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Your Fitness Assessment is your Starting PointYour fitness assessment is your baseline measure
of fitness and sport skill performance. It tells you where you are before you begin your weight training program.
Test Items: Choose test items for your personalized fitness assessment that represent one or more of the components of fitness directly related to your training goals. You can also choose standardized fitness tests that allow you to compare your scores to norms (how others performed) from the same population. Examples of performance-related test items may include: sit ups in 60 seconds (abdominal strength and muscular endurance) maximum repetitions on specific lifts (strength, power), the vertical jump (power), the sit and reach (low back and hamstring flexibility), and the Harvard Step Test (cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance). Your assessment may also include health-related items that you want to improve upon, such as body fat percentage, body dimensions, cholesterol levels, or resting heart rate. It all depends upon your goals. If you are a female athlete, choose sport skill test items that are indicators of your potential performance in competition. Skill tests may be those used in a team try out (e.g., dribble drills, free throws) or published sport-specific tests. Sport skill assessments allow you to individualize your program to foster continuous progress. Objectively assessing your performance on sport skills serves several purposes. Skill assessments: (a) allow you to track changes in performance, (b) identify skills needing improvement, and (c) provide accurate indicators of movement qualities and fitness components upon which targeted skills are built. Testing Tips: If you're going to see improvements, you must measure consistently, accurately, and objectively on all tests items. If you are inconsistent with your measurements, the usefulness of the 6 Training Steps will be compromised. Again, be sure to record your scores. In Step 5, after you have designed and implemented your program, you will retest yourself on these items to see how you are progressing toward your goals. Whenever you retest, try to replicate the same test conditions as closely as possible. Remember: After you complete your assessment, you can adjust your goals if you find they are not realistic. Also, do not attempt a single maximum repetition on weight lifting exercises if you're not conditioned. If you plan to design you program to improve your sport performance, work tasks, or other activities, you need to match your training program with those targeted tasks. After you have completed your fitness assessment and made any adjustments to your goals, you are ready for Step 3: Design your Weight Training Plan.
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