also speed up Stop when you can no longer reach

the line to the blip You will have finished on a specific

level and can calculate your VO2max from the table.

Testing Other Components of Fitness

1. Grip StrengthThe athlete using their

dominant hand applies as much grip pressure as possible on the dynamometer

The assistant records the maximum reading (kg)

The athlete repeats the test 3 times

The assistant uses the highest recorded value to assess the athlete’s performance

Testing Other Components of Fitness

2. Muscular Endurance – Abdominals

The Sit Ups Test is conducted as follows:

Lie on the mat with the knees bent, feet flat on the floor and the arms folded across the chest

Assistant can hold your feet on the ground

Start each sit up with back on the floor

Raise yourself to the 90 degree position and then return to the floor

The feet can be held by a partner Record the number of sits up

completed in 30 seconds

Testing Other Components of Fitness

2. Muscular Endurance – Upper Body

The Press Up Test is conducted as follows:

Lie on the mat, hands shoulder width apart & fully extend the arms

Lower the body until the elbows reach 90°

Return to the starting position with the arms fully extended

The push up action is to be continuous with no rest

Complete as many push ups as possible in 30 seconds

Record the total number of full body push ups

Female athletes tend to have less relative strength in the upper body and therefore can use the modified press up position to assess their upper body strength.

Testing Other Components of Fitness3. Flexibility - Sit and Reach Test The Sit and Reach Test is conducted

as follows: The starting position is sitting on the

floor with shoes removed, feet flat against the table, and legs straight

Reach forward and push the fingers along the table as far as possible

The distance from the finger tips to the edge of the table represents the score for that person

As the 'sit and reach' table has an overhang of 15 cm, a person who reaches 10 cm past their toes scores 25 cm

It is important to have several warm-up attempts first, and to record the best score

Testing Other Components of Fitness

4. Leg Power - Standing Long Jump Test

The athlete stands behind a line marked on the ground with feet slightly apart.

A two foot take-off and landing is used, with swinging of the arms and bending of the knees to provide forward drive.

The subject attempts to jump as far as possible, landing on both feet without falling backwards.

Three attempts are allowed.

Testing Other Components of Fitness5. Leg Power - Sergeant Jump /

Vertical Jump Test  The athlete: chalks the end of his finger tips stands side onto the wall, keeping

both feet remaining on the ground, reaches up as high as possible with one hand and marks the wall with the tips of the fingers

from a static position jumps as high as possible and marks the wall with the chalk on his finger tips

The coach then measures the distance from mark1 to mark2. The test can be performed as many times as the athlete wishes.

Alternatively a specialised vertical jump board may be used.

Testing Other Components of Fitness6. Agility – Illinois Agility Run The length of the course is 10 metres

and the width (distance between the start and finish points) is 5 metres. On an athletics track, you could use 5 lanes.

4 cones can be used to mark the start, finish and the two turning points. Each cone in the centre is spaced 3.3 metres apart.

The Illinois Agility Run Test is conducted as follows:

The athlete lies face down on the floor at the start point

On the assistant's command the athlete jumps to his/her feet and negotiates the course around the cones to the finish

The assistant records the total time taken from their command to the athlete completing the course

Testing Other Components of Fitness7. Balance - Standing Stork Test Stand comfortable on both feet Hands on your hip Lift one leg and place the toes of

that foot against the knee of the other leg

On command from the coach: Raise the heel and stand on your

toes Coach starts the stop watch Balance for as long as possible

without letting either the heel touch the ground or the other foot move away from the knee

Coach records the time you were able to maintain the balance

Repeat the test for the other leg 

Testing Other Components of Fitness

8. Reaction Time - Ruler Drop Test

The ruler is held by the assistant between the outstretched index finger and thumb of the athlete's dominant hand, so that the top of the athlete's thumb is level with the zero centimetre line on the ruler.

The assistant instructs the athlete to catch the ruler as soon as possible after it has been released.

The assistant is to record distance between the bottom of the ruler and the top of the athlete's thumb where the ruler has been caught.

Testing Other Components of Fitness

9. Speed - 30 metre Acceleration Test

The objective of this test is to monitor the development of the athlete's ability to effectively and efficiently build up acceleration, from a standing start or from starting blocks, to maximum speed.

The test comprises of 3 × 30 metre runs from a standing start or from starting blocks and with a full recovery between each run.

The assistant should record the time for the athlete to complete the 30 metres.

Testing Other Components of Fitness10. Hand Eye Coordination Test The objective of the test is to

monitor the athlete's Hand Eye coordination skill.

The Hand Eye coordination test is conducted as follows:

Stand two metres away from a smooth wall

Throw a tennis ball with your right hand against the wall and catch it with the left hand

Throw the ball with your left hand against the wall and catch it with the right hand

Repeat for 30 seconds counting the catches