Does testing order affect performance and outcome during physical fitness tests?

Abstract

In Singapore, students must complete a bi-annual National Physical Fitness Award Scheme (NAPFA) test, consisting of 6 health-related components of fitness in which 5 are often completed back-to-back on the same day. However, since its existence in 1980s, there is no recommended order of testing for NAPFA and only a few studies have examined the testing order in fitness tests. Testing order is crucial as they may affect the performance of subsequent tests which may inaccurately determine an individual’s fitness and health. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess if conducting a flexibility test, sit-and-reach (SNR), affects muscular power, standing broad jump (SBJ) and determine if there was a logical order of testing for NAPFA. Using a randomised crossover design, 10 males and 10 females (age 23.05 ± 1.64 years) visited on two separate sessions to carry out SBJ and SNR testing. Distances of the SBJ before and after conducting a SNR test were recorded. SNR distances were also recorded. A paired samples t-test indicated that mean difference between SBJ distance before (209.80 ± 38.59) and after (209.60 ± 37.86) SNR was not significant (p >.05). Mean difference between SNR distance before (38.90 ± 7.25) and after (38.28 ± 7.76) SBJ was also not significant (p >.05). Since there were no adverse effects on the testing order for SNR and SBJ and other components of the NAPFA test as they do not work the same muscle group, the NAPFA test can be conducted in any order deemed suitable. Keywords – Testing order, sit-and-reach, standing broad jump, stretching, power, performance