Most athletes love to hate them, having to push yourself to the limit or being poked and prodded awkwardly in the lab before, during and after hard efforts – we’re of course talking about the dreaded performance testing. At SunSport Coaching we’re big advocates of testing throughout the season, both to measure progress, to analyse areas for improvement and to allow coaching to be designed to take an athlete’s performance to the next level.

Establishing a benchmark is key to formulating a plan for improvement and progression, something that a personal coaching plan is designed to achieve. We regularly test athletes of all levels at our sports science labs, both in Manchester and Mallorca, but getting the right test for the right person is important.

In this blog we wanted to look at the main types of testing that we undertake, and highlight which could be most relevant for you.

Cardio Pulmonary Exercise Testing

Probably the most important, and valuable test you can undertake, the Baseline Fitness Test gives you, as the name suggests, a baseline from which to work from and to build on. The test allows us to determine your current strengths and weaknesses, as well as pinpointing your training zones specific to your sport – VO2 Max, Heart Rate Zones, Power Zones (cycling), Pace Zones (running), and to build a structured plan off the back of this. 

The test encompasses a VO2 Max Test, resting heart rate, oxygen saturation, body metrics, strength and flexibility testing and more. Find out more about booking your Cardio Pulmonary Exercise Testing here.

Group or Individual Bespoke Sports Performance Test

For those athletes who already have performance goals or are looking to set new performance goals, we have the SunSport Group or Individual Bespoke Sports Performance Test. This assessment provides the athlete with all the scientific tools needed to develop further and to reach your full potential through understanding your absolute capacity, and what's best is that we can come to you, thanks to our mobile testing unit.

Our kit is portable and versatile so our forward thinking team will create a personal assessment for you or your team no matter what your goals are

Wider Assessments

As well as the two main types of fitness tests described above, we also deliver a range of other technical assessments to measure all of the key elements around improving your fitness. These include Blood Lactate Testing, Basic Health Screening, Body Composition Analysis, Lung Function Testing, Nutritional Analysis and more.

Don’t fear performance testing, embrace it – test, train, test, train, WIN!

Find out about all of our testing and analysis services here.