Fitness Testing Protocols
Cooper 12 Minute Run
Purpose:Measure aerobic fitness
Equipment:Running track, marking cones, recording sheets, stop watch
Procedure:Place markers at set intervals around the track to aid in measuring, the completed distance. Participants run for 12 minutes, and the total distance covered is recorded. Walking is allowed, though the participants must be encouraged to push themselves as hard as they can.
Scoring:V02 max = (35.97 x miles) – 11.29
V02 max = (22.351 x km) – 11.288
Sit and Reach Flexibility Test
Purpose:Measure flexibility of the lower back and hamstring muscles
Equipment:Sit and reach box
Procedure: Sit on floor with legs stretched out straight ahead. Shoes should be removed. The soles of the feet
are placed flat against the box. Both knees should be locked and pressed flat to the floor – the tester
may assist by holding them down. With the palms facing downwards and the hands on top of each
other or side by side, the subject reaches forward along the measuring line as far as possible. Ensure
that the hands remain at the same level, not one reaching further forward than the other. After
some practice reaches, the subject reaches out and holds that position for at one-two sections while
the distance is recorded. Make sure there are no jerky movements.
Scoring: Level of the feet is zero.
Men (inches)Women (inches)
Super >+10.5 >+11.5
Excellent+6.5 to +10.5 +8.0 to +11.5
Good+2.5 to +6.0 +4.5 to +7.5
Average 0.0 to +2.0 +0.5 to +4.0
Fair -3 to -0.5 -2.5 to 0
Poor -7.5 to -3.5 -6.0 to -3.0
Very Poor <-7.5 <-6.0
Sit Up Test
Purpose:Measure the endurance of the abdominal and hip-flexor muscles
Equipment:Floor mat or flat ground, stopwatch
Procedure:The aim is to perform as many sit-ups as you can in two minutes. The starting position is lying on your
back with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle. Feet may be up to 12 inches apart. Your fingers must
be interlocked behind your head. A second person holds your ankles with the hands only. On the
command “get set”, the starting position is assumed, and on the command “go” start the sit-up by
raising your upper body forward to or beyond vertical position (meaning that the base of your
neck is above the base of your spine), and then lower your body until the bottom of your shoulder
blades and the backs of your hands touch the ground. Pausing to rest is permitted only in the up
position.
Scoring:Maximum number of correctly performed sit ups is recorded.
Comments: The sit up will not be counted if you fail to reach the vertical position, fail to keep your fingers
interlocked behind your head, arch or bow your back and raise your buttocks off the ground to
raise your upper body or let your knees exceed a 90 degree angle. The heel is the only part of
the foot that must stay in contact with the ground. Your head, hands, arms or elbows do not have to
touch the ground.
Push Up Test
Purpose:Measure upper body strength
Equipment:Floor mat or flat ground, stopwatch
Procedure: Men should use the standard "military style" pushup position with only the hands and the toes touching the floor in the starting position. Women have the additional option of using the "bent knee" position. To do this, kneel on the floor, hands on either side of the chest and keep your back straight. Lower the chest down towards the floor, always to the same level each time, either till your elbows are at right angles or your chest touches the ground.
Do as many push ups as possible until exhaustion. Count the total number of pushups performed.
Illinois Agility Test
Purpose:Measure running agility
Equipment:Flat non-slip surface, marking cones, stopwatch, measuring tape
Procedure:The length of the course is 10 meters and the width (distance between the start and finish points) is 5 meters. Four cones are used to mark the start, finish and the two turning points. Another four cones are placed down the center an equal distance apart. Each cone in the center is spaced 3.3 meters apart. Subjects should lie on their front (head to the start line) and hands by their shoulders. On the 'Go' command the stopwatch is started, and the athlete gets up as quickly as possible and runs around the course in the direction indicated, without knocking the cones over, to the finish line, at which the timing is stopped.
Agility Run Ratings (seconds)Rating / Males / Females
Excellent / < 15.2 / < 17.0
Good / 16.1-15.2 / 17.9-17.0
Average / 18.1-16.2 / 21.7-18.0
Fair / 18.3-18.2 / 23.0-21.8
Poor / > 18.3 / > 23.0
Handgrip Strength Test
Purpose: Measure the maximum isometric strength of the hand and forearm muscles
Equipment:Handgrip dynamometer
Purpose:The subject holds the dynamometer in the hand to be tested, with the arm at right angles and the elbow by the side of the body. The handle of the dynamometer is adjusted if required - the base should rest on first metacarpal (heel of palm), while the handle should rest on middle of four fingers. When ready the subject squeezes the dynamometer with maximum isometric effort, which is maintained for about 5 seconds. No other body movement is allowed. The subject should be strongly encouraged to give a maximum effort.
MalesFemales
Excellent>141 >84
Very Good 123-141 75-84
Above Average 114-122 66-74
Average 105-113 57-65
Below Average 96-104 49-56
Poor 88-95 44-48
Very Poor <88 <44
Alternate Hand Wall Toss Test
Purpose:Measure hand-eye coordination
Equipment:Tennis ball or baseball, smooth and solid wall, marking tape, stopwatch
Procedure:A mark is placed a certain distance from the wall (e.g. 2 meters, 3 feet). The person stands behind the line and facing the wall. The ball is thrown from one hand in an underarm action against the wall, and attempted to be caught with the opposite hand. The ball is then thrown back against the wall and caught with the initial hand. The test can continue for a nominated number of attempts or for a set time period (e.g. 30 seconds). By adding the constraint of a set time period, you also add the factor of working under pressure.
RatingScore in 30 seconds
Excellent>35
Good 30-35
Average 20-29
Fair 15-19
Poor <15
Vertical Jump Measurement
Purpose:Measures explosive leg power
Equipment:Electronic timing mat
Procedure:With either the hands on the hips or allowed to swing freely, the subject stands on the mat, then when the equipment is ready jumps as high as possible.
Scoring:Jump height is usually recorded as a distance score in cm or inches
50 Yard Dash
Purpose:Measures acceleration, speed, agility and quickness
Equipment:Marked track, stopwatch or timing gate, cone markers, flat and unobstructed track of at least 60 yards
Procedure:The test involves running a single maximum sprint over 50 meters, with the time recorded. A thorough warm up should be given, including some practice starts and accelerations. Start from a stationary standing position (hands cannot touch the ground), with one foot in front of the other. The front foot must be behind the starting line. Once the subject is ready and motionless, the starter gives the instructions "set" then "go.". The tester should provide hints for maximizing speed (such as keeping low, driving hard with the arms and legs) and the participant should be encouraged to not slow down before crossing the finish line.
Scoring:Two trials are allowed, and the best time is recorded to the nearest 2 decimal places. The timing starts from the first movement (if using a stopwatch) or when the timing system is triggered, and finishes when the chest crosses the finish line and/or the finishing timing gate is triggered.
Single Leg Balance Test
Purpose:Measures the ability to balance on the ball of the foot
Equipment:Flat non-slip surface, stopwatch
Procedure:Remove the shoes and place the hands on the hips, then position the non-supporting foot against the inside knee of the supporting leg. The subject is given one minute to practice the balance. The subject raises the heel to balance on the ball of the foot. The stopwatch is started as the heel is raised from the floor. The stopwatch is stopped if any of the follow occur:
- the hand(s) come off the hips
- the supporting foot swivels or moves (hops) in any direction
- the non-supporting foot loses contact with the knee.
- the heel of the supporting foot touches the floor.
RatingScore (seconds)
Excellent >50
Good 40-50
Average 25-39
Fair 10-24
Poor <10
Reaction Time Ruler Test
Purpose:Measures reaction time, hand-eye quickness and attentiveness
Equipment:1 meter long ruler, calculator
Procedure:The person to be tested stands or sits near the edge of a table, resting their elbow on the table so that their wrist extends over the side. The assessor holds the ruler vertically in the air between the subject's thumb and index finger, but not touching. Align the zero mark with the subjects fingers. The subject should indicate when they are ready. Without warning, release the ruler and let it drop - the subject must catch it as quickly as possible as soon as they see it fall. Record in meters the distance the ruler fell. Repeat several times (e.g. 10 times) and take the average score.
Scoring:Calculate the average distance the meterstick fell. Use the table below to determine how long it took the ruler to fall the measured distance (distance in cm, time in seconds). The table is based on the following formula, where d = the distance the ruler fell in meters, g = the acceleration of gravity (9.8 m/s^2), and t = the time the ruler was falling (seconds)
t = sqrt( 2d / g )
distance (cm) / time (seconds) / distance / time / distance / time / distance / time1 / 0.045 / 26 / 0.23 / 51 / 0.32 / 76 / 0.39
2 / 0.064 / 27 / 0.24 / 52 / 0.33 / 77 / 0.4
3 / 0.078 / 28 / 0.24 / 53 / 0.33 / 78 / 0.4
4 / 0.09 / 29 / 0.24 / 54 / 0.33 / 79 / 0.4
5 / 0.101 / 30 / 0.25 / 55 / 0.34 / 80 / 0.4
6 / 0.111 / 31 / 0.25 / 56 / 0.34 / 81 / 0.41
7 / 0.12 / 32 / 0.26 / 57 / 0.34 / 82 / 0.41
8 / 0.128 / 33 / 0.26 / 58 / 0.34 / 83 / 0.41
9 / 0.136 / 34 / 0.26 / 59 / 0.35 / 84 / 0.41
10 / 0.143 / 35 / 0.27 / 60 / 0.35 / 85 / 0.42
11 / 0.15 / 36 / 0.27 / 61 / 0.35 / 86 / 0.42
12 / 0.156 / 37 / 0.28 / 62 / 0.36 / 87 / 0.42
13 / 0.163 / 38 / 0.28 / 63 / 0.36 / 88 / 0.42
14 / 0.169 / 39 / 0.28 / 64 / 0.36 / 89 / 0.43
15 / 0.175 / 40 / 0.29 / 65 / 0.36 / 90 / 0.43
16 / 0.181 / 41 / 0.29 / 66 / 0.37 / 91 / 0.43
17 / 0.186 / 42 / 0.29 / 67 / 0.37 / 92 / 0.43
18 / 0.192 / 43 / 0.3 / 68 / 0.37 / 93 / 0.44
19 / 0.197 / 44 / 0.3 / 69 / 0.38 / 94 / 0.44
20 / 0.202 / 45 / 0.3 / 70 / 0.38 / 95 / 0.44
21 / 0.207 / 46 / 0.31 / 71 / 0.38 / 96 / 0.44
22 / 0.212 / 47 / 0.31 / 72 / 0.38 / 97 / 0.45
23 / 0.217 / 48 / 0.31 / 73 / 0.39 / 98 / 0.45
24 / 0.221 / 49 / 0.32 / 74 / 0.39 / 99 / 0.45
25 / 0.226 / 50 / 0.32 / 75 / 0.39 / 100 / 0.45