Record, Monitor and Support The Physical Wellbeing of Every Student
Make health and fitness a priority at your school. Athena FitnessMark empowers students to take control of their fitness while providing PE teachers with next-level insight and fitness tracking.
Empower Students to Take Ownership of Their Fitness
Use FitnessMark to educate your students on the different areas of fitness, providing them with the tools they need to live a healthy life.
Sharing individualised fitness profiles and reports with students, highlighting their strengths and areas they may need to improve gives students a clear focus and motivation.
Tests are based on guidelines from the Department of Education
1. 20m Shuttle Run
2. Cooper 12-Minute Run
3. Standing Long Jump
4. Handgrip Strength
5. 3-Rep Max Bench Press
6. Sit-ups Test
7. Plank Hold
8. Max Push-ups
9. Back Saver Sit and Reach
10. Sit and Reach
11. Body Mass Index
12. Agility T-Test
13. Illinois Agility Test
14. 4x10m Shuttle Run
15. Stork Balance Test
16. Ball Wall Toss
17. 20m Sprint
18. Plate Tapping Test
19. Ruler Drop Test
20. Vertical Jump
1. 20m Shuttle Run
20m Shuttle Run
This 20m shuttle run measures student’s cardio respiratory endurance.
Cardiorespiratory endurance, also known as aerobic endurance, is the body’s ability to sustain a moderate-to-high intensity exercise for a long duration.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Jogging.
Hiking.
Swimming.
Cycling.
Sports that last for a sustained period of time such as soccer and tennis.
2. Cooper 12-Minute Run
Cooper 12-Minute Run
The Cooper 12-Minute Run measures a student’s cardio respiratory endurance.
Cardiorespiratory endurance, also known as aerobic endurance, is the body’s ability to sustain a moderate-to-high intensity exercise for a long duration.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Jogging.
Hiking.
Swimming.
Cycling.
Sports that last for a sustained period of time such as soccer and tennis.
3. Standing Long Jump
Standing Long Jump
From a stationary starting position, students jump as far as they can to get a measure of the muscular strength of their lower body.
Muscular Strength can be described as the maximal force that a muscle or group of muscles can exert in one effort.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Lifting a school bag.
Kicking a ball.
Lifting in a rugby lineout.
Executing resistance training exercises.
A Gaelic football shoulder.
4. Handgrip Strength
Handgrip Strength
The Handgrip Strength Test is one of three tests used to measure a student’s muscular strength.
Muscular Strength can be described as the maximal force that a muscle or group of muscles can exert in one effort.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Lifting a school bag.
Kicking a ball.
Lifting in a rugby lineout.
Executing resistance training exercises.
A Gaelic football shoulder.
5. 3-Rep Max Bench Press
3-Rep Max Bench Press
3-Rep Max Bench Press Test is one of three tests used to measure a student’s muscular strength.
Muscular Strength can be described as the maximal force that a muscle or group of muscles can exert in one effort.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Lifting a school bag.
Kicking a ball.
Lifting in a rugby lineout.
Executing resistance training exercises.
A Gaelic football shoulder.
6. Sit-ups Test
Sit-ups Test
This test measures the number of sit-ups a student can complete in 30 seconds in order to assess the muscular endurance of the student’s abdominal and hip flexor muscles.
Muscular Endurance is the capacity of a muscle or group of muscles to contract repeatedly or remain contracted for a sustained period of time.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Walking.
Running.
Climbing a staircase.
Swimming.
Performing repetitions with weights.
7. Plank Hold
Plank Hold
The Plank Hold is one of three tests that are used to measure a student’s muscular endurance.
Muscular Endurance is the capacity of a muscle or group of muscles to contract repeatedly or remain contracted for a sustained period of time.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Walking.
Running.
Climbing a staircase.
Swimming.
Performing repetitions with weights.
8. Max Push-ups
Max Push-ups Test
The Max Push-ups Test is one of three tests that are used to measure a student’s muscular endurance.
Muscular Endurance is the capacity of a muscle or group of muscles to contract repeatedly or remain contracted for a sustained period of time.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Walking.
Running.
Climbing a staircase.
Swimming.
Performing repetitions with weights.
9. Back Saver Sit and Reach
Back Saver Sit and Reach
This test measures the flexibility of the student’s lower back and hamstrings.
Flexibility can be described as the range of motion about a joint. It can also be viewed as a joint’s capacity to move freely in a wide range of motion.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Tying shoe laces.
Picking something up off the floor.
Changing a light bulb.
Reaching up to catch a ball.
Swinging leg to kick a ball.
10. Sit and Reach
Sit and Reach
This test measures the flexibility of the student’s lower back and hamstrings.
Flexibility can be described as the range of motion about a joint. It can also be viewed as a joint’s capacity to move freely in a wide range of motion.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Tying shoe laces.
Picking something up off the floor.
Changing a light bulb.
Reaching up to catch a ball.
Swinging leg to kick a ball.
11. Body Mass Index
Body Mass Index
This measure uses a student’s height as well as mass to assess their body composition. BMI is often used as a screening tool for health.
Body composition is the proportion of fat to fat-free mass that a person has on their body. Certain levels of fat are required to carry out bodily functions but excess fat can lead to health issues.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Better ability to walk, run and jog as there is less mass on the body.
Capacity to move quicker in all sports.
Fitter.
Jump higher.
Quicker.
12. Agility T-Test
Agility T-Test
This test uses short distance shuttle runs to assess the agility of a student.
Agility is a person’s ability to change the position of their body quickly in response to an external stimulus.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Returning a tennis serve.
Side stepping an opponent in rugby.
Defending an opponent in Gaelic football.
Winning a breaking ball in hurling/camogie.
13. Illinois Agility Test
Illinois Agility Test
The Illinois Agility Test is one of three tests used to assess the agility of a student.
Agility is a person’s ability to change the position of their body quickly in response to an external stimulus.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Returning a tennis serve.
Side stepping an opponent in rugby.
Defending an opponent in Gaelic football.
Winning a breaking ball in hurling/camogie.
14. 4x10m Shuttle Run
4x10m Shuttle Run
The 4x10m Shuttle Run is one of three tests used to assess the agility of a student.
Agility is a person’s ability to change the position of their body quickly in response to an external stimulus.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Returning a tennis serve.
Side stepping an opponent in rugby.
Defending an opponent in Gaelic football.
Winning a breaking ball in hurling/camogie.
15. Stork Balance Test
Stork Balance Test
This test measures a student’s capacity to maintain balance while on their tiptoes on one leg.
Balance is a person’s ability to maintain their equilibrium while moving or stationary
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Climbing a ladder.
Cycling.
Sprinting.
Sidestepping in invasion sports.
Dancing.
Holding gymnastics poses.
Resistance training.
16. Ball Wall Toss
Ball Wall Toss
This test measures the student’s hand-eye coordination.
Coordination is a person’s capacity to use their senses, together with body parts to perform tasks and movements.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Driving.
Walking.
Tackling in many sports.
Striking a sliotar.
Saving a penalty.
Hitting a golf ball.
17. 20m Sprint
20m Sprint
This test measures a student’s capacity to run 20m as fast as possible.
Speed is a person’s capacity to cover a set distance as fast as possible.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Scoring a try in rugby.
Running a 100m sprint.
Chasing back an attacker in soccer.
Getting to a drop shot in tennis.
Winning a 50m freestyle swim.
18. Plate Tapping Test
Plate Tapping Test
This test measures a student’s capacity to use upper body reaction time as well as hand-eye quickness to complete a task in as quick a time as possible.
Reaction time is a person’s capacity to respond to something as quickly as possible.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Getting out of the way of a moving car.
Catching a falling cup.
Winning a breaking ball in football.
Responding accurately to an opponent’s movements.
Successfully gathering a grubber kick in rugby.
19. Ruler Drop Test
Ruler Drop Test
This test measures a student’s capacity to use upper body reaction time as well as hand-eye quickness to complete a task in as quick a time as possible.
Reaction time is a person’s capacity to respond to something as quickly as possible.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Getting out of the way of a moving car.
Catching a falling cup.
Winning a breaking ball in football.
Responding accurately to an opponent’s movements.
Successfully gathering a grubber kick in rugby.
20. Vertical Jump
Vertical Jump
This test requires a student to jump as high as they can.
Power is a person’s capacity to perform a maximal effort in as short a time as possible.
Examples of how you use this area of fitness in daily life or sport:
Getting up a staircase.
Jumping over a puddle.
Breaking a tackle in rugby.
Getting out of a starting block in sprinting.
Performing jumps and flips in gymnastics.
Jumping to win a header in soccer.
Completing a successful smash in badminton, tennis or volleyball.
You can turn student fitness profiles into individual reports which can be shared at parent-teacher meetings.
Clear, unbiased reports provide the perfect jumping-off point for discussing a student’s fitness level and provides structure to what can be challenging conversations for PE teachers.
Athena FitnessMark gives you a better understanding of the fitness profile of your class group and the areas they may need to improve upon, allowing you to plan your classes more effectively.
Research Ireland’s enterprise partnership scheme PhD with Athena FitnessMark
Eoin Joy is currently pursuing a PhD through a Research Ireland Enterprise Partnership Scheme scholarship, focusing on the development of fitness testing battery software platforms for use in secondary school physical education. This research, a collaboration between Athena Analytics and the University of Limerick, supports the ongoing refinement of the FitnessMark software and aims to establish the first normative dataset on adolescent fitness levels in Ireland. Eoin brings over 15 years of experience teaching physical education in both Ireland and Australia.
We recently launched the Athena Health & Performance Clinic, a health & fitness workshop for TY Students
