Physical Fitness
Why we do the different tests and how to improve:
The challenge is an excellent way for you as athletes to monitor your improvements and become aware of any areas that may require more attention.
I'm sure everyone has heard of the saying "you're only as strong as you're weakest link" (meaning a chain will break at the point where it is the weakest). With this in mind the SnoFit Challenge is a way for you to identify areas that you would like to further improve or might need a little extra attention.
Height and weight is simply a guide for your rate of growth.
o Proper amounts of rest, well balanced diet and regular exercise or training.
Vertical jump is an indication of lower body strength and explosive power. We take left and right to make sure there is good symmetry of both sides.
o Explosive exercises specific to lower body, jumps, plyometrics, ask your coach.
Power is a function of vertical jump and weight
o Power = √4.9 * body weight (k.g.) * √vertical jump (m)
Hamstring flexibility is one indicator of lower body flexibility. Low results could limit maximum power gains and lead to injury on the knee joint.
o Regular stretching every day follow the guidelines in Fit to Ski book.
Side stretch measures any imbalances in the tension of the muscles in the core region (a difference of 4 cms or more may indicate the development of muscle/structural imbalances).
o More regular stretching; see your coach for some specifics stretches or look in the Fit to Ski book.
Box Jumps followed by Balance is a two part assessment requiring the maximum effort out of the athlete in 60 seconds (K1 and K2) or 90 seconds (FIS) before muscle fatigue. The hopping component measures the athlete's ability to create quick lateral movement while enduring higher lactate levels. The balance component is a test measuring the athlete's ability to recover from the hop test and regain the ability to balance.
o Sprints or hops that involve lateral movement at maximum effort.
Upper abdominal test measures the athlete's ability to recruit upper abdominal muscles.
o Just do a variety of sit ups like we do at SnoFit or practice doing the test.
Crunches with metronome tests the endurance of the abdominal muscle group where the pace of the movement is controlled with a metronome. There is no time restraint to this test simply loss of form or rhythm indicates the termination of test.
o Just do a variety of sit ups like we do at SnoFit or practice doing the test.
Maximum push-ups, tests the endurance of the upper body of the athlete where the pace of the movement is controlled with a metronome. There is no time restraint to this test simply loss of form or rhythm indicates the termination of test.
o Any variety of push-ups with hand width wide, narrow, offset or dips off a bench with the same variety of hand positions. If push-ups are to hard you can start by doing push-ups on your knees.
Illinois agility tests the athletes speed and coordination in a specified course. It is a good indicator of overall body coordination and agility.
o Showing up for regular SnoFit will help this.
o You can set up little courses in your backyard or driveway. Make a square or diamond or draw a line on the ground for your course. The goal is to go as fast as you can through a variety of courses.
o You could use the same course and go through it in different ways like forwards, backwards, facing left, facing right.
o Use your imagination and do exercises that you find difficult because these are the ones that will help you improve.
Leger Boucher test measures the aerobic power of the athlete. The test is performed in a controlled environment where the athlete must continue at pace with the pre-recorded control stages on a tape. The number of stages attained is directly related to the VO2 max (aerobic conditioning) of the athlete.
o Any exercise where your heart rate is between 65-80% maximum heart rate for over 25 minutes.
o It takes approximately 5 minutes for your body to start working aerobically and the minimum time for an aerobic effect is 12 minutes. Therefore you first need to run 5 minutes and then start counting the 12 minutes for the run. Anything above 12 minutes is added value and 24 minutes is twice the value; 36 minutes 3 times the value and so on.
o For K1 and K2 athletes you should be between 135-167 beats per minute (bpm) or 22-28 bpm in a 10 second heart rate check.
If you want to improve and need more information or help as how to improve your SnoFit Challenge scores ask your coach for help.
Remember regular testing helps you see how much you are improving.
