Fitness testing

1. FITNESS TESTING
FOR SPORT AND
EXERCISE

2. BASIC CONCEPT OF FITNESS TESTING
A fitness test, also known as a fitness
assessment, is comprised of a series of
exercises that help evaluate your overall
health and physical status. There is wide of
range of standardized tests used for these
exams, some of which are intended for
medical purposes and others of which
establish whether you are qualified to
participate.

3. - Fitness testing, or assessment, involves exercises
to evaluate overall health and physical status.
- Various standardized tests are used for medical
and qualification purposes.
 It assesses health-related and skill-related
components, with laboratory testing being the
most accurate.
- Tests outside the lab serve as a starting point for
personalized exercise programs, ensuring safety,
and establishing effective fitness goals.

4. 1. Foundational for progress
2. Extensive for peak performance.
- Wellbeing assessments include blood pressure,
body composition, and measurements.
- Lifestyle assessments, a more comprehensive
health system, analyze VO2 levels, grip strength,
flexibility, peak flow, and sit-and-reach testing.
- A thorough evaluation provides clarity and
guidance for a transformative journey to a
healthier lifestyle.
Two forms of fitness testing

5. TYPES OF FITNESS TESTS
Fitness test can be devised to test all aspects of
fitness, providing the test follows fitness testing
principles. Examples of simple fitness tests which can
easily be reproduced away from a lab and measure
strength, power, anaerobic endurance, local muscular
endurance, aerobic endurance, flexibility, balance,
reaction time and body composition.
There are test that focus on gauging your
strength, stamina, flexibility, and more. Tests can
focus on one particular physical trait, a combination
of two or several, and even your overall physical
fitness.

6. 1. The Bruce Test-Designed to evaluate
cardiovascular performance, the Bruce as a clinical
treadmill stress test. The purpose was to diagnose
patients with suspected heart diseases, and the
results would point to possible coronary
problems.
5 of the most popular and commonly used physical
fitness tests

7. 2. Illinois Agility- Also called the Illinois Agility Run, this
physical fitness test was designed to determine agility.
3. Harvard Step-Also a test for cardiovascular function,
this test can easily be administered at home. All you
need is a 12 inch high bench or box to stand on, and a
stop watch. For three minutes, simply step up and
down the platform at a steady pace. Then time how
long it takes for your heart rate to normalize. The
shorter the interval, the better your cardiovascular
condition is. This physical fitness is also known as the
Cardiac Stress Test or Cardiovascular Endurance Test.

8. 4. Beep Tests-This test is also commonly known
as the Bleep Test or Shuttle Run. Some also refer
to it as the Pacer Test or 20-meter Shuttle Run
Test.
5. Vertical Jump-This is another test that you can
do it at home with very minimal requirements.
This is used to determine leg muscle strength. It
is sometimes called the Vertical Leap or Sargent
Jump-named after American physical education
pioneer, Dudley Sargent.

9. Reasons For Fitness Testing
1. Health Assessment: Fitness tests help assess an
individual's overall health and fitness level. They can
identify potential health risks and conditions such as
obesity, cardiovascular disease, and muscular
weaknesses.
2. Performance Evaluation: Fitness tests are used to
evaluate an individual's physical performance in
specific areas such as strength, endurance, flexibility,
and agility. This evaluation can help athletes and
fitness enthusiasts track their progress and set realistic
goals.

10. 3. Baseline Measurement: Fitness tests provide a
baseline measurement of an individual's current
fitness level. This baseline can be used to design
personalized workout programs and monitor
improvements over time.
4. Injury Prevention: Fitness tests can identify
muscular imbalances and weaknesses that may
increase the risk of injury during physical activity.
By addressing these weaknesses through targeted
exercises, individuals can reduce their risk of injury.

11. 5. Motivation: Fitness tests can serve as a source of
motivation by providing tangible results and
benchmarks for improvement. Seeing progress
over time can encourage individuals to stick to
their fitness routine and maintain a healthy life
style.
6. Selection Criteria: In certain professions, such as
military, law enforcement, and sports teams, fitness
tests may be used as selection criteria to ensure
that candidates possess the physical capabilities
required to perform their duties effectively.

12. PRINCIPLE OF FITNESS TESTING-
It involves a series of tests designed to
measure various aspect of physical fitness
such as Strength, Endurance, Flexibility,
and Power. The efficacy of these tests
hinges on four fundamental principles:
Specificity, Validaty, Objectivity, Reliability

13. In Order for fitness testing to be accurate and
worthwhile, a number of principles must be
followed:
SPECIFICITY- fitness test must assess an individuals fitness for the
activity or sports in question.
VALIDITY- fitness test must measure the component of fitness
that they are suppose to.
OBJECTIVITY- sometimes also known as intertester reliability. A
tests that is objective will produce the same result for the same
individual, regardless of the tester, or technician administering the
test.
RELIABILITY- a Reliable tests produces the same results if
repeated.

14. Basic simple training principles
1. OVERLOAD- in order to progress and improve our fitness we have
to put our bodies under additional stress. Doing this will cause long
term adaptation, enabling our bodies to work more efficiently to
cope with this higher level of performance. Overloading can be
achieved by following the acronym FITT.
2. Specificity – The type of training that you should be specific to you
and your sport. You should train the energy system which you use
predominantly and the fitness and skill components most important
to your sport, for example agility, balance, or muscular endurance.

15. 3. Reversibility – Basically if you stop training then the
improvements you have made will be reversed. So if you
are ill or have a holiday and do not train for a period of
time (even as little as a week) you may not be able to
resume training at the point where you left off.
4. Variance – Try to vary your training, to keep you
interested and give your body a different challenge.
Remember a change is as good as a rest. Many
professional athletes will play a completely different
sport in-between their main season, to keep their fitness
up whilst still having a rest.

16. FACTORS WHICH MAY AFFECT FITNESS TESTS
Physical Fitness basically refers to that condition of the
body wherein an individual is able to carry out his lifestyle
activities with greater ease while being immune to potential
health issues and emergency situations.
1. Flexibility is defines as the ability of specific joint, such as
knee, to move through a full range of movement.
Sit and reach
Designed to assess the flexibility of the hamstrings and lower
back.

17. 2. Strength also known as muscular strength. It is also defined as
the ability of a specific muscle or muscle group to exert a force in
a single maximal contraction to overcome some form of
resistance.
1RM the one-repetition maximum strength test (1RM) is often
used to measure dynamic strength in specific muscle group. The
test measures the maximum mass kilogram that the client can lift
in one single movement and is normally performed on a fixed
resistance machine.
Grip Dynamometer is a mechanical device to measure the force
force generated in a specific muscle group.

18. 3. Aerobic Endurance is also known as stamina or aerobic
fitness. It is defined as the ability of the cardiorespiratory
system to supply the exercising muscles with oxygen to
maintain aerobic exercise for a long period of time.
Ex. Long distance swimming, running and cycling
Multi-stage fitness test. This test is ideal for testing in
sports based on multisprint activities, such as football
and rugby. The tet is progressive in terms of intensity
(speed) on how far the client progresses during the test.

19. Step test is also known as the Harvard step test. It is a
sub-maximal test, which means it uses the client’s
recovery heart rate.
Maximal treadmill protocol. There are a number of
treadmill protocols you may use but here we will use the
Bruce Test. For this aerobic endurance test you will need
a treadmill where speed and grade of slope can be
adjusted, together with a stopwatch and a helper to
administer the test. There are some important health
and safety points to consider prior to testing.

20. 4. Speed
Ability to cover a set distance quickly, and is
explosive in nature. Speed is vital for a number of
activities in sport and exercise, especially sprinting
and jumping activities.
- Sprint Tests
A client can be tested speed over various
distances, depending on the demands of his/her
sport.

21. 5. Power
Is strongly related to strength in conjunction with
the speed of movement. It is the ability to
generate and use muscular strength quickly.
- Vertical Jump
A measure of anaerobic power and is specifically
related to the leg muscles.
- Wingate Tests
Uses a stationary exercise bicycle to measure
anaerobic capacity

22. Involves the muscle making a number of
continuous movements.
Can be defined as a specific muscle or muscle
group, such as the biceps, making repeated
contractions over a significant period of time
(possibly over a number of minutes)
6. Muscular Endurance

23. Sporting activities that require good muscular
endurance are:
A hockey midfield player would need to make
numerous sprints over 10 to 20 meters during the
game at high speed
A boxer would need a high level in their arms
when trying to punch their opponent repeatedly
A rower would need muscular endurance in their
arms to make repeated strokes.

24. - One-minute sit up
Also known as the curl-up or abdominal
curl test.
Requires the client to perform as many as
possible until there is total fatigue.
Clients with neck or back pain should not
try this test.

25. 7. Body Composition
The amount (normally expressed as a
percentage)of body fat and lean body tissue the
athlete possesses. Lean body tissue is water, blood,
skin, muscle and bone.
- Skin Calipers
Skinfold measurement requires a trained and
competent tester who can make reliable
measurements over a period of time. It is a reliable
test because it has a correlation of 0.70 to 0.90.

26. Male – chest, thigh, and abdomen.
Female – Triceps, suprailiac, and thigh
The measurements for the three sites are added
together to produce a total in millimeters, which can be
evaluated in terms of a percentage of body fat using
conversion that take into account the client’s age.
15-25 percent is optimal for women
10-20 percent for men
Most protocol use three sites, such as:

27. Bioelectrical Impedance analysis
The machine passes a harmless electronic current
through the client’s body and records the
impedance (opposition) to the current. The
current will flow through tissues with a high water
content faster than through tissue with less water,
such as fat.
The speed at which the current moves is
measured and used to determine body
composition.

28. Hydrodensitometry
Also known as hydrostatic weighing, or weighing
underwater.
Research has proven that this method produces the
most accurate result in terms of determining body
composition.

29. Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Tests
1.COST
Some of the test we have looked little investment
to set-up for, example the step test can be run
with just using a stop watch and a step at the
button of a flight of stairs on the other hand,
some test such as the Wingate cost a great deal
of money because it need as specialist
*Computer software (Wingate package)
*Computer hardware (printer,cables,etc.)
*Scientific knowledge and support.

30. 2. TIME
When considering time in relation to
selecting a test there are two key aspect.
*Time taken test client
*Time taken to analyze the results and
produce feedback.

31. 3. EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS Certain
fitness test require especialist
equipment,which will have Cost
implications, however,all fitness test
require some form of equipment -even
the one time press up test needs a
stopwatch and an. Exercise mat.

32. 4. FACILITY REQUIREMENTS
In a sport or leisure center you will have
basic equipment such as a grip
dynamometer and height chart, etc, on
the other hand, a sports science
laboratory will have especialist
equipment that requires especialist
technical knowledge to use it l.

33. Health Screening Procedures
Health screening must take place before any
exercise or testing is performed by the client, and it
must be administered by the tester. It usually takes
the form of a questionnaire and its aim is to identify
any medical condition that may prevent the client
from exercising safely. Its aim is to ensure the health
and safety of the client.

34. 1. Health screening Questionnaires
The heath or fitness instructor/tester should use a
questionnaire on health and physical activity. These
questionnaires ask specific questions relating to
past or current illness. The instructor should use the
information to select the correct level and types of
exercises for the client.

35. Lifestyle Questions
 Occupation
 Lifestyle
 Diet
 Drink alcohol
 Stress levels
 Hours of sleep

36. Medical History
Asking your client to state as to whether they
have any existing or before medical problems
is a vital part of the screening process. Failure
to ask clients about this could result in legal
action if they are injured whilst in your care.

37. Listening
Although questioning the client is important, the
key to a good consultation is to listen to the client.
If you are a good listener, which will come from
experience, you should be able to identify any
issues that are not obvious at first.

38. Non-Verbal Communication Screening
As a personal trainer it is your responsibility to
motivate your client and help them to see the
benefit this exercise is having on them. Part of
your screening process should also include what
your clients are telling you with their body
language.

39. Client Confidentiality
Anyone involved in health screening and fitness
testing has a duty of confidentiality regarding their
clients. They should ensure that personal
information such as medical history is stored in a
secure place. The details should remain confidential
and should not be discussed with other instructors
or clients.

40. Informed consent
The client must complete an informed consent form
before testing begins. The form should explain the
purpose and nature of the physical fitness tests the
client is about to undertake. It should also detail
any potential risks that may be present, and explain
the benefits of the tests to the client.

41. Treatment
Depending on test results, various treatment
options will be considered. Treatment may include
medication, coronary angioplasty (with or without
coronary artery stenting), or coronary bypass
surgery (commonly known as coronary artery
bypass grafting or CABG). Treatment is aimed at
reducing or eliminating symptoms and reducing the
risk of having a heart attack.

42. Medication
Classes of medications commonly used to treat
coronary heart disease include:
Beta Blockers
Nitrates
Calcium channel blockers/calcium antagonists
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)
inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers
(ARBs)

43. Health Monitoring Tests
1. Heart rate - the number of times the ventricles of
the heart contract and relax (that is, beat) per minute
or other unit of time. In human beings, the normal
resting heart rate among adults ranges from 60 to 100
beats per minute (BPM), whereas the normal resting
heart rate for children is higher and varies with age.
The body moderates heart rate with the sympathetic
nervous system, which
releases epinephrine and norepinephrine to speed up
the heart rate, and the parasympathetic nervous
system, which releases acetylcholine to reduce it.

44. Person’s heart rate changes throughout the day
as they engage in activities with varying levels
of strenuousness. Exercise, exposure to
higher air temperatures and humidity, smoking,
changing one’s body position, ingesting
certain foods and medications, along
with stress, anxiety, and other strong emotions,
can temporarily increase heart rate. In contrast,
slowing one’s breathing rate, relaxation, and
ingesting certain other medications can
temporarily decrease heart rate.

45. 2. high blood pressure - is when the pressure in your
blood vessels is too high (140/90 mmHg or higher). It is
common but can be serious if not treated.
Things that increase the risk of having high blood
pressure include:
older age
Genetics
being overweight or obese
not being physically active
 high-salt diet
drinking too much alcohol

46. People with very high blood pressure (usually 180/120 or higher) can experience symptoms
including:
 severe headaches
 chest pain
 Dizziness
 difficulty breathing
 Nausea
 Vomiting
 blurred vision or other vision changes
 Anxiety
 Confusion
 buzzing in the ears
 Nosebleeds
 abnormal heart rhythm

47. 3. Lung volumes are also known as respiratory volumes. It
refers to the volume of gas in the lungs at a given time
during the respiratory cycle. Lung capacities are derived
from a summation of different lung volumes. The average
total lung capacity of an adult human male is about
6 liters of air. Lung volumes measurement is an integral
part of pulmonary function test.
Lung volume test is used to find out if you have a lung
condition that is restrictive or obstructive. If you have an
obstructive lung condition, your airways will be narrow.
This means your lungs still have air in them after
breathing out. Obstructive conditions include COPD and
asthma.

48. 4. The Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR)
It is a simple but useful measure of fat distribution. The
Waist Hip Ratio is calculated by dividing your waist
measurement by your hip measurement, since the hips
are the widest part of your buttocks.
One 2021 study showed that people who carry more of
their weight around their midsection (an apple-shaped
body) may be at a higher risk of heart disease, type 2
diabetes, and premature death than people who carry
more of their weight in their hips and thighs (a pear-
shaped body).

49. Ways to calculate your waist-to-hip ratio
You can figure out your WHR on your own, or your
doctor can do it for you. To measure it yourself:
Stand up straight and breathe out. Use a tape measure
to check the distance around the smallest part of your
waist, just above your belly button. This is your waist
circumference.
Then measure the distance around the largest part of
your hips — the widest part of your buttocks. This is
your hip circumference.
Calculate your WHR by dividing your waist
circumference by your hip circumference.

50. 5. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measurement of a
person’s weight with respect to his or her height. It is
more of an indicator than a direct measurement of a
person’s total body fat.
BMI in an individual is calculated by the use of a
mathematical formula. It can also be estimated using
tables in which one can match height in inches to weight
in pounds to estimate BMI. There are convenient
calculators available on internet sites that help calculate
BMI as well.

51. BMI = (Weight in kilograms) divided by (Height in meters
squared)
A normal BMI score is one that falls between 18.5 and 24.9.
This indicates that a person is within the normal weight
range for his or her height. A BMI chart is used to
categorize a person as underweight, normal, overweight, or
obese.
Body Mass Index (BMI)Weight Status Below
 18.5Underweight
18.5 - 24.9 Normal
25.0 - 29.9 Overweight
30.0 plus Obese