Are Players Actually Getting Fitter?
You’re testing fitness… but missing what happens in between.
Most teams only test fitness occasionally throughout the year, but what happens to player fitness across a long season?
By conducting regular submaximal fitness testing with your athletes, you can track changes in cardiovascular fitness without the need for demanding maximal protocols, giving you ongoing insight to adjust training, both at a team level and individually.
Fitness Monitoring in Team Sports Has Never Been Easier
Stop processing test data manually. Monitor fitness in real time and access the results as soon as the test ends.
With Firstbeat, submaximal fitness testing easily becomes part of your weekly workflow, taking just a few minutes to complete from starting the test to seeing the results:
- Players put on the Firstbeat sensor
- Coach selects protocol and starts the test
- See the live heart rate as percentage of HRmax
- Test ends, Heart Rate Recovery is calculated
- Download the data right away from sensors
- Access the report in the Sports Cloud
See How Elite Teams Use Submaximal Testing in Practice
Watch our educational session featuring special guest Philipp Lussi from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and discover how one of Germany’s top soccer teams integrates submaximal fitness testing into weekly warm-ups, in-season monitoring, and return-to-play workflows.
See how regular testing helps the performance staff track player fitness consistently throughout the season, identify changes early, and support better day-to-day coaching decisions.
Who is Fitness Testing For?
Submaximal fitness testing is an essential tool for all strength and conditioning coaches working in team sports.
Whether you’re working in soccer, basketball, ice hockey, or other sports, and at any level from youth to elite, Firstbeat’s SMFT provides a simple, reliable way to monitor fitness throughout the season.
With SMFT Live View, those insights are now available instantly, so you can move from testing to action without delay.
Why Monitor Your Athletes’ Fitness?
By gaining regular objective insights into your athletes’ fitness, you are better equipped to make informed decisions around training and performance. This allows you to evaluate team composition, identify individuals requiring additional development, and establish baseline values to support return-to-play protocols following injury.
Read more about why you should implement fitness testing here.
Which Protocol Is Right for My Team?
Ready to get started with submaximal testing but not sure where to begin? Download our free one-page guide with protocol recommendations tailored to your sport.
Explore the Science Behind Submaximal Testing
In this two-part webinar series, renowned Sport Scientists Martin Buchheit, Tzlil Shushan, and Shaun McLaren presented their insights and findings on 20 years of research on HR responses to submaximal exercise as a measure of adaptation.
