Purpose of Fitness Appraisal

Fitness

Exercise

prescription
to train
Monitor progress
Assess training program
Motivation

Sport

Channel

(sports schools)
selection
Exercise prescription
Motivation to train
Monitor progress
Assess training program
Strategy
Team

Fitness Appraisal Theory

Field Test Lab Information

Purpose of Fitness Appraisal

Medicine
Diagnose
Assess safety
Assess capacity
Monitor progress
Monitor effect of therapy
Law
Assess disability
Expose fraud

Purpose of Fitness Appraisal

Industry
Job screening
Job redesign
Need for training (skill)
Need for conditioning (fitness)
Baseline for later injury claim
Research
test hypotheses

Evaluation of Test Quality

Criteria for Determining a Good Test

11

A test should measure what

it is supposed to measure
(validity)
with consistency
(reliability)
using an accurate scoring
system (objectivity)

Other criteria to consider

are

norms available

Achievement

level to which scores can be

compared - interpretation and evaluation

Economy

- safety, practicality, time, cost,

simplicity
Appropriateness - target group for norms
and test design, relevance of outcome to
goals

Validity

Referenced Tests
13

Norm-referenced test:
compared against others in the same age and
gender category
somebody always has to be in the lower percentile
rankings
Criterion-referenced test:
compared to some criterion. This target could be set
appropriately for the age and gender of a client.

e.g. police and fire fighter standard tests

validating

a criterion (pass/fail) is a tricky task reporting a percentile ranking is easier.

most criterions based on normative data originally

How well does a test measure what it is intended to

measure - most important aspect of test design
There are several types of validity
Construct Validity
degree to which a test measures an underlying
attribute based on existing knowledge

Old

CSTF sit-up test - legs held, hands behind neck, rate of

60 / min
Inappropriately tests stabilizer muscles at high contraction
rate, allows contribution of psoas muscle group.

 Concurrent

Validity
14

15

Content validity
Is

the test battery measuring all the component

abilities for performance
List ability components for sport, and ensure they
are all represented
Eg

soccer - speed, agility, coordination, kicking power

Criterion-Referenced Validity - includes

concurrent and predictive
Continued

Validity
when a test is proposed as a substitute for another test that
is known to be valid
Degree of correlation with a criterion test should be reported
over 0.8 validity coefficient is acceptable.
E.g. Coopers and VO2 Max (0.897) (see next slide)
SEE - standard error of estimation - should also be small
Used

on next slide

But

Cooper used adults who were well trained & motivated

to other groups ?
Predictive validity - amount by which test score corresponds to
future behaviour or performance
Does prior fitness actually reduce injury in demanding jobs?
Do fitness scores relate to sport performance measures?
(goals, rebounds, assists)
Applicability

16

VP

VP

Know What the Score Means

Typical Canadian Values for VO2 max.
(ml/kg.min)
Male (20-29)
40-49
(5.5-6.8 laps)
Male (50-59)
30-35
(4.5-5 laps)
Female (20-29)
34-38
(5-5.5 laps)
Female (50-59)
24-28
(4-4.3 laps)
Swedish classification, compare with American in handout (e.g.
female who ran 6 laps)

Construct Validity

Reliability
23

Degree to which a test

measures an attribute that
cannot be directly measured

e.g.

Consistency or repeatability of a test - a test must

be reliable to be valid
test

can be reliable but invalid

60 sec sit up test

e.g.

assertiveness and other

psychological attributes,
athletic ability, % body fat

Also defined as the ability of the test to detect

reliable differences between subjects

Pass/Fail tells us very little if everyone gets the same result

Applicable when comparing to norms

Ensure test is being administered as it was designed

Factors influencing reliability

Single
Type

test, test retest, individual test score

of test, Ability, Length

of client preparation

Consistency

Field-Tests Laboratory

Reliability (cont.)
24

25

Inter-judge reliability - degree to which different

Standardization

examiners to test numerous participants at once

without the need for sophisticated and expensive
equipment.

of training and certification

important

Other sources of error

Calibration

of equipment
of subjects
Personality of tester (motivation)
Preparation

Advantages and Disadvantages

allow

testers agree

Validity of Field-Tests
Field-tests

are not as accurate as the criterion-test they

are designed to emulate
Field-tests are usually used as motivational tools rather
than in scientific studies, so the lower level of accuracy is
often quite acceptable
Care must be taken however to use the field test on the
population group it was designed for (may have
concurrent validity for a certain age population but not
for another)

Reliability

the field-test does not have a skill component

they will usually be very reliable
e.g. Cooper test requires pacing skill
Simple tests of maximal strength, like the grip
strength, have very high reliability
Objectivity
Field-tests usually have excellent objectivity (e.g.
timed runs, laps completed in set amount of time)

Safety of Field Tests

If

26

27

Most aerobic tests are sub maximal and less likely

to put excessive strain on subject
20m aerobic shuttle is maximal
Screening during test often difficult

ECG,

Normative Databases
Field-tests

often have large databases, in part

because so many people can be tested easily
Care should be taken to use the appropriate
database for the clients whom you have tested

High

risk of muscle strain in sprint tests if not fully

warmed-up or inexperienced with sprinting

Field Tests
28

BP

Rely on prescreening tests

Anaerobic tests require maximal effort - select
clients carefully

Lab Organization
29

Virtually all field-tests are very

inexpensive to run
numerous subjects at same time,
reducing personnel costs
minimal equipment is required

There are numerous field-tests

available so finding an
appropriate test for your client(s)
should not be a problem.

laps of 400m track

stretching

test

Warm Up (done in the 10 min prior to test participation)

2

X 50 m sprints at 50-75 % max

Purpose
to

have you complete, administer and/or observe some

common filed tests

Decide after outline

one
one

aerobic
anaerobic if you are used to sprinting

Anaerobic
30

Anaerobic (cont.)
31

Phosphagen and glycolytic Systems

System
trials (one in 343)
4 runners max. use inside lane
warm up essential

reserved for specific sports groups

does not contribute to cardiovascular/respiratory fitness
can be associated with muscle strain

600 m and 100 m shuttle tests

norms

are for elite athletes

useful on test/retest basis only
require good warm up/stretching

T-Test and other agility tests

600-m, 400-m Sprints (runs)

Glycolytic

Usually

100m shuttle
Phosphagen/glycolytic

systems
5 times between 20m lines
practice trial at 75 %
sprint

20-m, 50yd, sprints

Phosphagen

Test

of agility (approximately 7-15 seconds)

Two trials

practice

system
trial at 75 %

Aerobic System
32

Coopers Test
Target

subjects - large groups, assumed to be healthy,

experience running as pacing is important

33

Normative data for Swim and Bike Coopers tests are also available

warm

up important
minutes around 400 m track
pacing is important (experience)
up to 30 runners, keep to inside lane
use table slide 28 for miles and VO2 max estimates
administrator calls out times and records completed laps to nearest quarter or tenth
good correlation to VO2 max test results
12

Aerobic Tests (cont)

34

Target

35

subjects

Healthy

1.5 mile run

Target subjects

subjects of any age

warm

up included in protocol
pacing problem
pace increases progressively from brisk walk
If subject fails to keep pace
avoids

Large

groups
Prior experience running this test distance as pacing is
important

Timed test - 6 laps of 400 m track

Moderate warm up and stretch
One administrator can time up to four subjects,
keeping track of completed laps
Compare time to age and gender specific fitness
scale

by

the

MET

two steps on two consecutive laps

last number called out is their stage level

estimated by stage and age

MET
1

Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test

36

20 m Aerobic shuttle (Lger et al, 1988)

is Metabolic Equivalent
MET = 3.5 ml O2 kg-1 min-1

Aerobic (cont.)
37

Rockport Fitness Walking Test

Target

group

sedentary,

older individuals, those

not accustomed to running

walk

at fast, comfortable pace

time for four laps
timer can use lap function for more than one subject
record 10-second heart rate at finish with stop
watch
Compare results to age and gender specific graphs
in lab book
record

"The Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test A Useful Tool for Evaluation of Physical
Performance in Intermittent Sports", by Jens Bangsbo F. Marcello Iaia and Peter
Krustrup, Sports Med 2008; 38 (1): 37-51