Fitness Testing How do you improve your level of conditioning? 1. Use proven fitness tests to build an profile of your all-round fitness. 2. Compare the results to the demands of your sport and then.. 3. Develop a specific training program that strengthens your weak areas while maintaining your strengths. Then perform the same tests at regular intervals and use the results as feedback to fine-tune your training. No matter what your sport, or the level at which you perform. Fitness tests should be an integral part of your conditioning regime. In fact they should be the basis on which your program is built. Every professional sports person performs fitness tests several times a season and for good reason... Motivation -- Looking back and seeing how far you've come, how much you've developed is one of the most satisfying experiences in sport. Take full advantage of all the encouragement and reinforcement available to you. What gets measured gets managed -- Fitness tests act as feedback. The path to your performance goal won't be a straight line, more like a series of peaks and troughs. How do you know if you're on course if you never measure your progress? Fitness tests act as a benchmark for program design -- Stef plays hockey and has a goal of winning player of the season this year. She works long hours and has limited time to train. Stef knows hockey consists of endurance as well as elements of strength, power and speed so what does she devote her time to? All of them? Not if she's pushed for time. She completes a battery of fitness tests designed to measure her endurance, power, strength, speed and flexibility for hockey. The results confirm that Stef is extremely powerful, fast and has good strength. Her flexibility needs work but it's the endurance results that are really promising... They are terrible! Stef knows that poor "hockey endurance" is letting her down, more importantly... She understands that focusing on this area will bring her measurable results on the field. Without the fitness tests Stef would almost certainly have seen limited results by trying to cram in a bit of everything in a few short sessions. Setting targets becomes easy -- If you want to play semi-professionally, even professionally, what level of endurance do you need? If the average pro soccer player can run 3500m in 12 minutes (a test to determine maximal aerobic power) where do you compare? Whatever level you play at how can you set targets for your training if you don't know where you are now? Quite simply you can't. With the importance of fitness tests out of the way let's move on to designing a test battery for your sport. 251
Designing a Battery of Fitness Tests What exactly is a battery of fitness tests and how do you design one? It is simply a group of fitness tests that closely represents the various fitness demands of your sport. The first step is to break down your sport into its different fitness components. For an event such as the 100m sprint or the marathon this is fairly straight forward. Games such as basketball, rugby and volleyball for example are a little more complex. As an example, soccer is an intricate blend of endurance, strength, power and speed. Your test battery should include fitness tests that measure each of these components. But we don't stop there... The fitness tests must replicate the precise energy demands and movement patterns within your sport. Sticking with our soccer example, which is more specific for measuring endurance?... Walking 1 mile as quickly as possible (Rockport test) or... Running in 20m bursts backwards and forwards that involves twisting and turning (Multistage shuttle run). Once you understand the precise energy and fitness demands of your sport you can choose fitness tests that most accurately reflect your sport. In fact... You can even make fitness tests up! There is nothing to stop you modifying existing tests so that they more closely represent your sport. Just remember to keep the test exactly the same the next time you use it. You will find a list of fitness tests below. They are categorized under the different fitness components they measure i.e. strength, power, speed etc. Put together a collection of tests (your test battery) that gives a good representation of your sport. Feel free to modify them any way you like. Use these general guidelines as well, to standardize the testing procedure and ensure accuracy and reliability... Always warm up thoroughly before performing fitness tests. Perform 5-10 minutes of light aerobic exercise followed by stretching to all the major muscle groups. If you are performing all the tests in one session, complete short, explosive tests first. For example a standing vertical jump should be performed before a multistage shuttle run. Always keep the order of fitness tests the same. Try to test at the same time of day. Use the same equipment. If an examiner is taking measurements, have the same person take the measurements each time. Familiarize yourself with the testing procedures. Do a 'dummy run' if necessary. Avoid eating within 2 hours of the test battery, and avoid smoking, coffee and alcohol on the day of the test. Avoid training heavily the day before the fitness tests and at all on the test day. 252
The Fitness Tests Here are some reliable fitness tests that measure strength, speed, power, endurance and flexibility. They require little or no equipment - or certainly equipment that is readily available to most people. At the bottom of this page I'll be adding more fitness tests over the coming months. Some of these will include treadmill protocols like the Bruce and Norton treadmill test. Strength Tests 1) One repetition max -- The standard strength test for all athletes. 2) Sit up test -- A good indication of core strength. 3) Press up test -- Used to test strength endurance. Speed and Power Tests 1) 30m sprint -- A simple fitness test to measure power. 2) 30m sprint fatigue -- Excellent for multi sprint sports such as basketball, soccer, hockey etc. 3) Illinois agility test -- Another great fitness test for multi sprint sports. 4) Standing long jump -- A simple test to measure explosive, ultra-short term power 5) Standing Vertical jump -- The standard fitness test used to measure explosive power. Particularly relevant to basketball and volleyball. 6) Hexagon drill -- Excellent test to measure quickness, agility and balance. Endurance Tests 1) Balke 15 minute run -- A fitness test to measure aerobic power (VO2max) indirectly. 2) Cooper 12 minute run -- As above 3) Multistage shuttle run -- Also used to estimate aerobic power but more appropriate for multi sprint sports. Also effective for testing large groups at a time. 4) Rockport test -- A simple walking test for less active individuals. Flexibility Tests There are only a few reliable tests to measure flexibility. The best instrument is a goniometer (a very simple and cheap type of protractor). It can be used to measure the flexibility of most joints and the range of motion for dozens of movements. 1) Sit and reach test -- The standard flexibility test that measures lower back and hamstring flexibility. 2) Trunk rotation test 3) Groin flexibility test Body Composition Tests Testing body composition is a little more complex. In a nutshell it is difficult to accurately and reliably test yourself. Even if someone else is testing you, accuracy and reliability are difficult to obtain. 253
An Example Battery Of Fitness Tests Here's an idea for a test battery for our soccer example. Example Test Battery For Soccer Test number Test Fitness component Time (mins) 1 Skinfold measurements Body composition 20 2 Standing jump test Explosive power 10 3 30 meter sprint test Short term power 10 4 Sprint fatigue test Power maintenance 10 5 1-RM test Maximal strength 15 6 Press up test Muscular endurance 5 7 Sit up test Muscular endurance 5 8 Multistage shuttle run Aerobic endurance 20 9 Sit and reach test Flexibility 5 10 Groin flexibility test Groin flexibility 5 Now that you have developed your battery of fitness tests use it at the beginning of your training program (usually the start of pre season training. Use precisely the same set of fitness tests to measure yourself about 6 weeks later and note your progress. It's a good idea to test your fitness just prior to the start of the competitive season and then a couple of times during the competitive season. After you've completed the test battery for the first time you should have a clear indication of your strengths and weaknesses. Design your training program to work predominantly on your biggest weaknesses. Focus on the 20% that will make 80% of the difference. Use these strength tests before you begin weight training and then periodically during your training program. The strength tests require a maximal effort. So... Warm up thoroughly before you begin. Always have a training partner to spot you. Leave at least 24 hours between exercising with weights and strength tests. 254
One Repetition Max Strength tests to measure maximal strength are required for most athletes. For the reasons why maximal strength is important to you as an athlete see the strength training programs article. The one rep max (1-RM) is still considered the 'gold standard' of strength tests by most coaches. The procedure usually consists of the bench press and leg press. Why those two? They are compound movements incorporating most of the large muscle groups in the upper and lower body. It isn't set in stone though... If you play football, rugby or soccer you may want to perform a 1-RM test on the leg extension. The movement closely matches a kicking action. You would do this for both legs and compare you're left to right side. While you're at it... Perform a 1-RM test on the leg curl for both legs. Compare your hamstring to quadriceps strength for both sides. Should you use free weights or machines? It depends. What do you plan to train with, free weights or machines? No point in performing a 1- RM on a fancy bench press machine if you're going to train at home with your dumbbells! If you have the choice... Free weights offer more sport-specific movement patterns because they incorporate more stabilizing muscle groups. They also require more co-ordination. Testing Procedure 1. Warm up thoroughly with light aerobic exercise and 10mins of stretching to all major muscle groups. 2.Chose a weight that you think is about 80% of your 1-RM. Don't sweat over this -- just guess! 3. Perform the exercise... the bench press or leg press or whatever with perfect form for one rep only. 4. Rest for at least 5mins. You're not working out! 5. Add as small a weight increment as possible and try again. Remember to have your spotter with you. 6. Keeping resting and repeating until you find a weight that you can't quite manage on your own. The weight before that is your 1-RM. 255
Results Take your 1-RM weight for the bench press and leg press s and divide it by your body weight. So for example if you leg pressed 300lbs and you weigh 175lbs your score is 1.7. Check your score with the chart below... One Rep Max Scores Bench Press Poor Fair Good Very good Excellent Men 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 Women 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 Leg Press Poor Fair Good Very good Excellent Men 1.4 1.8 2.0 2.4 2.8 Women 1.2 1.4 1.8 2.0 2.2 Sit Up and Press UP Test These two strength tests measure muscular endurance. Your score is simply the number of repetitions you can perform in one minute. Again you can adapt the tests any way you like. You could do chin ups or dips instead. Or you could use a light weight and do half squats. Just remember to perform the test exactly the same every time. Testing Procedure Not mush to write about here. Start the stop watch and perform as many good quality sit ups or press ups (depending which test you are doing) as possible. For a sit up to qualify you must place you hands to the side of you head, bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the floor. Your elbows must touch your knees and someone should hold your feet for support. Results Check your score with the table below to give you a frame of reference... One Rep Max Scores Sit Ups Poor Fair Good Very good Excellent Men 20 30 40 50 60 Women 20 30 40 50 60 Press Ups Poor Fair Good Very good Excellent Men 10 20 30 40 50 Women 10 20 30 40 50 *The scores for women's sit ups are based on the modified sit up -- placing your weight on you knees instead of your toes. 256
Simple Speed Test A very simple speed test is a sprint over 30 yards from a standing start. You can do this easily if you have someone time you. Take the average time over 3-4 sprints (with plenty of rest between attempts). Anytime under 5.0 seconds is good. Professional players average 4.0 seconds. Sprint Fatigue Times for Professional Soccer Players Time (seconds) Best sprint time Fatigue Average 6.80 0.64 Range 6.53-7.01 0.15-0.92 To calculate fatigue take your fastest sprint and subtract it from your slowest sprint. 257
30m Sprint - Short Term Power Test This test measures your ability to accelerate to full speed quickly, as well as reaction time... 1. Set 2 cones 30m apart and start at one cone. 2. On a signal of "Marks - Set - GO" sprint to the other cone as quickly as possible. 3. Have a training partner record your time with a stop watch. 4. Perform 3 trials and take the best time. Any time less than 5 seconds is good. Less than 4 seconds is excellent. 30m Sprint Fatigue - Power Maintenance Test In many multi-sprint sports such basketball, hockey, rugby and soccer, players often have to reproduce sprints in quick succession. The ability to recover between sprints and produce the same level of power over and over is a measure of your sprint fatigue. For this test you need 12 cones or markers and a stopwatch. Look at the diagram below to see how to set the cones out... 1. Sprint from A to B between the cones deviating 5m sideways in the middle of the sprint. Have a training partner start you off and time your sprint from A to B. 2. Jog slowly for 10 meters after point B and then back to the start taking 30 seconds to do so. 3. As soon as you reach the start repeat the sprint. 4. Complete a total of 10 sprints and have your training partner write down all the times. 5. Subtract your fastest time from your slowest time. This is your sprint fatigue. For example if your slowest sprint was 7.8 seconds and your fastest sprint was 6.9 seconds your sprint fatigue is 0.9 (7.8-6.9). Another useful tool to use with your results is to find the average speed of the first three trials and divide it by the average speed of the last three trials. So if your times were... 7.1s, 6.9s, 6.9s, 7.0s, 7.2s, 7.1s, 7.3s, 7.3s, 7.4s, 7.5s The average of the first 3 times is 6.97s, the average of the last 3 times is 7.40s. 6.97 7.40 = 0.94 X 100 = 94% Compare you score with the table below. Power Maintenance Level Category % Top Speed Maintained 1 Excellent +90% 2 Good 85-89% 3 Average 80-84% 4 Poor <79% 258
Illinois Agility Run Test The player starts by lying prone near the first bottom-corner cone, (in testing procedures it is important to have a set starting position). He gets up and sprints to the closest top-corner cone, goes around it, weaves back around the middle cones, sprints to the other top-corner cone, turns around the corner, and sprints to the finish. This tests the ability to change direction and control the center of gravity. It also indicates body awareness, body control, and footwork. A deficiency here indicates a lack of functional core strength, leg strength, and bilateral development. A score under 15 seconds is considered good. The test should be repeated twice, once starting from one side, then repeated from the other side, this is a good indicator. As in other tests, to compare players performance is a valid indicator, but it is much more important in the development stage, to compare him against himself, month by month. There are a myriad of training drills that improve agility, and coordination, these types of drills are very demanding, and should only be done in short bursts. Using all of the components learned in previous chapters, it is important to emphasize the quality of each separate part. This aspect of training shows very quickly if a player has a weakness in, strength, flexibility or coordination. At its best, agility is a smooth and beautiful dance, at its worst a clumsy, awkward stutter. Because a player has superior agility, he can move effortlessly from one state to the next, have fantastic self-expression, and a grace that is wonderful to see. 259
Standing Long Jump - Explosive Power Along with the vertical jump, this power test is used to measure explosive power... 1. Stand at a mark with your feet slightly apart. 2. Taking off and landing with both feet, swing your arms and bend the knees to jump forward as far as possible. 3. Measure the distance, rest fully and repeat a total of 3 times. Take the longest of the 3 trials as your score. Compare your results with the table below. Standing Long Jump Test Poor Below average Average Good Excellent Males <2.0m 2.3m 2.5m 2.7m >3.0m Females <1.7m 1.9m 2.2m 2.5m >2.8m Standing Vertical Jump - Explosive Power One of the classic power tests. This is excellent for basketball and volleyball players but it's certainly not just limited to those athletes. If your sport involves jumping this test applies to you... 1. Chalk your hand and stand next to a wall. Reach up with your hand closest to the wall and make a mark. Remember to keep your feet flat on the floor. 2. Bending your knees at right angles, jump as high as possible to make another mark. 3. Measure the distance between the two marks and repeat a total of 3 times. Take your best score of the 3 trials. Jump height can be converted into a power using the following formula... Power = Body mass(kg) x (4.9 x height jumped in meters)2 So for example if you weigh 80kg (multiply your weight in lbs by 2.2) and jumped 50cm (0.5m) your score would be... 80 x (4.9 x 0.5)2 = 80 x (2.45 x 2.45) = 480kg-m Going back to your original score (the height you jumped) compare it to the graph below... 260
Vertical Jump Test Poor Below average Average Good Excellent Males <46cm 50cm 55cm 60cm >65cm Females <36cm 40cm 45cm 50cm >55cm Hexagon Drill - Quickness This drill was developed by the US Tennis Association as part of their player assessment program. It is useful for all kinds of athletes to measure their agility, quickness and co-ordination. 1. Mark out a hexagon on the floor with tape or chalk. Each side should be 24 inches long with a 120 degree angle. Avoid hard surfaces such as concrete. 2. Stand inside the hexagon opposite one of the sides. Keeping your feet together, jump across the side you are facing and then immediately back into the middle of the hexagon. 3. As soon as you land jump over the next side of the hexagon. Continue until you have completed 3 full revolutions of the shape. You can go either clockwise or anticlockwise. 4. Have someone time you. There is no data to compare this test to so keep a note of the time to beat on your next testing day. Balke 15 Minute Run This is a very simple test to predict your VO2max. What equipment do you need? A stop watch and a 400m running track. After warming up run for 15 minutes continuously. The idea is that you maintain a steady pace throughout the race. The distance you cover is converted into a predicted VO2max using the following table... Balke Test Distance (meters) Predicted VO2max (ml.kg.min) 6000 80.0 5600 75.0 5200 70.0 4800 65.5 4400 61.0 4000 56.5 261
Cooper 12 Minute Run This is another endurance test you can simply use to predict your VO2max. Again you only require a stopwatch and a 400m track. Run or walk continuously for 12 minutes. Again try to maintain a constant pace throughout. Note the total distance covered and use one of the following formulas to predict your VO2max. For distance in Meters... 0.0225 x meters covered minus 11.3 For distance in Yards... 0.0206 x yards covered minus 11.3 So if you covered 3000meters for example... 0.0225 x 3000-11.3 = 56.2 262
The Beep Test The multistage fitness test, also known as the beep, is a very common test of aerobic fitness. Description: This is a maximal test which means you run until you can't run anymore! It's not for the faint hearted. The test is excellent for multi-sprint sports such as soccer and rugby and it make testing an entire team simultaneously simple. Make sure you warm up before performing this test. You require the Multistage Test audio tape to perform this test. The test involves running 20 meter shuttles continuously for the duration of the test. The tape is split into one minute levels. Each level is a series of bleeps that designates the pace at which you must run the 20 meters. As you can guess each level gets quicker and quicker. At the end of the test you make a note of how many levels you completed and read your score off on the chart provided with the test. Incidentally to give you an idea, the starting speed is 8.5km/hr and increase in 0.5km/hr intervals. Other Comments: This test or variations of it can also go by several other names, such as shuttle run test, bleep test, yo-yo, PACER, Aero, and multistage fitness test (MST). Some of these may have different protocols, so be wary when comparing results or comparing to norms. Copyright The ICA, All rights reserved. 263
Modified Sit and Reach Test The sit and reach test is the most common of all the flexibility tests. It measures the flexibility of the lower back and hamstrings. All you need is a box about 30cm (12 inches) high and a meter rule. 1. Sit on the floor with your back and head against a wall. Legs should be out straight ahead and knees flat against the floor. 2. Have someone place the box flat against your feet (no shoes). Keeping your back and head against the wall stretch your arms out towards the box. 3. Have someone place the ruler on the box and move the zero end towards your fingertips. When the ruler touches you fingertips you have the zero point and the test can begin. 4. Lean forward slowly as far as possible keeping the fingertips level with each other and the legs flat. Your head and shoulders can come away from the wall now. Do NOT jerk or bounce to reach further. 5. Slowly reach along the length of the ruler 3 times. On the third attempt reach as far as possible and hold for 2 seconds. Have your training partner read the score. Repeat twice and compare your best score with the table below... Modified Sit And Reach Test Poor Fair Good Very good Excellent 15cm 25cm 30cm 35cm 45cm Trunk Rotation Test This flexibility test measures trunk and shoulder flexibility. You require nothing other than a brick wall and a piece of chalk. 1. Mark a vertical line on the wall. Stand with your back to the wall directly in front of the line. You should be about arms length away from the wall with your feet shoulder width apart. 2. Extend your arms out directly in front of you so they are parallel to the floor. Twist your trunk to your right and the touch the wall behind you with your fingertips. Your arms should stay extended and parallel to the floor. You can turn your shoulders, hips and knees as long as your feet don't move. 3. Mark the position where your fingertips touched the wall. Measure the distance from the line. A point before the line is a negative score and a point after the line is a positive score. 4. Repeat for the left side and take the average of the 2 scores and compare with the table below. 264
Trunk Rotation Test Poor Fair Good Very good Excellent 0cm 5cm 10cm 15cm 20cm Groin Flexibility Test This flexibility test measures... groin flexibility believe it or not! The only piece of equipment you need is a ruler or tape measure. 1. Sit on the floor with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor and legs together. 2. Let your knees drop sideways as far as possible keeping your feet together. The soles of your feet should be together. 3. Clasp your feet with both hands and pull you ankles as close to your body as possible. Measure the distance from your heels to your groin. Compare the results with the table below... Groin Flexibility Test Poor Fair Good Very good Excellent 25cm 20cm 15cm 10cm 5cm Copyright The ICA, All rights reserved. 265