Physical Fitness Battery Test (HandOuts)
PE 122 –
Fitness Exercises
Topic: BATTERY
TEST
BATTERY
TEST
Testing
battery refers to the complex of the tests that are performed in short period
of time, typically within 1 or 2 days. The advantage of the testing battery in
relation to single test is that it gives a more complex feedback of the state
of the athlete and allows to evaluate multiple abilities. In contrast, testing
battery is usually more demanding for athlete compared to single test. Testing
battery may be compiled from variety of tests not only performance tests.
PUSH UP
Definition
A conditioning exercise performed in a prone position by raising
and lowering the body with the straightening and bending of the arms while
keeping the back straight and supporting the body on the hands and toes.
The pushup may just be the perfect exercise that builds both upper-body and core strength. Done properly, it is a compound exercise that uses muscles in the chest, shoulders, triceps, back, abs, and even the legs.
It
has many modifications so beginners can start with easier versions and work up
to the standard pushup, while you can find a challenging variation if you are
advanced. You can do the pushup as part of a bodyweight exercise session, a
circuit training workout, or a strength workout. This
test measures the muscular endurance of the upper body muscles in the
shoulders, chest, and back of the upper arms (the extensors). This is important
for the use of force involving any pushing motion.
Benefits
of Push ups
The upper body muscles that come into play in the pushup are the
deltoids of the shoulders, the pectoral muscles of the chest, the triceps and
biceps of the upper arm, and the erector spinae of
the back. The abdominal muscles used to hold the body rigid during the pushup
are the rectus abdominis and the transversus abdominis. As the pushup involves multiple
joints, it is a compound exercise.
In daily life, you will often need to push against objects, from
doors to shopping carts. The functional fitness you develop with pushups will
serve you well. Working the stabilizer muscles around the shoulders can help
protect you from rotator cuff injuries. Pushups are also a measure of overall
fitness, allowing you to assess whether you need to be doing more to keep your
body in good working condition.
Step in Doing Push ups
·
Get
on the floor on all fours, positioning your hands slightly wider than your
shoulders.
·
Extend
your legs back so that you are balanced on your hands and toes. Keep your body
in a straight line from head to toe without sagging in the middle or arching
your back.
·
You
can position your feet to be close together or a bit wider depending on what is
most comfortable for you.
·
Before
you begin any movement, contract your abs and tighten your core by pulling your
belly button toward your spine. Keep a tight core throughout the entire
pushup.
·
Inhale
as you slowly bend your elbows and lower yourself until your elbows are at a
90-degree angle.
·
Exhale
as you begin contracting your chest muscles and pushing back up through
your hands to the start position. Don't lock out the elbows; keep them
slightly bent.
Repeat
for as many repetitions as your workout routine requires. If you have to pass
a fitness
test (such as the Army
Physical Fitness Test) you can use a few simple
strategies to build your strength and endurance in order to do
more push-ups. One popular strategy is
the "one more pushup a day" approach. This is when on day one you do
one push-up, then on day two you do two push-ups, and so on.
Common
Mistakes
It is easy to start making errors with pushups if you are
fatiguing or if you haven't built enough core strength. Look for these and
switch to an easier variation if you can't maintain the best form.
Sagging in the Middle
The
most common problem is sagging in the middle, caused by not properly bracing
the core and keeping the torso stiff throughout the movement. This is not only
bad form, but it can also cause back pain. You can practice with a modified
plank exercise to build your core strength. Once you master that, try doing a
pushup on your knees, practicing keeping your torso stiff.
Neck Alignment
Your
neck should be in neutral alignment with the head in a straight line with the
spine, eyes to the floor, and the top of your head pointed at the opposite
wall. If you point your chin up or drop your head so you much that you can see
your toes, you are out of alignment.
Locked Elbows
Locking
your elbows at the top of the movement is a mistake you might make as you
fatigue and want a little rest. But this places too much stress on the joints
and can lead to strain or injury. Always keep a slight bend in the elbows. If
you are fatigued, it's time to take a rest before doing another set.
Hands Too Far Forward
If
your hands are farther out from your body than your shoulders you are placing
more strain on your shoulders. While you can vary how close your hands are
together to get different effects, they should be under your shoulders.
Limited Range of Motion
If
you are only going down partially with most of your pushups, you aren't getting
the full benefit. It is better to switch to an easier modification (such as
knee or incline pushups) that you can do with the full range of motion.
Modifications
and Variations
Whether you are a beginner or you need more challenges, there is
a pushup for you. One of the great things about the pushup is that by varying
the exercise you can change the stimulus on your muscle. Beginners can build
the strength they need to work up to standard pushups while advanced exercisers
can work their muscles in new ways.
Try these
variations if you need less difficulty:
·
·
Bent-Knee Pushups: This is a modified version of the standard pushup
performed on the knees rather than on the toes. Be sure to keep the knees,
hips, and shoulders all in a straight line. Do not allow yourself to bend at
the hips.
Safety and Precautions
You should not do pushups if you have a shoulder, wrist, or
elbow injury. Talk to your doctor or physical therapist to see if this is an
appropriate exercise. If you want to protect your wrists, you can place your
hands on dumbbells or pushup bars to keep them in a neutral position. If you
feel shoulder pain during the pushup or hear a clicking noise in your shoulder,
end the exercise.
TWO – MINUTES
JUMPING ROPE
Humans burn about five calories to consume 1 liter of oxygen.
This means that exercises that involve more muscles can increase the demand for
oxygen, allowing you to expend more energy (burn more calories). Anyone who has
swung a rope for more than 20 seconds knows that it's a great way to elevate
your heart rate and burn calories.
Benefits
of Jumping Rope
·
Jumping
rope can increase the elasticity and resiliency of lower-leg muscles, leading
to a reduced risk of lower-leg injuries. Calf
raises can strengthen the lower leg, but if the muscle tissue becomes too tight
it could
increase the risk of a number of lower-leg injuries including Achilles tendon
strain or plantar fasciitis. Jumping rope regularly
strengthens the calf muscles and improves the elasticity of the surrounding
tendons and fascia. To increase elasticity, try to land on the ball of the foot
first, but let your heels go all of the way down to the ground.
·
Jumping rope can help improve your coordination. Jumping
rope is a cyclic activity, which means you perform it for a steady, regular
cadence. The steady cadence and rhythm of jumping rope can help improve the
coordination between your eyes, feet and hands.
·
Jumping rope can help improve your cognitive function. This
is because jumping rope involves learning new motor patterns, which improves
the nervous system communication between your brain, wrists and lower leg
muscles. This, in turn, helps to improve your overall cognitive function, which
is an important benefit as we age.
·
Jumping rope can help increase the intensity of
circuit-training workouts. Strength-training
workouts that alternate between different muscle groups can increase heart rate
and provide a cardiorespiratory benefit. Adding one or more jump-rope stations
to a circuit is an easy way to increase the intensity of the overall workout.
If you enjoy making your own exercise circuits, add two to three minutes of
steady rope jumping at the end for an additional calorie-burning opportunity.
·
Jump ropes are extremely portable, which makes them
an excellent option when traveling. Most
modern business hotels provide guests with a basic workout room that features a
few pieces of exercise equipment. That's the good news. The bad news is that
the quality or condition of that equipment may be questionable at best and
downright dangerous at worse. Don’t let an under-equipped workout room keep you
from sticking with your workouts when you travel. If you pack a jump rope in
your suitcase, even the most sparsely outfitted hotel fitness facility can
provide you with the space for a sweat-filled jump-rope session.
·
The portability of jump ropes make them an excellent
option for outdoor workouts at your favorite park or exercise course. Many
city parks have pull-up bars and other outdoor exercise facilities. With a jump
rope, you can get an awesome total-body workout by combining your favorite
exercises on the available equipment with one- to three-minute jump rope
intervals.
·
A jump ropes is the only piece of home cardio
equipment you really need. And
all you need for space is the ability to safely swing the rope without hitting
any furniture or knick-knacks.
Perform
multiplanar jumps by jumping in all three planes of motion. This helps prepare
the muscles and connective tissues of your lower legs for the forces they will
experience during the workout. Perform eight to 10 jumps, rest for 30 seconds,
and perform two sets for each plane.
Split-leg Jumps (Sagittal Plane): Start
with your right foot forward and left foot back. As you jump, move your left
foot forward and right foot backward before landing.
Single-leg Jumps: Set
your timer for one minute and spend 30 seconds on each leg. Rest for 15 to 30
seconds. (Note: Start with 30 seconds; reduce your rest time as your fitness
improves.) Complete a total of five minutes (two-and-a-half minutes on each leg).
Split-leg Jumps: Start with your right foot forward; switch to left foot forward while in the air, alternate feet while jumping. Jump for one minute and then rest for 30 seconds. As you become more fit, increase the work time to 90 seconds and reduce the rest time to 15 seconds. Complete four to six sets of timed intervals.
Running in Place: Alternate between right and left foot. Jump for 60 seconds and progress to 90 seconds. Likewise, start your rest at 30 seconds and reduce to 15 as your fitness improves. To increase intensity, perform 10-second intervals, alternating between fast and slow paces (sprint for 10 seconds, slow and steady for 10 seconds). Complete four to six sets of timed intervals.
Rope Jumping Ladder: Use traditional jump-rope form, taking off and landing on both feet. Start by jumping for 30 seconds and resting for 15 seconds. Add 15 seconds every set up to two minutes. Rest for 30 seconds and go back down the ladder to 30 seconds. If jumping rope is your only workout for the day, consider taking the ladder up to three or four minutes at 30-second intervals.
SIT AND REACH
The
sit and reach test is a common measure of flexibility, and specifically measures
the flexibility of the lower back and hamstring muscles. This test is important
as because tightness in this area is implicated in lumbar lordships, forward
pelvic tilt and lower back pain. This test was first described by Wells and
Dillon (1952) and is now widely used as a general test of flexibility.
The most logical
measure is to use the level of the feet as recording zero, so that any measure
that does not reach the toes is negative and any reach past the toes is
positive (such as for PRT
Sit and Reach for the Navy). However, using
negative values is more difficult for statistical analysis, and for comparing
results.
A limitation of the traditional sit and reach procedure is that people with long arms and/or short legs would get a better result, while those with short arms and/or long legs are at a disadvantage. The modified sit and reach test controls for this, as the zero mark is adjusted for each individual, based on their sitting reach level.
The traditional
sit and reach procedure also measures the combined flexibility of the legs.
The Back-Saver
Sit and Reach, as used by Fitness gram, tests
one leg at a time. In the Chair
Sit and Reach Test, designed for testing the elderly, the
dominant leg is tested while the subject sits on a chair and leans forward.
If you do not
have a specifically made sit and reach box, you can use any box, crate or step
with a long ruler (make
your own). You can follow the description of the Sit
and Reach at home, a simple version that can be done with
minimal equipment, or the V-Sit
Flexibility Test, similar to the sit and reach though it
uses a line on the ground instead of a box.
Advantages
The sit and reach test is a common test of flexibility, and is an easy and quick test to perform. If using the standard testing procedure, there is a lot of published data to use for comparison.
Disadvantages
Variations in arm, leg and trunk length can make comparisons between individuals misleading. This test is specific to the range of motion and muscles and joints of the lower back and hamstrings, and may not be relevant to other parts of the body.
Because tightness in the low back and hamstrings is often
related to muscle pain and stiffness, this test may help determine a person's
risk for future pain and injury. It has been used by exercise physiologists
and fitness trainers to assess baseline flexibility before starting an exercise program and is repeated
after several weeks to determine progress. Because it's been around so long,
since 1952, it has a pretty large database of results across all age
groups and genders. For this reason, people continue to use it to compare a
person's flexibility to the average result for their gender and age group.
New flexibility
assessments are currently being developed, and many trainers and therapists use
their own versions with clients. But until more specialized flexibility tests
become mainstream, the sit and reach can help track flexibility changes over
time. When used for this purpose, it can be a useful testing tool for general
flexibility.
How to Perform the Sit and Reach Test
·
You'll need a
special sit-and-reach testing box.
·
You can also
make your own testing box by finding a solid box about 30-cm tall.
·
Fix a meter
stick on top of the box so that 26 cm of the ruler extends over the front edge
of the box toward the test subject. The 26-cm mark should be at the edge of the
box.
·
Remove your
shoes and sit on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you with
knees straight and feet flat against the front end of the test box.
·
In a slow,
steady movement, lean forward at the hips, keep your knees straight and slide
your hand up the ruler as far as you can go.
·
Extend as far
as you can, record the result in cm, rest and repeat three times.
·
Average your
results for your final score.
What Your Sit and Reach Test Results Mean
Sit-and-reach
results compare your own flexibility over time as well as comparing your score
to norms, or averages, for your gender and age. Adequate flexibility concerned
with being able to reach your toes when while keeping your legs straight. If
you can’t reach your toes (the 26-cm mark on the ruler), your flexibility is
less than recommended.
Sit and Reach Test Scores
|
Adult Men |
Results in centimeters (cm) |
|
Above
34 |
Excellent
|
|
28
– 34 |
Above
Average |
|
23
– 27 |
Average
|
|
16
– 22 |
Below
Average |
|
Below
16 |
Poor
|
|
Adult Women |
Results in centimeters (cm) |
|
Above
37 |
Excellent
|
|
33
– 36 |
Above
Average |
|
29
– 32 |
Average
|
|
23
– 28 |
Below
Average |
|
Below
23 |
Poor
|
CURL – UPS
Curl-ups as exercise is one of the most
common exercises that target the abdominal muscles. Curl-ups focus on the
strengthening and endurance of the abdominal muscles. The abdominal muscles play
an important role in the stability of the spine and trunk control.
Curl-ups are performed in the crook-lying,
supine position, by lifting the head, arms and upper trunk from the floor.
Different curl-ups angles affect the abdominal muscles activity.
Benefits in Doing Curl – ups
Improved
Muscular Strength
Curl ups are an effective way to strengthen the muscles of your
abdomen, specifically the rectus abdominis -- the muscle that forms the
infamous six-pack. Adding a twist to the standard curl up will also target the
oblique muscles on the sides of your abdomen. Strong abdominal muscles not only
look better, but they also provide more stability for your entire trunk. You
can really strengthen these muscles by holding a weight plate or a medicine
ball above your chest as you perform your curl up workout.
Improved
Muscular Endurance
Muscular
endurance is the ability of your muscles to move in a continuous, repetitive
fashion without tiring. The nature of the curl – up demands just that. When you
first started working out, you were probably only able to do 10 to 15 curl – up
before your abs tired and you felt a peculiar burning sensation in the muscles.
After a few weeks of training, you were likely able to easily perform 20 to 30
curl – ups without tiring -- that is improved endurance. Fatigue-resistant
abdominals are not only important for the feat of completing more curl – ups,
but also for maintaining proper, upright posture throughout the day. The
stronger your abs are, the less your spine is forced to work to keep your body
upright.
Improved
Overall Health
Curl ups not only improve the muscle tone of your midsection, but
they can also help improve your overall well-being. Yoga practitioners hold
that strengthening your abdominal muscles will improve your digestion, energy
and vitality by increasing blood flow and oxygen delivery while also increasing
the removal of toxins. The strength of your
abdominal muscles also has a lot to do with the health of your spine. According
to Dr. Peter F. Ulrich, weak abdominal muscles cause hip flexor muscles to
tighten, leading to an increase in the curve of the low back. This increased
curve often results in low back pain, which can be aggravated by sitting at
your desk for long periods of time. Keep your body healthy and pain-free by
including curl ups into your regular routine.
Steps in Doing Curl – ups
· Lie on your back. On a mat, or directly on the ground, lie on your back with your arms crossed over your chest. Bend your knees slightly until your feet are flat on the floor and about a foot away from your buttocks. Have a partner or weight hold down your feet so that you keep consistent form.
· Raise your upper body. Contract your rectus abdominis muscles to raise your upper body off of the ground. Your shoulders should be around 30 degrees off the floor. Your rectus abdominis is the main muscle used in curl-ups. It is the muscle that begins on the lower portion of your ribs, travels down the center of your stomach, and attaches to your pelvis. When contracted, the distance between your ribs and hips shortens, resulting in a curl up.
·
Stop when your elbows reach
your thighs. Lower your upper body back
down, letting gravity help you. When you are going back down, you don’t need to
keep your abdominals flexed. The entire curl up should take approximately 3
seconds.
·
Repeat with pace. Try going
for a minute straight. If you have proper form, you should be able to do 20
curl ups without a problem. You should do the same amount in your first 30
seconds as in your last 30 seconds. Often, beginners start out too fast and
cannot finish the time with strength which results in bad form.
STANDING LONG
JUMP
The
Standing long jump, also called the Broad Jump, is a common and easy to
administer test of explosive leg power. It is one of the fitness tests in the
NFL Combine. The standing long jump was also once an event at the Olympic
Games, and is also an event in Sports Hall competitions in the UK.
A
standing long jump is often used as a functional test to assess leg power, but
the rest may underestimate the athlete’s true potential if the athlete does not
use the best possible technique. The selection of takeoff angle is one of the
most important technique variables. Masaki Wakai studied the effects of changes
in takeoff on performance in the standing long jump. The aim was to identify
the optimum takeoff angle and to explain the underlying biomechanics of the standing
long jump.
Performance
in the standing long jump is evaluated by the total jump distance, which is the
horizontal distance from takeoff line to the mark made by the heels of landing.
The total jump distance is the sum of three component distances; takeoff
distance, flight distance, and landing distance.
Purpose
of Standing Long Jump
To measure the explosive power of the legs equipment required: tape measure to measure distance jumped, nonslip floor for takeoff, and soft landing area preferred. Commercial Long Jump Landing Mats are also available. The take off line should be clearly marked.
Benefits of Standing Long Jump
Standing long jumps is at-home work out exercise that targets gluts & hip flexors and quadriceps and also involves abs and calves and hamstrings. Refer to the illustration and instructions above for how to perform this exercise correctly. Resistance band lying leg extensions, duck walks / squats and barbell lunges are related exercise that target the same muscle groups as standing long jumps.
Steps in Doing Standing Long Jump
·
Begin by standing tall with a straight
back and tight core.
·
Slightly bend the knees and push the
hips back. Bring the hands up and keep the chest up. Feet should be
shoulder-width apart.
·
Jump and launch yourself forward. Swing
your arms back and use the momentum.
·
Land in a squat position. Knees are
bent and hips are back. Return to starting position and repeat.
AGILITY TEST
(ILLINOIS AND SHUTTLE RUN)
Agility
is defined as a skill-related component of physical fitness that relates to
rapidly change the position of the entire body in space with speed and
accuracy.
Agility is
the capacity to change course, controlling the direction and position of one’s
body while maintaining momentum. It is important in all ball games and combat
sports. There are numerous methods to test agility and many of them were
developed for specific sports. Using the most accepted test for a given sport
offers the possibility to compare test results with other players.
Indeed, tests are not just used to measure individual progress but, if the
given tests are used widely, the results can be compared in larger
sport-specific populations.
Agility is our body’s ability to be fast and nimble, change
direction, and change the positioning of our body - while our body is
actively in motion. For some
athletes, this is easier said than done. However, agility
training can help to improve the skills, which result in
enhanced athletic performance.
Regardless of the sport
you play, speed and agility are essential to taking your athletic performance
to the next level. Agility training benefits not only improves athletic
performance, agility also improves our daily movement. Whether you want to
build explosive power, increase speed, improve recovery times, or simply want
to improve balance, agility training is important for maintaining athletic
performance.
Benefits of Agility Test
Injury Prevention
Agility training
improves flexibility, balance, and control. Agility helps the body to maintain
proper alignment and posture during movement. Additionally, agility drills
encourage our body to learn how to maintain correct body placement. With proper
agility training, sensitive areas such as the lower back, shoulders, and ankles
are protected while moving quickly.
Increased Cognitive
Function
According to the study,
“after six weeks, the first group increased their endurance. On the other hand,
the group performing agility training improved their VO2 max, athletic
footwork, memory, and concentration.” Agility training includes components of
learning, focus, balance, and coordination. This type of training stimulates
richer connections among multiple brain regions by directing them to work
together. At first, your responsive movements may feel forced. However, with
practice, they will become more natural.
Improve Your Coordination
and Balance
Agility training encourages our body to improve balance during dynamic movement. When we
regularly practice hand-eye coordination, fast stops and starts, and agility
speed drills, it trains our body to work as a cohesive unit. When our body is
working in sync, our movements become more fluid, resulting in smooth,
coordinated transitions.
Improve Your Recovery
Times
We've all been there. An intense conditioning session can leave you with sore muscles and depleted energy levels the next day. However, the bursts of movement incorporated with agility training, when practiced over a sustained period of time, help to build the strength of our musculoskeletal system. A stronger musculoskeletal system can lead to shortened post-workout recovery times.
Increased Results in Minimal Time
Often agility training drills are also HIIT (High Intensity
Interval Training) exercises, which can produce noticeable results in a minimal
amount of time. Non-linear movements, such as side-stepping footwork using
an Agility Ladder, or running a slalom course around Agility Cones, engage a greater number of muscles than if you were to
simply run in a straight line. Engaging more muscles translates into greater
results from your workout.
ILLINOIS AGILITY RUN TEST
The Illinois Agility test assesses an athletes speed and
athletic ability. The test is an electronically timed test and requires maximum
speed and effort from the athlete to negotiate several cones. Many sports
demand agility, the ability to change direction at speed, from an athlete. In
sports like rugby, tennis, soccer, basketball, the athlete who is under control
while moving at speed will have an advantage. The Illinois Agility Run Test
monitors the development of this key skill.
Purpose of Illinois Agility Run Test
To test running agility using various turns and movements.
Equipment Required
·
Flat
non-slip surface, marking cones, stopwatch, measuring tape, timing gates (optional)
Procedure
·
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 forwards 10 meters to run around a cone, then back
10 meters, then runs up and back through a slalom course of four cones.
·
Finally, the athlete runs another 10 meters up and back past the
finishing cone, at which the timing is stopped.
Advantages
·
This is a
simple test to administer, requiring minimal equipment.
· Also, the player's ability to turn in different directions and at different angles are tested.
Disadvantages
·
The choice of footwear and
the running surface can effect times greatly.
·
Results can be subject to
timing inconsistencies, which may be overcome by using timing gates. This test
does not distinguish between left and right turning ability. The test often
takes longer than 15 seconds, at which stage fatigue will begin to play a greater
part in the results.
·
There is a modified
Illinois Agility Test which is shorter but still has the
same movement elements.
Variations
The
starting and finishing sides can be swapped, so that turning direction is
reversed.
Some
variations have the participant turning at a line at the far end
Rather than running around a cone.
Some
variations have the participant touching the cone or line at the end with their
hand.
AGILITY SHUTTLE RUN
It is a test of agility, in which the participant runs back
and forth between two parallel lines as fast as possible, picking up blocks of
wood, for a total of 120 ft. There is a similar metric version of this test,
the 4x10m agility run. The 40 Yard Shuttle is run over the same distance, but there is no
requirement to pick up blocks.
Shuttle runs—where markers are set up and you sprint from one marker to
the other, do a quick turn, and sprint back—are often done as an agility test
as well as a drill to build sports agility.
Purpose of Shuttle Run
·
This is a test
of speed and agility, which is important in many sports.
Equipment Required
·
Wooden
blocks, marker cones, measurement tape, stopwatch, non-slip surface.
Procedure
·
This test requires the person to run back and forth between
two parallel lines as fast as possible.
·
Set up two lines of cones 30 feet apart or use line markings,
and place two blocks of wood or a similar object behind one of the lines.
·
Starting at the line opposite the blocks, on the signal
"Ready? Go!" the participant runs to the other line, picks up a block
and returns to place it behind the starting line, then returns to pick up the
second block, then runs with it back across the line.
Variations / Modifications
The test procedure can be varied by changing the number of
shuttles performed, the distance between turns and by removing the need for the person pick up and return
objects from the turning points.
Advantages
·
This test can
be conducted on large groups relatively quickly with minimal equipment
required.
·
The shuttle
run test also assesses both aerobic (the
body’s ability to take in oxygen and convert it to energy) and anaerobic (the
body’s ability to convert glucose to energy without using oxygen)
fitness.
·
For the
shorter shuttle run drills, the quickest time is often recorded as the shuttle
run test score.
·
For longer
shuttle run drills, a test score may be determined by an average of the shuttle
run times.
·
For athletes,
a shuttle run test score can help determine their training regimen and
potential for success in their sport.
·
The shuttle
run test score can also be used to track their progress from one competitive
sports season to the next. Because shuttle runs build explosive power, agility,
and endurance, it is
also an ideal exercise drill to add to any training routine.
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