7 Functional Fitness Tests for Any Athlete

Here at OverSizeMe, we try to debunk the theory that raw athletic talent is genetic.

We’re not referring to bodybuilding, but rather to movements that directly affect sports performance. We believe that by doing specific workouts and doing them over a period of time, a guy can surpass the athletic feats he was “born to be able to do.”

Prepare your body for any endeavor.

That, of course, requires plenty of hard work to improve. But the first step in getting better in your respective sport is figuring out where you could use some improvement.

These seven tests, Designed by Monkey Bar Gymnasium founder and personal trainer Jon Hinds, are not only good workouts in and of themselves, but also barometers for overall sports performance.

Sprint 40 yards as fast as possible.

For athletes in a short-sprint sport like football, a good time is under 4.6 seconds, says Hinds.

Sprint 15 yards then sprint back to the start.Sprint 10 yards then sprint back to the start.Sprint 5 yards then sprint back to the start.Rest 15 seconds.

Do this test three times. Record your best time out of three. A good target is 15 seconds or under.

Run a mile as fast as possible. Six minutes or below is good for an endurance athlete, Hinds says.

Reach as high as possible while standing with heels flat on the ground. Then, from a standing position, jump and touch as high as possible and measure the difference between the reach height and where your hand touched after jumping.

“A good vertical jump is over 30″ for men and 20″ for women,” says Hinds.

Put your toes against the yard line of a football field or a measurable open space. Jump forward as far as possible. Measure from your heels back to initial line your toes lined up with.

“A good measure is 2 feet over your own height,” says Hinds.

Do as many kettlebell clean and presses as possible in 10 minutes. (One good protocol to follow: Do 5 reps in 15 seconds, then rest for 15 seconds.)

The goal is to hit 100 reps. Once you can do 100 reps in 10 minutes, try using a 20kg kettlebell. If you can 100 reps of that weight, then do 24 kg for your next test. (For women, move up to 12kg, then 16 kg.)

Men: Use 16kg kettlebell Women: Use 8kg kettlebell

Do this circuit twice, as fast as possible:

25 pushups25 suspension trainer body rows (body parallel to the floor)25 sit-ups (elbows touch knees)25 deadlifts (50% body weight)50 step-ups (each leg) or box jumps onto a 12-inch box

The goal is to finish two rounds in less than 15 minutes. Once you do that, try to finish under 12 minutes during next test, then under 9 minutes for your next.