Advantages & Disadvantages of Fitness Tests For Components of Fitness

Their are many different fitness tests and methods of testing different components of fitness the one that I will talk about are:

1. Flexibility (Sit and reach test)
2. Strength (Grip dynamometer)
3. Aerobic Endurance (Step test)
4. Speed (Sprint test)
5. Power (Vertical Jump)
6. Muscular Endurance (one-minute press up)
7. Body composition (skinfold calipers)

Flexibility Sit & Reach Test!

"The sit and reach test is a common measure of flexibility, and specifically measures the flexibility of the lower back and hamstring muscles." (http://www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/sit-and-reach.htm). When measuring your flexibility by this method you will sit in front of a ledge that is atleast higher than your feet and ten place a ruler on top of the ledge on the same place where your toes should be. Then without bending your knees try to reach for your toes as far as you can if you can reach your toes then your result will b negative however if you manage to reach your toes then yo have to measure how far past your toes you can reach. Use the ruler to measure how far you actually reach out. The national averages for men would be from around 0cm to 5cm and for women it would be from around 1cm to 10cm which would be a average result.

So what advantages and disadvantages does the sit and reach test have?!

Advantages:

• You don't need to spend a lot of money to be able to do the sit and reach test because all you need is a ruler and something that will act as a ledge or box. 

• It is also really easy to measure because all you have to do is "Sit and Reach" and then see how far you can reach on the ruler.

Disadvantages:

• Some people might have longer arms than others and get better results which makes it more unreliable when comparing people.
• Equipment for the sit and reach test are hard to get and if you use the ruler it might not be accurately set up and give you different results.

Strength Grip Dynamometer!

"The purpose of this test is to measure the maximum isometric strength of the hand and forearm muscles. Handgrip strength is important for any sport in which the hands are used for catching, throwing or lifting." (http://www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/handgrip.htm). Also generally it is known that when a person has strong hands then this person will be strong overall. This means that this test is used to see general strength of a person. To carry this test out all you have to do is grab the griper like in the picture above at a right angle to your body so that your elbow is resting by the side of your side and then you must squeeze the dynamo meter as much as possible using all the strength you have. You must not move during this test and also you should give all your effort. Carry this test out 3 times then add up your answer and divide your total answer by 3 to get a overall average of your strength.

Advantages:

• The main advantage of this test is that it is really simple and you can do it almost anywhere as the equipment for it (dynamometer) is small.
• This type of equipement is not too expensive which means almost every one will be able to purchase it.

Disadvantages:

• The dynamometer has a hand size adjustment function which means that the result will only be correct if you set it to the correct size however, you never know if you adjust it wrong.
• The fact that it only uses your forearm muscles is questioned because if your forearm muscle is used then what about the other muscles? Its not really reliable.
• Also some people might not have access to shops that have this equipment which means they wont be able to do the test.

Aerobic Endurance Step Test!

"step tests have been developed to measure aerobic fitness using a simple test requiring minimal equipment and space." (http://topendsports.com/testing/tests/step.htm). However, eventhough this test requires minimal equipement you should use a heart rate monitor that you wear during the exercise to get more accurate results. Watch the video below to find out how the 3 minute step test is carried out!



Advantages:

• The equipment is not that expensive.
• This is quite a portable test which can be done in many places e.g. school, home, gym etc.
• The stepping motion is comfortable and it is not a motion that is hard to carry out.
• You don't need many people to help you with this test, in fact you can do it by yourself!

Disadvantages:

• People with different heights might have different results which will underestimate their aerobic fitness because for example a smaller person would have to work harder to take the step than a tall person. This is because for the taller person the step wouldn't be as big as it would be for the smaller person.
• Body weight is another aspect that can affect this test because a more obese person would have more difficulties doing this test than a fit and active person which could make the test unfair.
• This test is also time consuming if done in a larger group as every person has to do the 3 minute test not counting the preparation and recording down the results afterwards.
• It can also be difficult to keep the same pace as the metronome for some people.
• It can be a dangerous test if a person trips while doing it.

Speed Sprint Test!

"The purpose of this test is to determine acceleration, maximum running speed and speed endurance, depending on the distance run." (http://topendsports.com/testing/tests/sprint.htm). The equipement that you will need to use in this type of fitness test are measuring tape or a marked track to use, a stop watch and some cone markers. So how to carry this test out? Well what you want to do is set yourself a distance by using the measuring tape to get the correct distance. Then from a normal starting position when you are told to go you should start sprinting all the way to the end. Someone else will measure your time to see what your result was.

Below you can see a grid showing the national averages for men and women when running the distance of 35 metres..

Advantages:

• The main advantage of this fitness test is that the equipment that you can use to carry this test out are easy to get.
• Also it doesn't take too long to set up.
• Everyone can do this fitness test to check their speed.

Disadvantages:

• This test could be more reliable if time gates where used to get a more accurate results however, this depends from the person doing this test if they want to spend extra money.
• Also this fitness test takes quite a lot of space which means you would either have to go looking for a sports hall or just do it outside somewhere.
• Doing it outside would be a disadvantage because you never know what the weather is going to be like on that day. Rain would effect the surface and make it more dangerous or for example wind would affect your speed outcome which would then make the results inaccurate.

Power Vertical Jump!

"This test is designed to measure your explosive leg lower. All you need is a a high wall, such as the outside of a building, and a bit of room so you can jump and land safely." (http://www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/home-vertical-jump.htm).
To do this test successfully you will need only few equipment. These are a measuring tape or a marked wall and maybe some chalk or a marker to record your results. What you want to do first is stand by the side of the wall and reach up as high as you can with feet flat on the ground. Reach up as high with the hand closest to the wall and mark this spot on the measuring tape/marked wall. Then the next thing you want to do is jump as high as possible using your arms and legs and another person should see where was the point you reached. The difference between the distance reached and the standing still point is the score. You should repeat this test 3 times and add all of these scores together and divide it by 3 to get an overall average.

Here are some national averages for male and female in cm...

Advantages:

• This is a very simple test and doesn't require many equipments.
• Also you can almost do this test anywhere for example inside, outside, at the gym, outside your house etc.
• It is also a quick test so it doesn't take that much time if you are doing with a group of people.

Disadvantages:

• The main disadvantage of this fitness test is that if for example 5 people are doing the test all 5 of them will not use the same technique which will mean that one person might jump higher because of their technique than another. This means that this test could be called a unreliable test and quite unfair. 
• I also think that another disadvantage is that not all types of people would be able to do this test like others for example a obese person would have difficulty jumping high because of their weight when for example an athlete would weigh less and jump higher as they are more active making this a unfair test. 

Muscular Endurance One-Minute Press Ups!

"The Push up Test measures muscular strength and endurance, a combination that better reflects your fitness level than strength tests like the one rep max." (http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1113). This test is really simple and don't really need any equipment except a stop watch to count the full minute that you should do for this muscular endurance test. However, a stop watch is optional if you want you can just use a friend to count your one minute. Your aim is to do as much press ups as possible in the time given. The position you should be in is the traditional press up position as you can see in the image above. The second you start doing press ups the time will start! also try doing all press ups correctly by keeping a straight body without sticking your bum out and try to go as low as having your chest 3 inches away from the ground.

Advantages:

• It is a really simple test to do.
• You do not need any equipment at all to do this test however, if you want it to be a more accurate test you might want to use a stop watch instead of a friend counting. Also you might want to use a matt if you feel uncomfortable doing it on the ground.
• Doesn't take much time to do this test only a minute not including preparation.
• Easy to measure. All you have to do is count the number of push ups you did during the one minute.
• As shown in the video above you can do it in different positions depending on your level of fitness however, doing the traditional push up position would be recommended the most.

Disadvantages:

• Not using a stop watch could make your results inaccurate because whoever is counting your time could lose count and even 2 seconds difference could affect your final result.  
• Doing this test could also be affected by injuries so for example if someone has a shoulder injury it would be really difficult for them to do this test. A injury would effect your final score a lot because you wouldn't be able to do as many push ups as you would if you weren't injured.  

Body Composition Skin fold Callipers!

"Taking skin-fold measurements is a common method for determining body fat composition." (http://www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/skinfolds.htm). However, you should take the measurements in the correct places. As you can see in the 3 different images you have 3 different places where you should take measurements of fat. What you have to do then is use the callipers to pinch the fat and see what is the reading on the calliper. Do each place 3 times then add your results and divide by 3 to get an average. Do this for every place you used the callipers. Add all your averages up and see what is your fat measurement and compare it to the national averages.


Here are the national averages for body fat (mm)...

Advantages:

• The equipment needed is only the callipers.
• Not expensive.
• Good to use if you want to see a long term change in body composition.
• It is a simple test to do unlike other test such as hydrostatic weighing. 
• Does not take much time to carry out. 
• When you have a calliper yourself then you can do it anywhere you want! however, I don't think anyone would be feeling comfortable doing it outside. 

Disadvantages:

• It is not a valid test if you want to find your body fat percentage (%) because inexperienced people might not do it correctly and instead of pinching the fat they actually pinch the muscle and then your final results come out completely different and invalid. 
• Sometimes can be hard to get measurements with obese people. Obese people should use more accurate methods such as the hydrostatic weighing method.
• Sometimes it can be a unreliable test because of inexperienced users.