Every college soccer player knows that dreaded feeling the night before your preseason fitness test. Did I train hard enough? Will my body hold up? What if I fail? These thoughts are completely normal, but they do not have to be! There are plenty of tools you can use to prepare yourself for your fitness test. Here at Trainsolo we believe it is imperative to focus on both your physical and mental preparation. As you begin to dive into our fitness test database, check out these four tips to help master your test!
1) Practice- It is absolutely crucial that you practice your fitness test before test day. This will allow your body to get used to the physical demands of the test. Put it this way- if you have a school exam and you do not study, do you think you have a good chance of performing well? Probably not. You have a solid study guide, so use it!
2) Preparation- Your fitness test really begins about a week before you actually cross the starting line. You need to properly fuel, hydrate, and rest your body in order to perform at your highest level. Find a pre-test meal to eat the night before that allows you to feel good and perform. You can try different meals before each of your practice tests in order to find the right fit!
3) Visualization- This one is huge. Just as practicing your test prepares your body, visualizing your test, prepares your mind. Take a few minutes a day to visualize yourself running the test. Think of the little things. Think of yourself completing each level. Think of how your body will feel when fatigue sets in and then think of the positive mantra you will tell yourself to get through that fatigue. Think of how amazing it will feel when you have crossed that finish line. By visualizing the test from start to finish, you are less likely to have any surprises on test day. You will know what to expect.
4) Self-belief- As athletes, we tend to be our own worst critic. Negative self-talk can be the difference between passing and failing your test. It is imperative that you are constantly encouraging yourself with positive self-talk and the undoubted belief that you will pass. If doubt starts to creep in, remind yourself of the countless hours you spent practicing. You know your body can handle the physical strain, so use that fact as reassurance that you can do this!