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Today in 5 minutes or less you’ll learn:

• Choosing the right Fitness assessments

13 Hours of Fitness Testing

When I first started working in pro sports over a decade ago, I was told I needed to conduct a battery of performance tests. A VO2 Max test, vertical jump, broad jump, 5-10-5 shuttle, YoYo Beep test, Functional Movement Screen and some strength tests. I thought, “Ok. There is only one of me and I need to complete all of these tests before we start our training.” So I asked the Head Coach for two days to perform all these tests before the start of pre-season. Over those two days, I would perform testing for 13 hours and learn a lot of valuable lessons.

I started by creating a schedule to conduct all the tests. Right away I realized going through all the tests with 1 athlete, as quickly as possible, would take me about 90 minutes with appropriate rest. That didn’t include the YoYo Beep test which would be done as a team on the following day. It was obvious I could not complete a 90 minute performance assessment with 30 pro athletes in the given time. Back to the drawing board.

I realized I could film the FMS and cut my time way down by reviewing the movement later that night. The Vertical Jump and Broad Jump assessments could be done as a team if I quickly had one player go after another. The same went for the shuttle test and strength assessments. However, the VO2 Max assessment, which took place on the treadmill, had to be done one athlete at a time. The setup, testing and recording would take 20 minutes if everything went right. (Hint: it never all goes right).

So I moved forward by starting with the VO2 Max test with 20 players for around 6 hours straight with no breaks. To cut this story short, I did not complete all the tests in 2 days and learned a very valuable lesson.

THE LESSON: Start by asking the question “why” whenever you consider any testing assessment. What information will this test give me that will influence the training plan? How will this test help the athlete achieve the shared goals of the team? By starting with this mindset, I could have prioritized the assessments that would have the biggest impact on training plan decisions and completed any other tests throughout the preseason.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT TESTS

As you learned from my first time setting up performance testing, it is vital you start with why. Here is the process I recommend to any team who wants to do pre-season testing.

1. Start a conversation with staff members who influence training plans. The Coaching staff will determine training tactics and plans on a daily basis. Find out the information that supports their decision making on a daily basis. The Strength & Conditioning staff will make decisions towards optimizing physical capacities on the field. They might want a specific conditioning test or strength assessment to drive their programming.

2. Discuss the physical cost associated with the test. The goal of pre-season is to progressively improve fitness to prepare for the demands of the season. Every physical assessment has a cost. If you want the players to perform a YoYo Intermittent Recovery Level 2, there will be a volume and intensity associated those tests. Make sure that plan is communicated with the coaching staff.

3. Choose assessments that are measurable and will be re-tested throughout the year to provide feedback if that physical capacity is improving. I don’t agree with running fitness tests once a year if they do not influence decision making.

A few thoughts to be aware of when designing performance testing. Using them to develop “mental toughness” is not beneficial. Understand that performance testing elicits anxiety for a lot of athletes. We want the athletes to be held accountable in their off-season periods, but we also want them to be successful in progressing their fitness throughout the season. Also, we need to consider that one test may not reveal the exact fitness level of that athlete. Ultimately, training is the test and the test is training. Subjective views of how an athlete is training is extremely valuable with objective measures. Use both in your decision making and planning.

Let me know how I can help you continue this conversation in your off-season planning. Every college team I consult with finds the best results in their pre-season when we determine the “right” assessments for their players. I have two consulting spots left for this upcoming summer period. Email me now to find out more how we can partner to improve your performance planning.

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But seriously, thank you for being a subscriber and taking the time to read my perspective. It means a lot to me that you find the content interesting and valuable. I am constantly striving to bring you the stories and strategies, with a dash of humor and empathy.

I appreciate your support and look forward to bringing you more front row insight into pro training. If you have any suggestions or feedback, please feel free to reach out to me. Thanks again, I’ll see you next week.

-Daniel Guzman-