There are different methods to perform a fitness test. Many of these are athletic in 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 . Incidentally, there are even health insurance companies that pay a subsidy for the sports medical examination of risk patients. However, the necessary fitness tests must be carried out by sports physicians.
An online test is much easier. We will show you what types of tests there are, what they are used for and who benefits from them. We will also explain how our simple fitness test using the human DNA test works.
Fitness check – these options are available
Some of the most common methods for a more athletic fitness test are:
- The Cooper Test (indoor/outdoor): This is a 12-minute run that measures aerobic capacity and endurance. The distance covered is measured.
- The endurance test : It can be carried out in different ways, for example through a performance test on a bicycle ergometer or on a treadmill.
- The strength test : It measures the 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, condition test or line sprint . The flexibility test is also important: it measures the mobility in various joints in 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 peak oxygen uptake and anaerobic threshold.
- The body fat percentage can be determined using bioimpedance analysis or skinfold measurement . It measures the amount of body fat versus 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 respiratory 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 can possibly 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 fitness test
If the examinations appear necessary from a medical point of view, health insurance companies, such as TK, also pay subsidies for your fitness test. For example, the musculoskeletal system is examined and an ECG is performed to check the heart. In the extended check-up, a stress ECG and a lung function test are added. Finally, the lactate is also determined, from which the doctors can derive the patient's level of training.
For this fitness test, however, it is necessary for a doctor to justify the planned examination to the health insurance company. As a rule, those affected must be patients with risk factors such as overweight or smokers. This can usually be justified on the basis of 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 the examinations?
The test is particularly helpful for competitive athletes to optimize their training. The lactate test can be derived from a blood or saliva sample. Fitness is determined based on maximum oxygen uptake. More precisely, the test measures the metabolic process in the body during physical exertion . Before this fitness test, the patient has to warm up and then, for example, get on the bike.
This allows the doctor to take blood samples at certain intervals. These can be obtained from the earlobes. Now the load is continuously 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 (with oxygen consumption) or whether it has to do this without the oxygen being available (anaerobic).
Can the lactate test also be carried out with a saliva sample?
This is not only possible, but also brings advantages! Sampling with a saliva sample is easier and less invasive than using a blood sample. In addition, it is less time-consuming and can be carried out very well using an online test kit.
Carry out a fitness check easily online at GenoLine
You don't have to be a professional athlete to benefit from a lactate fitness test. Improve your training routine in hobby and leisure sports with a comprehensive genetic analysis to minimize your risk of injury in sports and to discover the positive effects of your genotype on endurance and strength sports . The analysis also provides you with important information about optimal nutrition in order to avoid injuries and to promote your regeneration after training.
You can find more advantages and options with 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 paid. We analyze the test and you already have the data after 14 days , until then you can read through our guide. A fitness test couldn't be easier!