The Human Performance Laboratory at UCC was established in 1990 to provide a centre for both fitness testing and health screening. The laboratory has been extensively involved with the testing of members of the public, UCC staff and students, UCC Scholarship athletes, elite athletes on the P.A.C.E. scheme, as well as local sports teams/clubs.
The laboratory offers two broad categories of testing:
Fitness Assessment
Allows an individual to establish his or her current level of fitness and identifies strengths and weaknesses which they need to work on in training. The exact tests conducted are made as sports specific as possible so the feedback provided is useful to the player/athlete. Sports specific tests include those for cycling, running, rowing and all field sports. Having a single fitness test done gives only limited information. Repeated testing (e.g. 2-3 times per year) is more valuable as it enables the charting of progress over a period of time and thus indicates the effectiveness of your training program. Fitness testing is suited to anyone competitive or non-competitive, elite or non-elite who wants to improve their current level of fitness. An average fitness test takes about 90 min and includes:
- Blood Pressure
- Body Composition (height, weight, % body fat)
- Lung Function
- Leg Power
- Upper body and abdominal strength endurance
- Aerobic Fitness (maximal or sub-maximal tests)
- Flexibility
Additional optional tests include:
- Blood lactate profile
- Haemoglobin
- Biodex Isokinetic strength assessment (useful in assesing cause of reoccuring injuries)
- Anaerobic capacity – 30 second Wingate test / treadmill sprint test
- Sprint tests such as 8 x 40m, 10m-20m-30m sprints
Team Fitness Assessment
Field testing is available where a whole team can be tested at one time in a range of tests. Each player receives a comprehensive report detailing their individual scores in relation to the whole team. Below is an outline of the tests, although these can be amended to suit the particular sport:
- Body Composition – body weight, height and % body fat
- Leg Power and core strength – vertical jump and abdominal test
- Flexibility – hamstring flexibility
- Speed / Acceleration – 10-20-30 metre sprint times
- Anaerobic Endurance – 8 repeats of 40 metre sprints
- Aerobic Endurance – 20 metre bleep test
Lifecheck Health Screen
For those who want to find out their current state of health and fitness. The LifeCheck Program is particularly suited to those individuals over 30 years and who don’t partake in regular physical exercise. The main tests conducted examine those elements that are important to good health. For example blood cholesterol, % body fat and blood pressure are strong predictors of the risk of heart disease. The screening lasts about 90 – 120 min and involves:
- Blood Pressure
- Body Composition (height, weight, % body fat)
- Cholesterol
- Lung Function
- Abdominal strength endurance
- Aerobic Fitness (sub-maximal)
- Flexibility
Additional optional tests include:
- Stress analysis
- Haemoglobin
- Full Cholesterol Profile (Total Cholesterol, Fasting Triglycerides, HDL)
All tests are followed up with a comprehensive report detailing results and recommendations regarding an exercise/training regime and diet.
The Human Performance Laboratory is managed by the Department of Sport & Physical Activity, University College Cork.
For more information on services and prices please click here
For further information/booking contact Trevor Woods on 021-4904769 .