I.

PHYSICAL FITNESS

TESTING Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the importance of physical fitness assessment

2. Identify the different skill-related and health related fitness tests.
3. Acquire knowledge on how to administer physical fitness tests properly.
4. Develop and foster team building and interpersonal abilities among the students.

A. Measuring Health-related Physical Fitness

1. Component: Flexibility
A. Test: Sit and Reach (YMCA of the USA 2000)
Purpose: to measure flexibility of lower back and hamstring muscle.

Equipment: Sit and Reach Box, or Tape Measure and Masking Tape

Instruction:
 Warm-up properly before the first trial.
 Remove your shoes for the test. Sit on the floor with the hips, back,
and, head against a wall, the legs fully extended, and the bottom of the feet
against the sit and reach box.
 Place the hands one on the top of the other and reach forward as far
as possible without letting the head and the back come of the wall.
 Now your head and back can come off the wall. Gradually reach forward three times, the third
time stretching forward as far as possible for at least 2 seconds. Be sure that
during the reach you keep the backs of the knees flat against the floor.
 Record the final number of fitness reached to the nearest half inch.
 You are allowed two trials, and an average of the 2 trials is used as the final test score.

Flexibility Rating Scale

Classification Men Women
High Performance zone 16+ 17+
Good Fitness zone 13-15 14-16
Marginal Zone 10-12 11-13
Low Zone <9 <10
Corbin , Charles B., et. al (2008) Concepts of Fitness and Wellness. A comprehensive Lifestyle
Approach. 7th Edition. McGrawHill, USA.
 B. Test: Shoulder Flexibility

Purpose: To measure shoulder flexibility

Equipment: Ruler, Measuring Tape

Instruction:
 Raise your arm bend your elbow, and reach down across your back
as far as possible.
 At the same time, extend your left arm down and behind your back,
bend your elbow up across your back, and try to cross your fingers over
those of your right hand as shown in the accompanying illustration.
 Measure the distance to the nearest half-inch. If your finger overlap, score as plus. If they fail to
meet, score as a minus; use zero if your fingertips just touch.
 Repeat with your arms crossed the opposite direction (left arm). Most people find they are more
flexible on one side than the other.
 You are allowed two trials, and an average of the 2 trials is used as the final test score

Flexibility Rating Scale

Classification Men Women
Right Up Left Up Right Up Left Up
High Performance zone 5+ 4+ 6+ 5+
Good fitness zone 1-4 1-3 2-5 2-4
Marginal Zone 0 0 1 1
Low Zone <0 <0 <1 <1
Corbin , Charles B., et. al (2008) Concepts of Fitness and Wellness. A comprehensive Lifestyle Approach.
7th Edition. McGrawHill, USA.

2. Component: Cardiorespiratory Fitness

Test: YMC 3 Minute-Step Test
This page describes the procedure for conducting the YMCA version of a step test.
A similar test is the Queens College step test, though it has a higher step and a
different stepping rate for men and women. See the other variations of step tests.

Purpose: To measure cardio-respiratory fitness of an individual. A step test

provides a submaximal measure of cardio-respiratory or endurance fitness (see
also other step tests)

Equipment: 12 inch (30 cm) step, stopwatch, metronome or cadence tape, stethoscope.

Instruction:

 Pre-test: Explain the test procedures to the subject. Perform screening of health risks and
obtain informed consent. Prepare forms and record basic information such as age, height, body
weight, gender, test conditions. Check step height and set metronome. See more details of pre-
test procedures.
  Procedure: Begin by demonstrating the alternating stepping cadence to the subject. In time
with the beat step one foot up on the bench (1st beat), step up with the second foot (2nd beat),
step down with one foot (3rd beat), and step down with the other foot (4th beat.)

 Allow the subject to practice the stepping to the metronome cadence, which is set at 96 beats
per minute (4 clicks = one step cycle) for a stepping rate of 24 steps per minute. The athlete
steps up and down on the platform at the given rate for a total of 3 minutes.

 The athlete immediately stops on completion of the test and sits down and remains still. Starting
within 5 seconds, the tester is to count the subject's heart rate (ideally with a stethoscope) for
one complete minute.

Scoring: The total one-minute post-exercise heart rate is the subject's score for the test.

3. Component: Muscular Strength

3.1 Test: Flexed Arm Support (Static)
Purpose: To measure muscular strength arms
Equipment: Mat or carpet
Instruction:

Women: Support the body in a push-up position from the knees. The hands should be outside
the shoulders, the back and legs straight. Lower the body until the upper arm is parallel to the floor or
elbow is flexed at 90 degrees.
 Men: Use the same procedure as for women except support the push-up position from the toes
instead of the knee. (same position as for 90 degree push-up.) Hold the 90-degrees position as long as
possible, up to the 30 seconds.

Static Endurance Rating Scale (Flexed Arm Support)

Rating Score
High Performance zone 30+
Good Fitness Zone 20-29
Marginal Zone 10-19
Low Fitness Zone <10
Corbin , Charles B., et. al (2008) Concepts of Fitness and Wellness. A comprehensive Lifestyle Approach. 7th Edition. McGrawHill, USA.

3.2 Test: Curl Up/Crunches (Dynamic)

Purpose: To measure the muscular strength and endurance of abdominal

muscle.

Equipment: Mat or carpet

Instruction:

 Sit on a mat or carpet with your legs bent more than 90 degrees so
your feet remain flat on the floor (about half way between 90 degrees and
straight).
 Make two tape marks 4 ½ inches apart or lay a 4 ½-inch strip of
paper so that the finger tips touch one tape mark (or other side of the paper).
 Keeping your heels in contact with the floor, curl the head and shoulders forward until your
fingers reach 4 ½ inches (other side of the strip)
 Lower slowly to beginning position. Repeat one curl-up every 3 seconds. Continue until every 3
seconds.
 Two partners may be helpful. One stands on the cardboard strip (to prevent movement) if one is
used. The second assure that the head returns to the floor after each repetition.

Dynamic Muscular Endurance Rating Scale

Rating Men Women
High Performance zone 35+ 25+
Good Fitness Zone 24-34 18-24
Marginal Zone 15-23 10-17
Low Fitness Zone <15 10
Corbin , Charles B., et. al (2008) Concepts of Fitness and Wellness. A comprehensive Lifestyle Approach. 7 th Edition. McGrawHill,
USA.
4. Component: Body Composition
Test: Body Mass Index (BMI)
Purpose:
The body mass index (BMI) is defined as the ratio of body weight (measured in kilograms) and
the square of the height (measured in meters). Body weight is measured with the individual class in
lightweight shorts and shirt. Reading is recorded to the nearest 0.5 kg. Standing height with the
individual in stocking feet, fully erect, and stretched to full height while keeping the heels flat on the
floor. The body mass index is determined as follows‖

Bodyweight (kg)
BMI=
Height (m)2

The following steps can be used with this formula (Adams and Adams, 2009)

1. Weight in pounds divided to 2.2 = Weight in Kilogram (kg)

2. Height in inches X 0.0254= Height in Meters (m)
3. Height in meters X height in meters= height in meters squared (m2)
4. Step 1 divided by step 3= BMI

Disease Risk According to Body Mass Index (BMI)

Body Composition Rating Scale

BMI Disease Risk Classification
< 18.5 Increased Underweight
18.6-21.99 Low Acceptable
22.0-24.99 Very Low Acceptable
25.0-29.99 Increased Overweight
30.0-34.99 High Obesity I
35.0-39.99 Very High Obesity II
> 40 Extremely High Obesity III
Hoeger, Werner W.K. and Hoeger, Sharon A. (2009) Lifetime Physical Fitness and Wellness,
A Personalized Program, 10th Edition. Wadsworth , Cengage Learning, USA

B. Measuring Psychomotor Skills

The psychomotor domain encompasses the area of skill-related physical fitness and the
development of sports skills. Components skill-related physical fitness includes agility, balance,
coordination, power, reaction time, and speed. These skill related physical fitness form the basis for
developing skills related to particular sports. The development of the component of skill-related fitness
is directly related to the development of sports skills associated with various team, individual, and dual
sports. Basketball, football, and baseball, are some of the more obvious sports that require harmonious
interaction among various body parts.
 1. Component: Reaction Time

A. Test: Coin Snatch

Purpose: the purpose of this test is to measure the reaction time of the arms by snatching the coin
falling from the elbow.
Equipment: Coin

Instruction:

1. The coin is to be placed on the elbow.

2. The coin must be caught in one snatch and the snatch is to be achieved on a downward beat
of the same arm and the coin caught palm down.
3. You should be able to snatch the coin in mid-air. If the coin flies across the room before you can
snatch it, you are probably moving your arm too quickly.
1. Practice can be done several times, but once they are ready they will be given one chance. Left
and right. Reaction Time Rating Scale
2. No adhesive of any sort may be used.
Score Attempts Rating

Scoring: The Test scored pass/fail. If the student able 1st Attempt Excellent
to snatch the coin of the same arm the score is recorded Pass 2nd Attempt Good
as pass. Score can also be recorded according to 3rd Attempt Average
number of attempts. 4th Attempt Fair
Fail 5th-6th Attempts Needs Improvement

B. Test: Stick Drop Test

Purpose: to measure reaction time.
Equipment: Yardstick, a table, a chair, and a partner to help with the test.

Instruction:

 Sit in the chair next to the table so that your elbow and lower arm rest on the table comfortably.
The heel of your hand should be placed/be set on the table so that only your fingers and thumb
extend beyond the edge of the table.
 Your partner holds a yardstick at the top, allowing it to dangle between your thumb and fingers.
 The yardstick should be held tightly so that the 24-inch mark is even with your thumb and index
finger. No part of your hand should touch the yardstick.
 Without warning, your partner will drop the stick, and you will catch it with your thumb and index
finger.
 Your score is the number of inches read on the yardstick just above the thumb and index finger
after you catch the yardstick.
 Try the test three times. Your partner should be careful not to drop the stick at predictable time
intervals, so that you cannot guess when it will be dropped. It is important that you react only to
the dropping of the stick.
 Use the middle of your three scores (for example: if your scores 21,18, and 19, your middle
 score is 19). The higher your score, the faster your reaction time.

Reaction Time Scale

Rating Score
Excellent More than 21”
Good 19”-21
Average 16”-18 ¾”
Fair 13”-15 ¾”
Needs Improvement Below 13”
Corbin , Charles B., et. al (2008) Concepts of Fitness and Wellness. A comprehensive Lifestyle Approach. 7 th Edition.
McGrawHill, USA.

2. Component: Balance
Test: Stork Balance Test
Purpose: To assess the ability to balance on the ball of the foot.
Equipment required: flat, non-slip surface, stopwatch, paper and pencil.

Instruction:
 The stork balance test requires the person to stand on one leg.
 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.

 Scoring: The total time in seconds is recorded.

Rating Score (seconds)
The score is the best of three attempts. The
Excellent > 50
adjacent table lists general ratings for this test. Good 40 - 50
Average 25- 39
 Variations: the stork balance test is also Fair 10 - 24
sometimes conducted with the eyes closed, Needs Improvement < 10
giving it a higher level of difficulty.

3. Component: Agility
Test: Illinois Agility Test
Purpose: The Illinois Agility Test (Getchell, 1979) is a commonly used test of agility in sports, and as
such there are many norms available.
 Agility is an important component of many team sports, though it is not always tested, and is
often difficult to interpret results.

Equipment: flat non-slip surface, marking

cones, stopwatch, measuring tape,

Instruction:

 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 Rating Scale (seconds)

Scoring: The table below gives some rating scores
Rating Male Female
for the test Excellent < 15.2 < 17.0
Good 16.1-15.2 17.9-17.0
Variations: the starting and finishing sides can be Average 18.1-16.2 21.7-18.0
swapped, so that turning direction is reversed. Fair 18.3-18.2 23.0-21.8
Needs Improvement > 18.3 > 23.0

4. Component: Speed
Test: AAHPERD 50-Yard Dash
Sprint or speed tests can be performed over varying distances, depending on the
factors being tested and the relevance to the sport.
Purpose: To determine speed, agility and quickness.
Equipment: measuring tape , stopwatch , cone markers, open field
Instruction:
 Two runner should run at the same time (for competition), and all runner should
be instructed not to slow down before crossing the finish line.
 The test involves running a single maximum sprint over 50 yards, with the
time recorded.
 A thorough warm up should be given, including some practice starts and accelerations.
 The front foot must be on or behind the starting line.
 Two trials are allowed, and the best time is recorded.
 AAHPERD 50-yard Dash
Male Female
Percentile Age
16 17+ 16 17+
95 (excellent) 6.0 5.9 7.0 6.8
75 (good) 6.5 6.3 7.5 7.4
50 ( average) 6.7 6.6 7.9 7.9
25 (fair) 7.0 7.0 8.3 8.4
5 (needs improvement) 7.7 7.9 9.9 9.5
Source: Miller, David K. (2006) Measurement by Physical Education, Why and How 5 Edition, McGrawHill

5. Component: Coordination

A. Test: Alternate Hand-wall Toss Test

Purpose: to measure hand-eye coordination
Equipment: tennis ball or baseball, smooth and solid wall, marking tape, stopwatch (optional)

Instruction:

 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.
 Scoring: This table lists general ratings for the Wall Toss Test, based on the score of the
number of successful catches in a 30 second period.

Coordination Rating Scale

Rating Score (in 30 seconds)
Excellent > 35
Good 30 - 35
Average 20- 29
Fair 15 - 19
Needs Improvement < 15
Source: Adapted from www.topendsports.com

Variations / modifications: There are numerous variations that can be made to the procedures of this
test depending on the desired outcomes: the size, weight and shape of the object, the distance from the
wall, the number of attempts or time period can all be varied. The procedure should be recorded with
the results and kept consistent for future testing of the same subjects.
 B. Test: Wand Juggling/Stick Flip Coordination Test
Purpose: To measure hand and eye coordination
Equipment: The sticks are used to perform a one-half flip and
full flip as shown in the illustrations.

Instruction:

1. One-half flip. Hold two 21-inch (1/2 inch in diameter)

dowel rods, one in each hand. Support a third rod of the same size across the two. Toss the
supported rod in the air, so that it makes a half turn. Catch the thrown rod in the air with two
held rods.
2. Full flip. Perform the preceding task, letting the supported rod turn a full flip.

The test is performed as follows:

1. Practice the half-flip and full flip several times before taking the test.
2. When you are ready, attempt a half-flip five times. Score 1 point for each successful attempt.
3. When you are ready, attempt the full flip five times, score 2 points for each successful attempt.

Coordination Rating Scale

Rating Male Female
Excellent 14-15 13-15
Good 11-13 10-12
Average 5-10 4-9
Fair 3-4 2-3
Needs Improvement 0-2 0-1
Corbin , Charles B., et. al (2008) Concepts of Fitness and Wellness. A comprehensive Lifestyle Approach. 7 th Edition. McGrawHill, USA.

6. Component: Power

Test: Vertical Jump

Purpose: To measure the leg power

Instruction:
 Hold a piece of chalk so its end even with your fingertips.
 Stand with both feet on the floor and your side to the wall and reach and mark as high as
possible.
 Jump upward with both feet as high as possible. Swing arms upward with both feet and make a
chalk mark on a 5’ X 1’ wall chart marked off in half-inch horizontal lines placed 6 feet from the
floor.
 Measure the distance between the reaching height and the jumping height
 Your score is the best of three jumps.
 Power Rating Scale
Rating Men Women
Excellent 25 ½” or more 23 ½” or more
Good 21”-25” 19”-23”
Average 16 ½”-20 ½” 14 ½”-18 ½”
Fair 12 ½”-16” 10 ½”-14”
Needs Improvement 12” or less 10” or less
Corbin , Charles B., et. al (2008) Concepts of Fitness and Wellness. A comprehensive Lifestyle Approach. 7 th Edition. McGrawHill, USA.

II. Anthropometric Measurement

Relationships of waist circumference and waist–hip ratio to disease risk and mortality

Both generalized and abdominal obesity are associated with increased risk of morbidity and
mortality. The main cause of obesity‐related deaths is CVD, for which abdominal obesity is a
predisposing factor. It is unclear which anthropometric measure is the most important predictor of risk
of CVD in adults – BMI, waist circumference, waist–hip ratio or even hip circumference.
BMI has traditionally been the chosen indicator by which to measure body size and composition,
and to diagnose underweight and overweight. However, alternative measures that reflect abdominal
adiposity, such as waist circumference, waist–hip ratio and waist– height ratio, have been suggested as
being superior to BMI in predicting CVD risk. This is based largely on the rationale that increased
visceral adipose tissue is associated with a range of metabolic abnormalities, including decreased
glucose tolerance, reduced insulin sensitivity and adverse lipid profiles, which are risk factors for type 2
diabetes and CVD. This chapter summarizes the experts’ discussions on the strength of associations
between anthropometric measures and health outcomes. More detailed reviews are provided in several
of the background papers (Huxley, et al., 2010; Qiao & Nyamdorj, 2010a; Qiao & Nyamdorj, 2010b;
Seidell, 2010).
One paper examined how waist circumference, waist–hip ratio and BMI perform in predicting
and differentiating risks of hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes (as major risk factors for CVD),
and risks of CVD events (Huxley, et al., 2010).

HEIGHT (cm) WEIGHT (kg) WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE HIP CIRCUMFERENCE (cm)

(cm)

MALE FEMALE
BODY FAT PERCENTAGE: Remarks: Health Risk
[ ] High 25% or more [ ] High 35% or more
[ ] Slightly High 21% to 24% [ ] Slightly High 31% to 34%
[ ] Normal 10% to 19% [ ] Normal 20% to 30%
[ ] Low Less than 10% [ ] Low Less than 20%

Source: Obesity assessment recommended by

Lohman (1986) and Nagamine (1972)
 MALE FEMALE
WAIST-HIP-RATIO (WHR) Remarks: Health Risk
[ ] High 1.0 + [ ] High .85 +
[ ] Moderate .96 to 1.0 [ ] Moderate .81 to .85
[ ] Low.95 or below [ ] Low .80 or below

Source: https://www.nestle.tt/nutrition-health-wellness/wellness-tools
BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) Remarks: [ ] Level 2 Obese/Very High More than 30
[ ] Level 1 Obese/High More than 25 and less than 30
[ ] Normal/Normal more than 18.5 and less than 25
[ ] Lean/Low Less than 18.5

Source: Japan Obesity Association (Oct. 1999)

The above-mentioned indices refer to the values for obesity judgment
proposed by the WHO, the World Health Organization