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Fitness test: How do I properly test my fitness?




There are different methods to perform a fitness test. Many of them are of a sporting nature, such as the Cooper test or endurance test. There are also fitness tests that measure various values ​​in blood or saliva and can provide meaningful details about your fitness . By the way, there are even health insurance companies that pay a subsidy for sports medical examinations for high-risk patients. However, the necessary fitness tests must be carried out by sports doctors.


An online test is much easier. We'll show you what types of tests there are, what they're used for and who benefits from them. We will also explain to you how our simple fitness test works using the human DNA test .

Fitness check – these options are available

Some of the most common methods for a more athletic fitness test include:

  • The Cooper Test (indoor/outdoor): This is a 12-minute run that measures aerobic capacity and endurance. The distance traveled is measured.
  • The endurance test : It can be carried out in different ways, for example through a performance test on a stationary bike or on a treadmill.
  • The strength test : It measures maximum muscle strength and can be carried out with various devices such as weights, bands or machines.

Athletes also test their fitness with a motor skills test, fitness test or line sprint . The flexibility test is also important: It measures the mobility in various joints of the body in order to minimize the risk of injury.

Simpler methods for a fitness test are:

  • The lactate test : It involves collecting blood samples to measure the amount of lactate in the blood. This can determine the maximum oxygen uptake and anaerobic threshold.
  • Body fat percentage can be determined using bioimpedance analysis or skinfold measurement . This measures the amount of body fat compared to the total body mass.

The medical fitness test

A medical fitness test gives you important information about your physical condition. Various values ​​are measured, such as your ECG and blood pressure under stress, to ensure that your heart is healthy. In order to determine your endurance performance, lactate values ​​are determined, which are of particular interest to ambitious athletes.

Your lung and breathing volume also provide important information about your endurance level. The body fat percentage is used as an indicator of your fitness. In addition, the movement analysis provides information about possible leg or hip misalignments that could potentially lead to complaints. A medical fitness test is therefore an indispensable means of checking your physical health and, if necessary, improving it in a targeted manner.

Health insurance subsidy for the fitness test

If the examinations appear to be medically necessary, health insurance companies, such as TK, will also pay subsidies for your fitness test. For example, the musculoskeletal system is examined and an ECG is carried out to check the heart. The extended check-up includes a stress ECG and a pulmonary function test . Finally, the lactate is also determined, from which the doctors can determine the patient's level of training.

For this fitness test, however, it is necessary that a doctor explains the planned examination to the health insurance company. As a rule, those affected must be patients with risk factors such as being overweight or smokers. This can usually be well justified due to specific previous illnesses such as high blood pressure or the like. A sports doctor will carry out the appropriate fitness test with all medical examinations.

Why is the lactate test one of the most important tests in examinations?

The test is particularly helpful for competitive athletes in order to optimize training. The lactate test can be derived from a blood or saliva sample. Fitness is determined based on maximum oxygen uptake. More specifically, the test measures the metabolic process in the body during physical exertion . Before this fitness test, the patient must warm up and then get on a bike, for example.

This allows the doctor to take blood samples at certain intervals. These can be obtained from the earlobes. The strain is now continually increased and the blood samples can then be analyzed in the laboratory. The examination shows whether the body can still cope with the required load well (with oxygen consumption), or whether it has to do this without available oxygen (anaerobic).

Can the lactate test also be carried out with a saliva sample?

This is not only possible, but also has advantages! Collecting a sample using a saliva sample is easier and less invasive than using a blood sample. It is also less time-consuming and can be carried out very easily using an online test kit.

Easily carry out your fitness check online at GenoLine

You don't necessarily have to be a professional athlete to benefit from a lactate fitness test. Improve your training routine for hobby and recreational sports through comprehensive genetic analysis to minimize your risk of injury in sports and discover the positive effects of your genotype on endurance and strength sports . The analysis also provides you with important information about the optimal diet to avoid injuries and promote your regeneration after training.

You can find further advantages and options in our DNA fitness analysis , which you can easily do online. Simply order your test kit, take a saliva sample and send the samples back to us postage-free. We analyze the test and you will have the data after 14 days . Until then you can read our guide. A fitness test couldn't be easier!