Fitness Testing

Cunningham and Faulkner Test

equipment required: treadmill capable of increasing to 20% gradient, stopwatch.
description / procedure: A warm-up on the treadmill for a few minutes at about 10 km/hr at 0% incline is performed, to familiarize the athlete with test procedure and equipment. Some short practice starts getting onto the treadmill at the test speed can also be performed. After a break and some stretches, the treadmill is set at 8.0 miles/hr (12.9 km/hr) speed and incline of 20%. The time starts when the athlete starts running unsupported, and finishes when they grab the handrail. The test continues until exhaustion, meaning the athlete cannot maintain the speed required. Strong encouragement is required throughout the test.

scoring: The time completed before exhaustion is the score. Record time to the nearest 0.5 seconds. Maximal blood lactate values may also be taken after the test to gain further information about the anaerobic capacity of the athlete.