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There are many reasons for you to do fitness testing. Here are ten of them.

1. Get a Baseline — The initial fitness testing session can give you an idea of where your fitness levels are at the start of a program, so that future testing can be compared to this and any changes can be noted.
2. Compare Results to Others — By comparing results to others such as successful athletes in your sport or your classmates, you can see the areas which need improvement, and the fitness program can be modified accordingly.
3. Identify Weaknesses and Strengths — You can determine your strengths and weaknesses by comparing fitness test results to other athletes in the same training group, the same sport, or in a similar population group.

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4. Design a Program — Once the areas of strength and weakness have been identified, an appropriate training program can be designed to workout efficiently and maximize gains by concentrating your efforts on the areas of greatest need.
5. Monitor Progress — Comparing fitness test results to a baseline or previous test can be used to monitor your changes in fitness. Testing sessions should be planned at the beginning of a new training phase, and at least at the end of each phase. The period between tests may range from two weeks to six months. It usually takes a minimum of 2-6 weeks to see a noticeable change in any aspect of fitness.
6. Assess Goals — Specific and general fitness goals should be set after the initial testing. By repeating the tests at regular intervals, you can get an idea of the effectiveness of the training program and whether your goals are being achieved.
7. Provide Incentives — The incentive to improve can often be provided by the 'goal' of a certain test score. By knowing that they will be tested again at a later date, you can aim to improve in that area.
8. Gain Entry — Workers in some industries are required to undergo fitness assessments in order to gain employment, especially in the armed forces. See about work assessments.
9. Talent Identification — A general non-sport specific testing battery can provide you with an idea of your basic strengths and weaknesses, and from this you may find you would be better suited to another sport that makes better use of your strengths. see about testing for TID
10. For Research — Fitness tests can be used to determine the effectiveness of different interventions, for example measuring and comparing the changes in fitness after different training programs.

That's my top 10. I considered only two other reasons to do fitness testing, that is For Competition: some tests are part of challenges to determine the fittest, such as records for the most push-ups or sit-ups. Also, For Fitness: Although fitness tests are rarely used for fitness training, it is possible to incorporate a test like the aerobic beep test into a training session as part of an endurance workout.

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Related Pages

• 15 Reasons to Fitness Test Your Sports Team
• The Fitness Testing Guide — free eBook
• list of fitness tests