Fitness Testing using Swimming

There is a range of fitness tests using swimming as the primary exercise mode. Such tests are not just for fitness testing swimming athletes, there are also tests for water polo players and triathletes. Here is a list of both maximal and submaximal aerobic tests using the swimming exercise mode, as well as leg strength and power tests.

Aerobic Swimming Tests

• Swimming Beep Test — conducted in a 25m pool, starting at a speed of 1 m/sec and increasing by 0.05 m/sec every two minutes.
• Swimming VO_2max Test — a progressive and maximal VO_2max test conducted in a pool
• Williams Swimming Beep Test — a more simple version, held across a 12.5m pool where the speed is increased every 100m.
• 10 meter Multistage Shuttle Swim Test (MSST) — designed for water polo players, conducted between lane ropes set up 10m apart. The one minute levels start at 0.9 m/s, and increase by 0.05 m/sec every level.
• Water polo intermittent shuttle (WIST) test — based on the yo-yo test, involving out-and-back 7.5-meter swim shuttles interspersed with ten seconds of active recovery.
• Swimming 7 x 200m Step Test — comprehensive measurements from multiple swims used to monitor changes in swimming specific aerobic conditioning.
• Critical Swim Speed — determining the theoretical swimming speed that can be maintained continuously without exhaustion.
• 500yd / 450m Swim Test — part of the PRT, swim 500 yards as fast as you can.
• Swim 12-minute test — swim for maximum distance in 12 minutes.
• 1 km Swim Test — swim 1km as fast as you can.

swimming fitness testing

Anaerobic Swimming Tests

• 100m Swim Time Trial — swim 100m as fast as you can.
• Vertical Jump in the water — a variation of the vertical jump test conducted in water.

Other Swimming Tests

• SWOLF — a measure of swimming efficiency
• Military Swim Tests — list of swimming tests as performed by miliary departments around the world.