NSCA’s Guide to Tests and Assessments National Strength and Conditioning Association Todd Miller, PhD, CSCS*D George Washington University EDiTor Human Kinetics Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data National Strength & Conditioning Association (U.S.) NSCA’s guide to tests and assessments / National Strength and Conditioning Association ; Todd Miller, editor. p. ; cm. -- (Science of strength and conditioning series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-7360-8368-3 (hard cover) ISBN-10: 0-7360-8368-5 (hard cover) I. Miller, Todd, 1967- II. Title. III. Series: Science of strength and conditioning series. Science of Strength [DNLM: 1. Athletic Performance--physiology--Guideline. 2. Physical Fitness--physiology--Guideline. 3. Exercise--physiology--Guideline. 4. Exercise Test--methods--Guideline. 5. Physical Examination--Guideline. 6. Sports-physiology-Guideline. QT 260] and Conditioning 613.7--dc23 2011038488 ISBN-10: 0-7360-8368-5 ISBN-13: 978-0-7360-8368-3 Series Copyright © 2012 by the National Strength and Conditioning Association All rights reserved. Except for use in a review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, and in any information storage and retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. The web addresses cited in this text were current as of August 2011, unless otherwise noted. Developmental Editor: Kevin Matz; Assistant Editors: Steven Calderwood and Bethany J. 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Box 5076 57A Price Avenue Champaign, IL 61825-5076 Lower Mitcham, South Australia 5062 800-747-4457 08 8372 0999 e-mail: Science of Strength and Conditioning Series NSCA’s Guide to Sport and Exercise Nutrition NSCA’s Guide to Tests and Assessments NSCA’s Guide to Program Design National Strength and Conditioning Association Human Kinetics Contents Preface vii 1 Tests, Data Analysis, and Conclusions 1 Matthew r. rhea, PhD, and Mark D. Peterson, PhD Sport Performance and Testing 2 • Screening Tests 2 • Data Evaluation and Statistical Analysis 3 • Normalizing Fitness Data 10 • Tracking Data Over Time 12 • Professional Applica- tions 13 • Summary 13 2 Body Composition 15 Nicholas A. ratamess, PhD Sport Performance and Body Composition 16 • Body Composi- tion Measurement 19 • Measuring Height, Body Weight, and Body Mass Index 20 • Body Fat Standards 37 • Comparison of Body Composition Techniques 38 • Professional Applications 40 • Summary 41 3 Heart rate and Blood Pressure 43 Daniel G. Drury, DPE Heart Rate Control 44 • Exercise Intensity and Heart Rate 44 Sport Performance and Heart Rate 47 • Heart Rate Measure- ment 48 • Blood Pressure 53 • Professional Applications 63 • Summary 64 4 Metabolic rate 65 Wayne C. Miller, PhD Components of Energy Expenditure 66 • Sport Performance and Metabolic Rate 71 • Measurement of Energy Expenditure 72 Prediction of Energy Expenditure 75 • Estimation of 24-Hour and Physical Activity Energy Expenditure 76 • Relevance of and Appli- cations for Metabolic Testing 79 • Comparing Metabolic Rate Measurement Methods 84 • Professional Applications 86 • Summary 88 5 Aerobic Power 91 Jonathan H. Anning, PhD Regression Equation Variables 93 • Maximal Exercise Testing Methods 93 • Submaximal Exercise Testing Methods 110 • Regression Equation Calculations 119 • Professional Applica- tions 121 • Summary 123 iv Contents v 6 Lactate Threshold 125 Dave Morris, PhD Energy Pathways and Lactate Metabolism 126 • Sport Per- formance and Lactate Threshold 130 • Performing a Lactate Threshold Test 130 • Maximal Lactate Steady State 138 • Using Lactate Threshold Data 140 • Professional Applications 143 • Summary 145 7 Muscular Strength 147 Gavin L. Moir, PhD Definition of Muscular Strength 148 • Factors Affecting Mus- cular Force Production 149 • Sport Performance and Muscular Strength 158 • Methods of Measurement 158 • Field Tests for Muscular Strength 162 • Predicting 1RM Values From Mul- tiple Repetitions 174 • Laboratory Tests for Maximal Muscular Strength 176 • Isokinetic Strength Testing 182 • Comparing Muscular Strength Measurement Methods 189 • Professional Applications 189 • Summary 191 8 Muscular Endurance 193 Gavin L. Moir, PhD Definition of Muscular Endurance 193 • Field Tests for Mus- cular Endurance 196 • Laboratory Tests for Muscular Endur- ance 210 • Comparing Muscular Endurance Measurement Meth- ods 213 • Professional Applications 213 • Summary 216 9 Power 217 Mark D. Peterson, PhD Operationalizing Power 218 • Mechanisms of Power Production and Expression 219 • Types and Factors of Power 223 • Sport Performance and Power 227 • Tests for Power 229 • Warm-Up and Postactivation Potentiation (PAP): A Special Consideration for Testing Power 248 • Professional Applications 249 • Sum- mary 252 10 Speed and Agility 253 N. Travis Triplett, PhD Speed 253 • Agility 254 • Sport Performance and Speed and Agility 256 • Test Selection 256 • Methods of Measure- ment 257 • Professional Applications 272 • Summary 274 vi Contents 11 Mobility 275 Sean P. Flanagan, PhD Fundamental Concepts of Mobility 276 • Sport Performance and Mobility 281 • Mobility Testing 283 • Range of Motion Tests 286 • Interpretation of Results 290 • Comparing Mobility Measurement Methods 291 • Professional Applications 292 • Summary 294 12 Balance and Stability 295 Sean P. Flanagan, PhD Body Mechanics 296 • Control Theory 299 • Balance and Stability Tests 301 • Sport Performance and Balance and Stabil- ity 305 • Measuring Balance and Stability 308 • Interpreting the Results 312 • Professional Applications 313 • Summary 315 References 317 Index 350 About the Editor 358 Contributors 359 Preface If you can’t measure it, you can’t control it. One of my mentors repeated this “quality axiom” to me on a daily basis during my years as a graduate student, and this fundamental message has become ingrained in my approach to training. As strength and conditioning professionals, our primary goal is to design and implement programs that result in optimal athletic performance. At first glance, this appears to be a simple task. By following the principles of specificity, overload, and progression, we can design conditioning and resistance training programs that increase fitness and athletic performance. Unfortunately, while our programs may bring about improved perfor- mance for athletes and clients, it is impossible to know whether these adaptations are optimal without incorporating some well-conceived test- ing and measurement schemes into a regimen. Indeed, it is common for a trainer to claim that his or her program works, but the design of strength and conditioning programs is not simply about improving performance. It is about safely improving performance to the greatest degree possible for a specific individual with a specific set of goals. Achieving this optimal level of improvement is simply not possible without a strategy for tracking changes in performance over time. Historically, testing and measurement for the exercise sciences have been heavily slanted toward a clinical population and have been focused mainly through the lens of disease and disease prevention. Much less attention has been given to testing for athletic performance, and this is reflected in the paucity of literature on the topic. Tests for power, speed, agility, and mobility (all topics addressed in this text) lean heavily toward athletic performance and are rarely used in clinical settings. This book serves as a resource for coaches, trainers, students, and athletes of all skill levels and addresses the importance of testing and measurement for athletic performance. The text begins by laying the foundation of testing and data analysis and the methods of interpreting results and drawing conclusions. The chapters that follow include tests from the rudimentary (such as body composition and blood pressure measurement) to the more complex, such as lactate threshold testing and aerobic power. While all of these tests vary in com- plexity, this variability is not indicative of their degree of importance. For example, measuring body composition is a relatively simple task, yet its implications in athletic performance are incredibly profound. It is clear that excess fat can be deleterious to performance in sports that rely on speed, acceleration, and rapid changes in direction. Despite this, coaches will often vii viii Preface spend long hours on speed training but pay little attention to measuring or improving body composition. We hope that this text not only serves as an instructional tool for the mechanics of conducting specific tests but that it also helps coaches determine which tests are appropriate for specific populations. For example, a test of aerobic power may be inappropriate for a thrower, whose performance relies primarily on strength and power. Conversely, a coach of a distance runner would benefit little from conduct- ing agility testing on athletes. Therefore, you should not assume that you need to read this text cover to cover, nor should you assume all tests are appropriate for all athletes. As the field of strength and conditioning becomes increasingly sophis- ticated, so should the approach by which training programs are designed, implemented, and tested. A training program that lacks some type of progress tracking is grossly incomplete, yet it remains startlingly common among trainers of today. We are confident that this text will provide a solid foundation by which you can develop and implement your own testing and measurement programs, ultimately allowing you to grow as a coach and maximize the performance of your athletes.