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Speed & Power Testing

Power, speed and sprint recovery are important fitness components for many sports. There are numerous fitness tests for power and speed - see our complete list of speed and power fitness tests. You may also be interested in the related fitness component of strength.

Explosive Power is the ability to exert a maximal force in as short a time as possible, as in jumping and throwing implements. Speed is the ability to reproduce these explosive movements one after the other with minimal fatigue. Another related fitness component in sports is the sprint recorvery, the ability continually produce short bursts of high intensity work, often with short periods for recovery time. Some repeat sprint tests are listed below. See also the information about Testing for Intermittent Sports.



These are tests of the anaerobic energy system. Each short burst of high intensity exercise depletes the stores of creatine phosphate and utilizes anaerobic glycolysis in which lactic acid is produced. The efficient removal of lactic acid is required to limit muscle fatigue.

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Testing Extra

We have over 400 fitness tests listed, so it's not easy to choose the best one to use. You should consider the validity, reliability, costs and ease of use for each test. Use our testing guide to conducting, recording, and interpreting fitness tests. Any questions, please ask or search for your answer. To keep up with the latest in sport science and this website, subscribe to our newsletter. We are also on facebook and twitter.

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