Fitness Testing

This week we discuss and implement various forms of fitness testing.  As the coach of an athletic team, these tests act more as a litmus test of an athlete’s capacity rather than a true gauge of an athlete’s potential or predictor of how they will compete as it leaves unanswered many of the intangibles of sport.  As a Strength and Conditioning Coach, however, they are an extremely useful tool, especially when repeated to note any changes in fitness (positive or negative), as you’ll undoubtedly see when we revisit these tests at the end of the term.  The first test was a  VO₂  max test commonly known as the Beep Test, or ” Multistage 20-m shuttle run test for aerobic fitness” if you really want to geek out.  You can see the Norms here, and enter your score here to calculate your capacity for delivery of millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute.  Cool, huh?

Next was a bit more simple Two Minute Sit Up Test.  No fancy hyperlinks to click through on this, simply a test of strength and endurance in the abdominal muscles.  The rules on the crunches are that they be executed with the feet flat on the ground together or 12 inches apart (whichever is more comfortable), knees bent at a 90 degree angle, and your arms on your ribcage or chest. One crunch is completed when the upper body is lifted until both arms touch the thighs and then lowered until the shoulder blades touch the ground. The arms must be in constant contact with the chest or rib cage; the buttocks must be in constant contact with the ground. The exercise is performed with the heel of your foot always on the ground. The Marine is given two minutes to complete the exercise.