3.1 Relationship between health and fitness and 3.2 The components of fitness GapFill

Components of fitness should be carefully monitored and measured to assess the progression of an individual. This can be important for recreational performers as well as professional athletes and can be achieved by fitness testing. There are fitness tests available which measure each component of fitness; however, there are limitations to fitness testing which should be considered. Let's investigate these further.

• Flexibility is measured by the  stork stand testIllinois agility testsit and reach testone-rep max test, which requires subjects to be seated with their legs straight against a box, reaching forward and across as far as they possibly can and recording their score (in cm) from a ruler located on top of the box. More flexible individuals achieve higher scores.
• Agility is measured by the  verticalHarvardIllinoisCooper agility test, in which the performer begins lying down on their front and is timed on their ability to complete a short course around a set of cones which includes a variety of twists and turns. The greater their agility, the less time it takes them to complete the course.
• Power is measured by the   vertical jump testpress-up testsit and reach testIllinois agility test, in which the individual starts with their side against a wall and reaches up to leave a mark with chalk or similar to indicate their standing reach height. They then complete a maximal vertical jump and mark the wall at the peak height of their jump with their outstretched arm.  Peak heightLeg lengthStanding reach heightSeated height –   standing reach heightleg lengthpeak heightseated height = jump height, where greater jump heights indicate a greater power of the individual.
•  CoordinationMuscular enduranceCardiovascular fitnessStrength can be measured by the one-minute press-up or sit-up test. An audio track is played to which the individual must perform one press-up/sit-up for every two beeps, one for the upwards phase and one for the downwards phase. The bleeps get faster as the test progresses, and the longer an individual lasts, the greater the ability they display in this component.
• Speed is measured by the  Illinois agility testgrip strength dynanometer test30 m sprint testmultistage fitness test, which is a simple test where the individual is timed from a flying start to cover the specified distance. Quicker times are evidence of greater speeds.
•  CoordinationCardiovascular fitnessMuscular enduranceStrength can be measured by the Cooper  14128120-minute run or swim, in which the individual must cover as great a distance as possible in a specified time. Those who demonstrate an advanced ability in this component cover a greater distance. This component can also be measured by the   press-up testIllinois agility testHarvard step teststanding jump test. This involves stepping up and down off a bench every two seconds for five minutes. Heart rate is measured at one, two and three minutes upon completion to determine recovery rate. The quicker the recovery, the more developed this component is in the athlete.
• Strength can be measured by the   grip dynamometer testpress-up teststanding jump testwall throw test.  This uses the hand to squeeze an instrument displaying a score in kg or lbs. The greater the score, the greater the strength.