The purpose of fitness testing is to determine the function
and health of an individual and an appropriate measure of
exercise demands at which an individual can begin.
Although this test usually is implemented prior to beginning
an exercise program, it can be used as an intermittent
measurement tool, to determine progress. Fitness testing
comprises the following: HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE This phase addresses an individual’s health status/history.
The questionnaire is an important aspect of the test since
health problems must be addressed and brought to the
forefront. Moreover, it is important to have the waiver signed
to protect an instructor legally in the event of an unforeseen
and imperceptible mishap. The remainder of the test, described below, holds little
validity as to a person’s overall function and health and the
results should be taken with some reservation. Before I
explain each aspect, consider that if a room in a house were
to be measured, to put in a new carpet or hardwood flooring,
the entire area would be measured with a tool designed for
the task, such as a measuring tape. One part of the floor
would not be measured and the remaining dimensions
guessed. Nor would a person measure with his or her foot
length then tell a flooring retailer that the living room is
twenty paces by thirty paces. This would be pointless since
any individual’s foot length is not accepted universally or an
accurate method of measurement – unlike the yard, meter,
or actual foot (twelve inches). With that in mind, we then can
consider the following steps in conducting a fitness test. BODY COMPOSITION The percentage of body fat is measured, usually with fat
calipers, since they are inexpensive compared to other body
composition tools. The more deconditioned (fat) a person,
or the better conditioned (muscle and leanness) a person,
the less accurate body fat percentage readings become if
calipers are used as the tool of measurement. Other
methods also lose their accuracy with very muscular and
obese individuals: the extent being relative to the device in
question. Calipers are acceptable for determining millimeter (mm) fat
thickness, in order to establish data for comparison
purposes, but the readings, together with the mathematical
formulae provided to suggest "x" percentage of fat and
muscle, should be avoided in regard to body composition
constitution. (About eight years ago, I had a very experienced
caliper tester, who taught and certified instructors in fitness
testing, tell me that my body fat was close to 20%
[overweight] although my abdominals were quite visible and
the remainder of my body fairly lean and muscular.) Moreover, mm thickness can vary significantly, and this
depends on the skill of the person who performs the test
and how and where the tissue to be measured is pinched.
Even experienced caliper users must be quick in application
and take a single reading since continual prodding and
pulling of the skin alters the architecture and pliability of the
tissues, thereby encouraging different results. Nor will caliper body fat measurement account for areas not
measured. Some individuals, for example, have large
buttocks and carry an excessive amount of fat in that area. I
tend to carry it in the lower back and buttocks more than in
other areas, a distribution that is not a typical male
characteristic. Many men have leaner buttocks and carry
more fat in the front of the abdominals. Yet, the buttocks are
not measured with a caliper reading. Hence, how can a
mathematical equation be created so that allowances are
made for fat buttocks that may or may not exist and in any
measure? MUSCULAR STRENGTH & ENDURANCE With this test, trainees do not prove their ability on the leg
press or bench press, although doing so would not
disclose much information. Rather, strength is determined
with a hand-held dynamometer. In other words, the strength
of a person’s grip supposedly indicates how strong a
person is overall. Therefore, if a person has a relatively
weak grip, compared to the average population, and
regardless of the strength in the remaining muscle groups,
that person will score below average. The extent of an
individual’s grip is irrelevant to what can be achieved or
what has been achieved as governed by the function(s) of
the remainder of the body and its health status. Although I regularly perform grip exercises, my grip is barely
above average for my sex and age group, even after more
than two decades of regular exercise and grasping heavy
barbells. At the time of my fitness test (mid 1990s), I was
one standard deviation below normal in grip strength,
although I could leg press several hundred pounds and
easily chin my body weight for at least fifteen repetitions. My
father, who was a practicing plumber at the time, used his
grip daily and scored almost three standard deviations
above normal, yet I could out-lift him in the gym and was
more fit overall. This example demonstrates that grip
strength is not an indication of strength or function in
general. The muscular endurance test I experienced was measured
through a maximum count (uncontrolled,
crank-them-out-as-fast-as-you-can) push-ups and sit-ups
or stomach crunches. After twenty push-ups, my upper body
was heavily blood engorged and I could not continue. After
eighteen stomach crunches, my abdominals also were
fatigued significantly. Again, I scored below normal since I
was used to a short tension time while under intense strain
when I exercised, including abdominal exercises. I did not
practice high repetition push-ups or stomach crunches, and
this reflected the SAID Principle in my results. Although I
had good pectoral and abdominal development, and I could
lift heavy weights relative to most other people, apparently I
was not in very good condition as far as muscular
endurance was concerned. Does it matter if a person has poor endurance in the
push-up and sit-up, since rate of fatigue may have some
issues with the contention? What if the goal is to increase
lean muscle and strength, in that the environment needs to
be anaerobic, and such an environment does not require
the performance of dozens of consecutive repetitions with a
focus on endurance? FLEXIBILITY I have very good flexibility in some muscle groups,
particularly around my shoulder joints and ankles, and to a
lesser degree my hips. Yet, and because of laziness on my
part, I never sustained good flexibility in my hamstrings,
although it was attained once. I easily can perform very
deep squats, but stiff-legged toe-touches are
uncomfortable. Unfortunately, for me, flexibility of the
hamstring muscles was tested. The stretch was tested
with me sitting on the floor and reaching forward with locked
knees. I was about 2-3 inches from reaching my toes and
scored below normal in flexibility. I never understood the need or desire to touch one’s toes
while keeping the knees locked since I do not recall having
to perform such a feat in my activities of daily living.
Moreover, with locked knees, excessive forward bending
increases the compression and strain on the lumbar discs,
an unhealthy practice for some people if performed
regularly. Further, what bearing would tight hamstrings have on
exercises other than the stiff-legged deadlift and, to a lesser
degree, a few other lower body movements such as deep
squats? There is little purpose behind this testing except
that the authorities who created the test felt that flexibility had
to be tested in some manner. Therefore, rather than test the
range-of-motion of all joints, it is easier to focus on a limited
area of the body that typically is tight and inflexible. CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS The person being tested moves three steps up, then two
steps back on a tiered platform to a beat played on a
cassette music machine. If this is accomplished for a
specific period, without having the heart rate rise above the
maximum rate allowed for the person’s age group, the next
level of step-up intensity, at a faster beat, is attempted. This
process continues until the person’s heart rate exceeds the
maximum established for that age group. What I noticed is that heart rate had much to do with the
person's being used to an activity. I was not used to
stepping up and down on steps to a predetermined beat,
and so a considerable percentage of effort was utilized in
that skill. Had I practiced only a few times prior to being
tested, I could have increased my proficiency. Nonetheless, I did score two standard deviations above
normal for cardiorespiratory fitness. Ironically, I never
performed any cardio-type exercise at the time, only weight
training, yet my wife regularly used the Stairmaster for cardio
exercise and scored lower. It must be considered that her
leg length was much shorter and she had to exert greater
effort to climb the same stair height. Consequently, this test
did not take into account the size of the person relative to the
steps, and this is similar to the mechanical and leverage
differences between a short person and a tall person who
lift the same weight off the floor. As with any other physiological factors, the ability to improve
cardiovascular fitness is limited – more so than muscular
strength or muscle mass. That is not to suggest that cardio
efficiency cannot be improved upon, but only to a marginal
degree, although this would depend on how ‘deconditioned’
a person is. The fact remains, that either a person was
born with the ability to run a marathon or not. Furthermore,
the goal of the individual may not be to enhance cardio
fitness to an optimal extent, and this test would not hold
much relevance as a result. SUMMARY It has been argued that a fitness test, at least, provides a
benchmark for future comparisons, to see if an individual
has made improvement. However, that is the purpose of
exercise progression and accurate record keeping of
workouts. Moreover, after my twenty years experience in this field, this
particular standardized industry test has never helped me
make a decision in exercise prescription. I could never
reason how it could. If someone is obese, it is obvious that
he or she requires additional cardio work and greater
volume and frequency to help reduce fat stores; and more
attention needs to be directed toward safety during exercise
in regard to the effects on the heart and joints. It is
unnecessary to have an obese person fail at one or two
pushups and sit-ups to help decide exercise prescription. Other functional idiosyncrasies will present themselves
during the initial workouts, such as joint ROM and flexibility
throughout the entire body, ability to sustain constant activity
(muscular endurance and cardio endurance), and a
trainee’s strength level throughout all muscles. These are
far more accurate and usable data than those provided by a
very restricted and limited fitness test that examines specific
abilities that may not reflect other abilities. In accordance
with the SAID Principle, the results of any test reflect only the
ability that is tested. You may publish this article in your newsletter, on your web
site, or other publications, so long as the article’s content is
not altered and the resource box is included. Add byline and
active link. Notification of the use of this article is
appreciated, but not required. Brian D. Johnston is the Director of Education and President
of the I.A.R.T. fitness certification and education institute. He
has written over 12 books and is a contributing author to the
Merck Medical Manual. An international lecturer, Mr.
Johnston wears many hats in the fitness and health
industries, and can be reached at info@ExerciseCertification.com. Visit his site at
http://www.ExerciseCertification.com for more free articles.
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