10 MINUTES OF FITNESS: THE MOST ENTERTAINING FITNESS TESTS ARE NOT ALWAYS THE MOST EFFECTIVE
10 Minutes of Fitness: The Most Entertaining Fitness Tests Are Not Always the Most Effective
In this weeks 10 Minutes of Fitness James FitzGerald and Michael Pilhofer discuss fitness testing at the highest level and how the most entertaining fitness tests are not always the most effective. You can watch the full episode here.
Fitness Tests at the Highest Level
James starts this conversation by addressing the opinion that some of the events at the CrossFit Games are not always the most entertaining, specifically the Triple Three (For time: 3,000 meter row, 300 double-unders, 3 mile run). “While tests like the snatch may seem entertaining on television it does not come from the movement itself, it comes from the commentary,” says James. “The tests that actually are effective are boring . . .” When it comes to the high-level fitness testing James wants us to remember that “you have to keep in mind that the tests we see at the Games might not be the best tests [of fitness] as they are based on logistics and entertainment.”
A coach at one time or another will find themselves in a position where they need to test their client’s fitness. While the tests at the highest level might be very entertaining and appealing they are not what is best for general population clients. James recognizes this and has simplified his fitness testing to three main categories, body, move, and work. Learn how James tests clients and uses that data to determine what program they need in The Free Coach’s Toolkit.
How To Make Fitness Tests Effective
Towards the end of their conversation, James begins to talk about how The International Functional Fitness Federation (iF3) is going about creating their own effective tests. “You really need to take time and think about the test, and the end goal” says James. “Even little things such as height can greatly impact how you finish in a selected test.” For example, a smaller person would not do as well in the Triple Three but would do better when it comes to a 90 minute mixed modalities test as they will have to do less work over the time. “It all comes back to physics”. James is working with iF3 to create individual country governing boards that deliver standardized tests to all athletes with the end goal of having Functional Fitness in the Olympic games.
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