How to Prepare for a Physical Fitness Test

Co-authored by Monica Morris

Last Updated: January 8, 2023 References Approved

If you are preparing for specific kinds of jobs or just looking for a means of assessing your overall fitness and wellness, you may be getting ready to take some sort of physical fitness test that will help show your overall physical ability and other elements of general fitness. When it's time to participate in these kinds of physical examinations or assessments, some good preparation can go a long way. You may want to start months ahead to make sure you don't harm yourself, or get an injury due to hard practice.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Setting Yourself Up for Success

1
Find out what is required. Most fitness tests will require a combination of evaluations to assess aerobic fitness, strength, flexibility, and possibly body composition. Determine exactly what exercises will be on the test and the minimum passing requirements.
- If your upcoming test is a yearly exam in school, ask the teacher for details.
- If you are applying for the police department or military, ask a recruiter or look online for test specifics. All branches of the US military and many local police and fire departments list requirements for physical fitness tests online. Most fire departments in the US use the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT), which includes a stair climb, hose drag, ladder raise, rescue drag, forcible entry, and a maze crawl.^{[1]
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- If your test is through your employer, see if your prospective employer contracts testing through the National Testing Network, and visit their website for information on testing and preparation.^{[2]
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- If you cannot find out what will be on the test, create a routine testing the main components of most physical fitness tests: pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and running.^{[3]
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2
Determine your current abilities. In order to know if you can pass your test, you need to know what you can currently do in each of the categories that will be tested. Pretend you are taking the test today and perform each exercise. Note how close you came to the goal and how much further you need to go.
- If you are not currently physically active, make sure you are healthy enough to take the test before trying to complete it. Both the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine have information online to determine if you are healthy enough.
- Basically, you should not have any pain in your chest, shoulder, or neck while you are exercising or immediately afterwards. If you do, talk to a doctor first. You should also talk to a doctor if you have a heart condition, get dizzy enough to lose consciousness, or get extremely out of breath after exercising only a little bit.
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3
Calculate the time you have to prepare. You will need adequate time to prepare for the test. In fact, if you are going from not exercising much to a very hard physical tests, such as those for the military branches or police academies, you will likely need months to prepare. In fact, one police department recommends a 3 month training program before you take the test.^{[4]
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- Make sure your schedule and expectations are realistic and healthy. If you cannot safely meet the goals in the amount of time you have left, you may want to discuss the problem with your teacher or recruiter and ask to take the test at a later time.
4
Create a weekly routine alternating cardio and strength training. You need a day in between similar activities to let the body rest and allow muscles to rebuild.^{[5]
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Research source} Plan to exercise six days a week, alternating between cardio on even-numbered days and strength exercises on odd-numbered days, or vice versa. Rest on day seven.^{[6]
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- If you're new to exercising regularly, you may want to start smaller. Start with four days a week and work up to more.^{[7]
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  Research source} Always consult your doctor before starting a new fitness routine.
- Include time in your daily schedule for warm-up and cool-down exercises. Taking five minutes before beginning to warm up and five minutes after completing training to cool down is usually sufficient. Also, put stretching into your routine. You don't necessarily need to stretch before you exercise. You can actually do it afterwards. The point is to increase flexibility by moving through all muscle groups.^{[8]
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  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
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- Check online for available guidelines for preparing for your particular physical fitness test. The US Army, for example, publishes a pamphlet with general guidelines, nutritional information, and specific training activities.
- Practice types of exercises in the same order as on the test, if possible.^{[9]
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5
Pace yourself.^{[10]
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Research source} Maintaining a constant tempo is crucial for completing long and repetitive exercises, like crunches and multiple mile runs. If you work too fast at the beginning of the exercise, you may become fatigued quickly. It is more effective to maintain a steady pace throughout.^{[11]
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6
Eat a healthy diet. While training for an upcoming test, it is extremely important to monitor what you put in your body. Avoid processed foods, especially fast foods and deep-fried items. Your daily diet should consist of 2/3 grains (mostly whole grains) and produce and 1/3 lean protein from dairy or meat. Limit fatty foods, sugar, alcohol, and caffeine.
7
Get appropriate clothing. Workout routines are usually more effective if you have obtained the right fitness gear in preparation for improving your muscle tone and cardio. Without the right clothes, you could hinder your performance, or worse, injure yourself.^{[12]
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- Shoes are extremely important for running or any other similar aerobic exercise. Make sure to get shoes made for the specific activity you will be concentrating on. Running shoes, for example, are made differently than cross-trainers in ways that could affect your performance.
- Get clothes that are comfortable, but not overly baggy or loose, since these can get caught in fitness machines or otherwise hamper your fitness regimen. Choose moisture-wicking fabrics like Coolmax, Dri-Fit, and Supplex. Don’t forget to look for socks that will keep your feet dry.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Preparing the Week Before the Test

1
Start tapering off your routine four days prior to the test. You don’t want to push your body right before the test. Working out heavily during the three days prior to a strenuous test may reduce your performance significantly. Three days ahead of time, take a day off. The next day, do a workout, but don't make it too strenuous. For instance, take a 1 to 2 mile run instead of a full workout.^{[13]
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2
Do not workout the day before the test. You mostly need to let your muscles rest from your training the day before to avoid overexertion or muscle fatigue. However, you should do some light exercising, such as biking or walking for about 20 minutes.^{[14]
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- Instead of your regular workout, spend that time mentally preparing for your test by visualizing yourself passing with flying colors.
3
Sleep 7-8 hours a night. Get into bed 45-60 minutes before you plan to fall asleep to decompress, especially the night before the test. Make sure to eat dinner at least two hours before bedtime every night since eating too late can disrupt sleep.^{[15]
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Make sure you are hydrated. Your body cannot perform its best if you are dehydrated, so drink extra fluids the week before your test. Aim for ten glasses or more of water daily. Drink 16-24 ounces with your breakfast the day of the test, and another 8 ounces 15 minutes prior.^{[16]
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5
Eat a balanced meal the night before your test. You don't want anything too heavy the night before your test, but a good meal with vegetables and lean protein will help prepare you. You should also include a complex carbohydrate.^{[17]
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- For example, eat a salad with lots of fruits and vegetables, tuna, a whole grain (like quinoa), and a light dressing the night before.
- Avoid fatty foods the night before your test, especially.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Getting Ready the Day of the Test

1
Wake up early. You should wake up at least 3 hours before your test begins to give yourself time to wake up and eat breakfast. You don't want to eat right before your test.^{[18]
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Research source} Plus, you'll need time to warm up and travel to your test site. You certainly don't want to be late or rushed on the day of your test. Consider the extra time you'll need when planning the day before so you can get to bed early enough to get 8 hours of sleep.
2
Have a healthy breakfast at least two hours before your test. Include fruit and cereal or oatmeal for carbohydrates. Stick to complex carbohydrates, so that you will sustain the energy throughout the test. Also, eat a protein like egg whites or Greek yogurt. If necessary, you may also eat a small snack an hour before your test, like a handful of raisins or a few saltines.^{[19]
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- Aim for 20% or less fat, 30% protein, and 50% carbohydrates. Avoid foods high in fiber, though.
- The added carbohydrates will add glycogen to your muscles to help you push yourself a little more.^{[20]
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- Stick to things you know your stomach can handle. You don't want to try new foods the morning of the test.
3
Avoid alcohol and extra caffeine the day of your test. Don’t drink more caffeine than you normally do, as it could just make you jittery and nauseated. Energy drinks containing lots of sugar and caffeine could cause you to crash in the middle of your test, as they contain simple sugars rather than complex carbohydrates.^{[21]
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4
Warm up before the test. Warming up before a physical test is essential because it gets your blood flowing. A warmup's purpose is what it sounds like. The task is to literally move your muscles from being "cold" to being warmer. If you try to go from standing to hard exertion without warming up, you could seriously injure yourself.^{[22]
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Mayo Clinic
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- The best warmups are light exercises that don't cause you to exert yourself too much. For example, walking, swimming, or biking for about 5 minutes is all you need to warm up.
5
Skip the stretching. Warming up is very different from stretching. If you've been stretching throughout your preparation for your test, you should skip the stretching before your test. Even though it's counter-intuitive, stretching can actually decrease your performance if you do it right before a major event like a physical fitness test.^{[23]
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Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
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6
Remind yourself to take a steady pace. With your adrenaline pumping, you may be tempted to take off much faster than you normally do. Check yourself, and make sure you set a steady pace so you don't tire yourself out halfway through the test.^{[24]
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Expert Q&A

Question

What should I eat before a fitness test?

Monica Morris
Certified Personal Trainer
Monica Morris is an ACE (American Council on Exercise) Certified Personal Trainer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 15 years of fitness training experience, Monica started her own physical training practice and gained her ACE Certification in 2017. Her workouts emphasize proper warm-ups, cool-downs, and stretching techniques.

Monica Morris

Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Answer
Question

What should you eat the day before a physical fitness test?

Monica Morris
Certified Personal Trainer
Monica Morris is an ACE (American Council on Exercise) Certified Personal Trainer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 15 years of fitness training experience, Monica started her own physical training practice and gained her ACE Certification in 2017. Her workouts emphasize proper warm-ups, cool-downs, and stretching techniques.

Monica Morris

Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Answer

Choose your food based on what type of fitness test you're taking. If you're going for a sprint, eat some kind of simple sugar, which will digest quickly. If your test is more endurance-related, you'd want to eat a complex carbohydrate, like yams, potatoes, oats, or whole-wheat bread. If you're doing fitness and someone's going to see your physique but you don't need energy, you could have protein, no carbohydrates, and plenty of water.
Question

What should I do if I procrastinated and the test is tomorrow?

Mallory Myers

Community Answer

There is nothing you can do except eat a healthy, energizing breakfast like eggs, and drink water during the day. When your fitness test comes, just do your best.