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ASSESSMENT OF PHYSICAL FITNESS

Why is it important to test physical fitness?

To assess a persons ability/suitability for sport – it is common that the

first few training sessions a person attends will include some sort of

testing.

Fitness testing helps to plan a training programme.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the training a person/team does.

Regular fitness testing allows a person to see when they are back to full

fitness after a break or injury.

Readiness for competition e.g. medical before first boxing fight

Psychological – helps motivate a sports person if they think they are

achieving their fitness goals.

The components of physical fitness are shown below:

HEALTH

SKILL

BALANCE CO-ORDINATION AGILITY

REACTION TIME SPEED POWER

CARDIO-VASCULAR

ENDURANCE MUSCULAR

ENDURANCE

FLEXIBILITY STRENGTH BODY

COMPOSITION

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Cardiovascular Fitness

What is cardiovascular fitness:

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There are 3 popular tests for measuring CV fitness (aerobic capacity).

1. The Multi-Stage Fitness Test

2. The Harvard Step Test

3. The Cooper 12-minute Run

Test 1 The Multi-Stage Fitness Test (Bleep Test)

This test is maximal & progressive.

Describe the procedure for this test

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[4]

The higher the level, the _________ your VO2 Max

20 metres

CARDIO-VASCULAR

ENDURANCE

3

Test 2 The Harvard Step Test

This tests how quickly a person recovers (returns to a normal pulse

rate).

Procedure

- Take resting pulse rate twice – record the lowest score __________

- Step up & down on a platform 50cm high.

- Step for five minutes at a rate of 30 steps per minute.

- Take pulse rate for 30 seconds at one minute intervals for three

minutes after five minutes of stepping.

- Use a standard formula and tables to score fitness levels.

To work out your score -

Score = length of exercise in seconds x 100

2 x (pulse after 1 min + after 2 min + after 3 min)

Test classification:

High

score

Above

average Average

Below

average

Low

score

Males

15 – 16 years Above 90 90 – 80 79 – 65 64 – 55

Less than

55

Females

15 – 16 years Above 86 86 - 76 75 – 61 60 - 50

Less than

50

My score is:

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The higher your score, the fitter you are

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Test 3 The Cooper 12-minute Run

This tests aerobic capacity (VO2 Max)

VO2 Max is:

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[2]

Procedure

- Warm up thoroughly

- Walk or run as many laps of a marked distance as possible.

- Record the distance run after 12 minutes.

- Use tables provided to score fitness levels.

You can estimate your VO2 Max from the table below:

High

score

Above

average Average

Below

average

Low

score

Males

15 – 16 years

Above

2800

2799 –

2500

2499 –

2300

2299 –

2200 Below 2200

Females

15 – 16 years

Above

2300

2299 -

2000

1999 –

1900

1899 -

1800 Below 1800

Distance in metres

My score: ___________________

How can you improve your cardio-vascular fitness:

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Muscular Endurance

What is muscular endurance:

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Test The Abdominal Curl Test

This test measures the muscular endurance of the abdominal muscles.

Procedure

- Subject lies on mat, knees at right angles and arms across chest.

- Ankles held by partner or fixed under wall bars

- Sit up on one beep and lie down on the next beep

- Keep going for as long as possible in time with the bleeps (max 8 min)

- Frequency increases as test progresses.

How can you improve your muscular endurance:

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MUSCULAR

ENDURANCE

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Flexibility

What is flexibility:

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Test Sit and Reach Test

This measures flexibility at the hip joint, which is generally restricted

by the hamstring muscles.

Procedure

- Thorough warm up with stretching exercises.

- Bare feet placed against the edge of a box.

- Using a metre rule, subject stretches as far forward as possible with two

hands. (ruler overhangs by 15cm)

- Record best of three attempt and use table to determine standard.

High

score

Above

average Average

Below

average

Low

score

Males

15 – 16 years Above 28 28 – 24 23 – 20 19 – 17 Below 17

Females

15 – 16 years Above 35 35 – 32 31 – 30 29 – 25 Below 25

Distance in cm

My score: ___________________

How can you improve your flexibility:

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FLEXIBILITY

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Body Composition

What is body composition:

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Test Skinfold Measurement.

The skinfold test is a scientific way of measuring the depth of fat

tissue a person has in three places on their body.

Procedure

- Take a pinch of skin and place the skin fold calibers on the pinched skin.

- Take three measurements at the three locations indicated below.

a) Waist (Suprailiac) b) Rear Upper Arm (Tricep)

c) Shoulder Blade (Subscapular)

- Add together the three measurements and evaluate your body fatness in

relation to the skinfold rating chart below.

Low % Boy

Fat

Below

Average %

Body Fat

Average %

Body Fat

Above %

Body Fat

High %

Body Fat

Males Below 22 34 – 22 73 – 35 90 – 74 Above 90

Females Below 22 42 – 25 65 – 43 82 – 66 Above 82

Thickness in mm

My score: ___________________

Identifying body type is called somatotyping.

Somatotyping descibes lean body mass (LBM) and total body shape. It

measures how round, how muscular and how long you are, in that order.

Each is measured on a scale of 1 to 7.

BODY

COMPOSITION

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Somatotype

What’s your rating?

Most people are between the extremes. Most have a rating such as 3 4 4, or 3

5 2, or 4 3 3 (endomorph / mesomorph / ectomorph).

Finding your rating means taking some complex measurements similar to those

taken to work out amount of body fat (skinfold).

It is possible to estimate your rating. What do you think your score would be?

Endomorph ______ Mesomorph ______ Ectomorph ______

You inherit your basic build from your parents, but you can change it to some

extent through exercise and diet.

Somatotypes can be shown

on a chart like this one:

What’s the ideal build for a sport?

This chart shows average ratings for top male athletes.

What do you notice about the graph? What does this tell you about sport at the

elite level (top athletes)? [2]

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Strength

There are three different types of strength.

Static:_________________________________________

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Explosive:______________________________________________

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Dynamic:_______________________________________________

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Although there are three different types of strength, testing each type is

difficult.

Some general tests of strength are given below:

Test 1 Repitition Maximum (1RM)

This measures your maximum strength (static)

Procedure

- You can use free weights or multigym equipment.

- Find the maximum weight you can lift once (1RM) by gradually adding extra

weight until you reach the maximum weight you can lift just once.

- You must allow 2/3 minutes between each lift for recovery.

My 1RM for chest press: ___________KG

Test Grip Dynamometer

Records grip strength using a hand-grip dynanometer

Testing grip strength

using a hand-grip

dynanometer

STRENGTH

10

You can use bathroom scales like a dynamometer test – design a test for

strength using a set of bathroom scales.

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How can you improve your maximum strength (static strength):

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How can you improve your explosive strength (power):

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How can you improve your dynamic strength:

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Weight Training Terms

Repitition

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Set

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Resistance

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[3]

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Agility

What is agility:

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Test Illinois Agility test

Procedure

- Thorough warm up

- Lie flat down at the start. On the command ‘Go’, jump up and complete the

marked course as quickly as possible.

- The course is set up as shown in the diagram:

- Record the best of two attempts and use a table to determine standard.

High

score

Above

average Average

Below

average

Low

score

Males

15 – 16 years

Faster

than 15.9 15.9 – 16.7 16.8 – 18.6 18.7 – 18.8

Slower

than 18.8

Females

15 – 16 years

Faster

than 17.5 17.5 – 18.6 18.7 – 22.4 22.4 – 23.4

Slower

than 23.4

Time in seconds

My score: ___________________

How can you improve your agility:

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AGILITY

START

FINISH

10 metres

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Balance

What is balance:

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Test Stork Stand

This is a test of static balance

Procedure

- Stand on one leg with the foot of the other leg against support leg.

- Place hands on hips.

- Rise up on to the toes of your standing leg.

- Balance for as long as possible without letting either the heel

touch the floor or the other foot move away from the knee.

- Attempt balance using either leg.

High

score

Above

average Average

Below

average

Low

score

15 – 16

years 60 - 50 49 – 40 39 – 26 25 - 11 Below 10

Time in seconds

My score: ___________________

How can you improve your balance:

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BALANCE

13

Co-ordination

What is co-ordination:

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Test Alternate Hand Wall Throw

Procedure

- Stand two metres from the wall.

- Throw the ball with the right hand and catch it with the left hand.

- Then do the reverse.

- Record the number of successful catches made in 30 seconds.

- You can compare your result with the norms shown in the table below:

High

score

Above

average Average

Below

average

Low

score

15 – 16

years Above 35 35 – 30 29 – 25 24 - 20 Below 20

Number of catches

My score: ___________________

How can you improve your co-ordination:

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CO-ORDINATION

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Power

What is power:

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Tests Sergeant (vertical) Jump

Standing Broad Jump (horizontal)

VJ Procedure

- Measure your stretched height and make a mark.

- Jump as high as possible and make another mark.

- Measure the difference between the two marks.

- You can compare your result with the norms shown in the table below:

High

score

Above

average Average

Below

average

Low

score

Males

15 – 16 years Above 65 65 – 56 55 – 50 49 – 40

Less than

40

Females

15 – 16 years Above 60 60 – 51 50 – 41 40 - 35

Less than

35

Distance in cms

My score: ___________________

BJ Procedure

- Stand behind the line.

- Bend your knees and jump (two-footed) as far forward as possible.

- Measure from the line to heel marks.

- You can compare your result with the norms shown in the table below:

High

score

Above

average Average

Below

average

Low

score

Males

15 – 16 years 2.10 – 2.01 2.00 – 1.86 1.85 – 1.76 1.75 – 1.65

Less than

1.65

Females

15 – 16 years 1.68 – 1.66 1.65 – 1.56 1.55 – 1.46 1.45 – 1.35

Less than

1.35

Distance in metres

My score: ___________________

POWER

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Reaction Time

What is reaction time:

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There are a number of computer programs that can measure simple reaction

time. These tests ask for a single response to a single stimulus. Other programs

can measure our choice reaction time, these give a variety of responses only one

of which is correct.

Test The Ruler Drop Test

Procedure

- Rest your hand on the edge of a table, with thumb and forefinger extended.

- Get your partner to hold the ruler at zero (0cm).

- The ruler is placed between the open fingers at the 50 cm mark.

- Without warning, the ruler is dropped and you catch it as soon as possible.

- Record the point at which you caught it.

High

score

Above

average Average

Below

average

Low

score

More than

42.5 37.1 – 42.5 29.6 – 37.0 22.0 – 29.5

Less than

22.0

Distance in cms

My score: ___________________

How can you improve your reaction time?:

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REACTION TIME

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Speed

What is speed:

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Test 30-metre Dash

Procedure

- On a 30m ‘marked out’ running surface, using a flying start, sprint as fast as

possible between the marked lines.

- The sprint must be accurately measured from the start to the finish line.

- Record the time and use the table to determine your rating.

High

score

Above

average Average

Below

average

Low

score

Males

15 – 16 years

Less than

4.0 4.2 – 4.0 4.4 – 4.3 4.6 – 4.5

More than

4.6

Females

15 – 16 years

Less than

4.5 4.6 – 4.5 4.8 – 4.7 5.0 – 4.9

More than

5.0

Time in seconds

My score: ___________________

For our bodies to achieve speed, energy has to be supplied to the muscles very

quickly. Muscles then have to contract in the shortest possible time. We will

use our anaerobic energy supply system for speed work.

A high percentage of fast twitch fibres are needed for a muscle to contract

quickly.

The percentage of fast & slow twitch fibres in your body are generic (you are

born with them) and cannot be changed, however some muscle fibres are neither

fast or slow but can be trained to become either type.

How can you improve your speed?:

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SPEED

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Administrating & Validity of testing

When administering any physical fitness test, it is essential that all candidates

are given the opportunity to achieve their best possible score.

Some reasons why a person may not perform to the best of their ability are:

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[4]

It is important that all tests are carried out as fairly as possible, so the results

are both reliable and valid.

Reliability

Can you rely on the test results – if the test was repeated it will give the same

results (consistent). Have the procedure of the test been followed properly,

and could the test results be compared with other results fairly.

Validity

The validity of a test means how well does the test measure exactly what it is

meant to measure. This is important because a person may achieve a high score

on a certain fitness test, but may actually have a weakness in this area, if a test

doesn’t have good validity.

e.g A good score in the ‘sit & reach’ test because the person has long arms and

short legs, but the person has poor amount of flexibility at the hip joint.

The results from any standard fitness tests can be used to compare fitness

levels within a group of individuals or a team, amongst people of similar ages and

sports or used to compare the fitness levels of people in different sports.

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FITNESS TESTING RESULTS

Health Related Fitness

Fitness

Type

CV

Endurance

Muscular

Endurance

Strength Flexibility

Body

Comp Static Dynamic Explosive

Fitness

Test MSFT

Abdominal

Curl Test

Bathroom

Scale

Test

Press up

Test

Sargeant

Test

Sit-Reach

Test

3 Site

Skinfold

Date /

Score

Date /

Score

Date /

Score

Date /

Score

Date /

Score

Date /

Score

Skill Related Fitness

Fitness

Type Agility Balance Power

Co-

ordination

Reaction

Time Speed

Fitness

Test Illinois Run

Stork

Stand Test

Sargeant

Test

Alternate

Throw Test

Ruler Drop

Test 30m Sprint

Date /

Score

Date /

Score

Date /

Score

Date /

Score

Date /

Score

Date /

Score

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PAST PAPER TYPE QUESTIONS

1) Name an Aerobic fitness test. [1]

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2) Give three reasons why you think it is important to test the fitness level of a

sports player at regular intervals. [3]

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3) Give two reasons to explain why it is important to follow correct procedures

when carrying out physical fitness tests. [2]

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4) Name and describe a test that measures flexibility. [4]

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5) Name three types of strength [3]

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6) During a 100 metre race there are different phases to the race: start, pick-

up/acceleration, course of race and finish

a)What physical fitness component is mainly required for each phase?

[4]

Phase of race Physical fitness component

Start

Pick-up/acceleration

Course of race

Finish

b) Name one of the fitness components needed for a 100 metre race, and

describe a recognised fitness test for this component. [4]

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7) (i) Name a skill-related physical fitness component. [1]

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(ii) Name a recognised test for your chosen skill-related physical fitness

component. [2]

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8) (i)Suggest one reason why physical fitness testing is important. [2]

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(ii) Give one specific example of how the high level of physical fitness of a

performer can be identified during a sporting activity. [2]

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(iii) For any physical fitness test to be recognised it needs to be both reliable

and valid. Explain what each term means. [2]

Reliable _______________________________________________

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Valid _______________________________________________

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9) Explain how fitness testing can show that a physical fitness programme is

effective. [1]

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10) In the table below name one recognised physical fitess for each of the

named physical fitness components. [4]

PHYSICAL FITNESS COMPONENT NAME OF TEST

Flexibility

Muscular endurance

Cardiovascular Endurance

Agility

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11) (i) Name a health-related physical fitness component. [1]

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(ii) Describe the correct procedure for carrying out one recognised test for

the component named. [2]

Name of test _____________________________________

Desription of test ____________________________________________

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(iii) In a named sporting activity explain how the health-related physical

fitness component named in part (i) can help to improve performance. [2]

Name of sporting activity ______________________________

Explanation ________________________________________________

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2005/06 TOTAL = 55 MARKS