Strength & Conditioning
Tips
This guide is presented as a service to athletes, coaches,
parents and exercise physiologists, who wish to evaluate their
own or someone else's fitness level, or to gain a greater
understanding of tests that they have performed.
There are probably hundreds of standard fitness tests used,
and hundreds more variations of these. They can range from
elaborate and expensive laboratory tests to simple and inexpensive
field tests. Each test also has many advantages and disadvantages
that can ultimately determine which is the most appropriate
test to perform. If you are designing your own fitness testing
regime, with the information about the relative merits and
requirements of each test that is contained in this guide,
you can make an informed choice of the most appropriate test
or tests to use.
Firstly this guide discusses why we should perform fitness
testing and the benefits of testing, then how to select appropriate
fitness tests, some tips about conducting tests, and interpret
the results. There are also some further readings so you can
find some more detailed information yourself.
Once you have a good understanding of the issues concerning
fitness testing, you can go and explore the growing list of
tests and their descriptions on this site.
WHY FITNESS TEST?
Performance in any sporting event is the result of a multitude
of factors, which include the amount of training performed,
the body's adaptation to the training, motivation level, nutritional
status and weather conditions to name a few. As you can see,
physiological parameters only account for a portion of any
performance, and so the role of any exercise physiologist
is also similarly limited. Through fitness testing, the factors
involving physiological processes, over which there is some
control, can be measured and ultimately improved upon.
Competition is the ultimate test of performance capability,
and is therefore the best indication of training success.
However, when trying to maximise performance, it is important
to determine the athlete's ability in individual aspects of
performance. Fitness testing attempts to measure individual
components of performance, with the ultimate aim of studying
and maximising the athlete's ability in each component.
BENEFITS OF FITNESS TESTING
- Identify Weaknesses and Strengths
Of the many benefits of fitness testing, the major use is
to establish the strengths and weaknesses of the athlete.
This is done by comparing test results to other athletes in
the same training group, the same sport, or a similar population
group. Previous test results of large groups are often published
as normative tables.
By comparing results to successful athletes in your sport,
you can see the areas which need improvement, and the training
programme can be modified accordingly. This way valuable training
time can be used more efficiently. However, beware that some
athletes perform well in their sport despite their physical
or physiological attributes, and it may not be advantageous
to be like them.
The initial testing session can give the athlete an idea
of where their fitness levels are at the start of a programme,
so that future testing can be compared to this and any changes
can be noted. A baseline is especially important if you are
about to embark on a new training phase. Subsequent tests
should be planned for the end and start of each new phase.
By repeating tests at regular intervals, you can get an idea
of the effectiveness of the training programme. The time-frame
between tests can depend on the availability of time or costs
involved, or the phase of training the athlete is in. Depending
of these factors, the period between tests may range from
two weeks to six months. It usually takes a minimum of 2-6
weeks to see a demonstrable change in any aspect of fitness.
The incentive to improve can often be provided by the 'goal'
of a certain test score. By knowing that they will be tested
again at a later date, the athlete can aim to improve in that
area.
Testing is primarily used for help in designing the most
appropriate athletic training programme. A general non-sport
specific testing battery can provide you with an idea of your
basic strengths and weaknesses, and from this you may find
you would be better suited to another sport which makes better
use of your strengths. Although testing has sometimes been
used in this way for talent identification, it has generally
not been very reliable in predicting the future success of
juniors (mainly due to varying growth patterns) and in sports
which rely heavily on other factors such as technique, tactics
and psychological factors.
SELECTING FITNESS TESTS
There is often a standard set of tests that are performed
for the fitness testing of any sport. If you do not have access
to such as list, or you wish to modify a protocol to suit
individual needs, you can use the following information to
design your own testing regime. Remember that the test that
best determines your capability in any component of fitness
is not always the most appropriate tests to perform; there
are many other factors to consider.
- Identifying Components of Performance
The first step in designing a fitness testing regime is to
identify the components of fitness that you wish to investigate.
These may depend on the phase of training or the phase of
the season in which the testing is being done. Each sport
requires certain attributes and relies on certain factors
more than others for successful performance. For example,
you would not necessarily want to test a marathon runner on
sprinting speed. Your fitness testing time could be better
spent on doing more relevant tests.
One method of categorising the different components of fitness
are as presented on the list of tests, though this categorisation
is somewhat arbitrary. You testing battery may include a few
similar tests from one fitness component and none from others,
depending on what your aims of the testing are.
The test protocols need to be standardised so that comparisons
can be made between your test scores performed at different
times and comparisons between athletes tested at different
places. Athletes and coaches should be aware of the need to
control for factors which can affect the results obtained.
Such things that need to be controlled are: the warm up, order
of tests, recovery periods, environmental conditions, and
fluid and nutritional status. If comparing test results to
normative tables, the test must be conducted exactly the same
as it was when the original test group was tested, for the
comparison to be valid.
You need to select sport specific tests. If you believe that
the tests are relevant to the sport you play, you will be
more inclined to put a maximal effort into the testing. If
not, you can be wasting valuable time on tests that are not
relevant to your particular sport, and the results will be
meaningless.
A test is considered reliable if the results are consistent
and reproducible over time. You should be able to obtain the
same or similar result on two separate trials. This is important
as you are often looking for small changes in scores.
Some of the errors in recording of tests results can come
about from poor following of the test protocols, equipment
error, variability in environmental conditions and/or surfaces.
Reliability can be improved by greater control of these variables,
and by using competent and well trained testers, though there
is still some variability expected. All the equipment used
should be standard and regularly calibrated to the manufacturer's
standards. If more than one test is being conducted at a time,
the ordering of tests can affect results for each test, as
can he training and fatigue of the athlete between test sessions.
If the test requires pacing or practice, the more experienced
athletes will do better at maximising their score, and the
score will be more reliable.
Validity is whether the tests actually measure what they
set out to. Tests can be reliable but not valid. The validity
of a test is usually better if the test is specific to the
sport being tested: i.e., the tests should resemble the sport
being tested, so that similar actions and therefore the specific
muscle groups and muscle fibre types actually used in the
sport are being used.
If you don't know what the numbers in the results mean, the
tests are fairly useless. The results must have meaning so
that they can be applied to modify a training programme. If
you want to compare the results to that of other groups you
must have access to normative data ('norms'). These norms
should be based on a large homogeneous population, be up to
date, and preferably be of local origin.
- Facilities and Other Testing Demands
The time, costs, equipment and personnel required can be
the most important considerations when selecting a test, and
often determines what tests are actually conducted. This is
especially important if you intend to test large groups of
athletes.
CONDUCTING TEST
Testing order can affect performance in some tests. Blood
pressure and resting heart rate should always be tested first.
Some tests should be scheduled early in the session as they
should not be preceded by a warm up (e.g.. some flexibility
tests). If there are several muscular strength and endurance
tests in one session, you must allow plenty of time for recovery
between tests. Exhausting tests, such as a VO2max test, should
be scheduled for a separate session, or at least at the end
of a session. Other tests based on a heart rate response (e.g.
many submaximal endurance tests) may be affected by previous
tests and by the mental state of the athlete, and should be
scheduled accordingly.
Testing should be done at the beginning of phases of training,
and then at regular intervals. For school groups it may be
appropriate to schedule testing at the beginning and ends
of school semesters.
Safety checks should be done prior to any testing session,
such as checking proper working of equipment, and adequate
supply of mats. During the sessions, give adequate warm-up
when necessary. For maximal endurance testing on elderly and
special populations, medical assistance should be close at
hand, and adequate resuscitation equipment should be available
nearby.
Any person older than 35 years of age, particularly anyone
overweight or with a history of high blood pressure and heart
disease, should consult a physician before undertaking any
vigorous testing. Fitness testing should not be avoided, as
for this population, it can be useful as a screening device
and to help devise a programme to suit special needs.
Well designed scoring sheets make recording scores more efficient
and avoid errors. They should include space for personal details,
age, date and time, weather or laboratory conditions, recorder's
name, and a record of all trials for each test. Other optional
space to include are training phase and fitness level of the
athletes, and room for subsequent tests.
All test assistants should be adequately trained prior to
testing, to ensure correct administration of the tests, and
reduce error between testers.
Good organisation will ensure the testing session runs smoothly.
If testing a large group, you may want to set up testing stations
with a different tester at each station, or with one tester
following the same group around the stations.
INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS
The first step in the interpretation of test results requires
you to determine how important each of the components that
were tested are to the overall performance in the sport. For
example, while a poor result in a body fat test for a basketballer
may be of concern, it is not as vital as a poor result in
an endurance test. The relative importance of each fitness
component normally requires a good understanding of the physiology
involved, and so is best done by a qualified exercise physiologist.
If the results are being compared to norms, you must consider
if the norms used the same protocol, and the subject population
and age group are similar. Also, published norms may give
the averages for a certain population, but this does not always
indicate what is the desirable level for that particular parameter.
Are the changes seen from test to test significant? There
is normal variation in results from test to test due to factors
such as biological variation, tester error, equipment calibrations,
conditions, etc., so you must decide if the differences recorded
are significant to affect performance, and are greater than
can be expected from general sources of error.
Following correct and thorough testing, the presentation
of results to the athlete or coach can be the most important
step if any recommendations are implemented. A good way of
illustrating the results is with a chart or plot, where initial
and subsequent tests can be overlaid or compared side to side
so that changes over time can be easily determined.
Source - www.medicalwelfare.gaa.ie/fitnesstestingguide.html
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