Endurance, speed, strength and power

Cardiovascular endurance is the ability of the heart, lungs and blood vessels to supply oxygen to the working muscles, so the whole body can keep exercising for a long time.

Where it matters: long-distance running, triathlon, and a midfielder in football.

Tests:

• Cooper 12-minute run/walk: run, or walk if you must, as far as you can in 12 minutes round a measured track. Record the distance in metres.
• Multi-stage fitness test (bleep test): run between two lines 20 m apart, reaching each line before the bleep. The bleeps get faster each level. Stop when you can't keep up, and record the level and shuttle you reached.

Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to keep contracting many times without tiring.

Where it matters: rowing, where the arms and legs repeat the stroke hundreds of times, and swimming.

Tests:

• Press-up test: do as many full press-ups as you can in a set time, often one minute, keeping your body straight. Tests the upper body.
• Sit-up test: do as many sit-ups as you can in one minute, with knees bent and feet flat. Tests the abdominals.

Speed is the ability to move the body, or part of it, quickly.

Where it matters: the 100 m sprint, and a winger chasing the ball in rugby or hockey.

Test: the 30 m sprint test. Sprint 30 metres as fast as possible, timed with a stopwatch or timing gates. Record the time in seconds; the lower, the better.

Strength is the maximum force a muscle or group of muscles can produce against a resistance.

Where it matters: weightlifting, and a rugby prop pushing in a scrum.

Tests:

• Grip strength dynamometer: squeeze the handle of the dynamometer as hard as you can with your stronger hand. Take the best of three tries, in kilograms.
• One repetition maximum (1RM): the heaviest weight you can lift once with correct technique, for example on a bench press or leg press. This test must be supervised, with a warm-up and someone spotting you, because lifting near your maximum risks injury.

Power is the ability to use strength quickly: a combination of strength and speed.

Where it matters: the long jump, and a basketball player jumping for a rebound.

Tests:

• Standing jump (standing broad jump): stand behind a line with feet together, swing your arms and jump forward as far as possible. Measure from the line to the back of your heels.
• Vertical jump: stand side-on to a wall and mark the highest point you can reach. Then jump as high as possible and mark the wall again. Measure the difference.