ALPHA Fitness Test Battery

ALPHA Fitness is a European field-test framework for population monitoring in children and adolescents. Its evidence-based versions combine body-composition measurements with handgrip, standing broad jump, and the 20m shuttle run; the extended version adds the 4x10m shuttle run. This page collects percentile references for the four performance tests only.

Developed by
Ruiz JR et al., ALPHA study group (EU-funded research consortium)
First published
2011 (International Journal of Obesity supplement)
Target population
Children and adolescents aged 6-18
Total tests
Multiple versions: evidence-based and high-priority batteries, plus an extended version that adds 4x10m motor fitness
Norms available here
Four performance tests associated with ALPHA. These pages use separate reference sources and age ranges; they do not form one common cohort.

Purpose

The EU-funded ALPHA project evaluated the validity, reliability, feasibility, and safety of field tests for youth population monitoring. The resulting framework includes body composition, musculoskeletal fitness, and cardiorespiratory fitness. The 4x10m shuttle run belongs to the extended version as a measure of motor fitness.

The ALPHA manual estimates that one trained tester needs less than two hours to administer the high-priority battery to a group of 20 children. Grip strength and standing broad jump overlap with Eurofit. ALPHA's 4x10m sponge-exchange test and Eurofit's 10x5m shuttle run are distinct protocols and their times are not interchangeable.

ALPHA performance-test percentile pages

TestMeasuresAgesSource
Grip Strength Muscular strength 9-17, 20-80+ Tomkinson 2018 (youth), iGRIPS (adult)
Standing Broad Jump Explosive leg power 9-18 FitBack (Tomkinson 2023)
PACER (20m Shuttle Run) Cardiorespiratory endurance 9-17 Tomkinson 2017
4x10m Shuttle Run Speed and agility 5-18 Kolimechkov 2019

Administration

The ALPHA manual recommends completing non-fatiguing measurements before the motor and cardiorespiratory tests. For the four performance pages listed here, the sequence is:

  1. Grip strength (both hands, best of two attempts each)
  2. Standing broad jump (best of two attempts)
  3. 4x10m shuttle run (best of two attempts)
  4. 20m shuttle run / PACER (single maximal effort, performed last)

The manual places the 20m shuttle run last. Administrators should follow its full screening, standardisation, rest, and safety instructions rather than relying on this summary.

Who is it for?

ALPHA was designed for population-level monitoring of children and adolescents. Equipment for the four performance tests includes a calibrated dynamometer, tape measure, marked nonslip courses, the prescribed 20m shuttle-run audio, cones, a stopwatch, and three coloured sponges.

The percentile pages use different studies: international pooled 20m shuttle-run data, FitBack jumping data, international handgrip references, and an interpolated European 4x10m table. Read each metric's source panel before comparing a participant with its distribution.

Handgrip needs one extra check. ALPHA scores both hands, while the youth norms on our grip strength page come from Eurofit studies, which test the preferred hand only, and the adult norms are adjusted to a best-of-both-hands protocol. An ALPHA result and these percentiles are not measured the same way.

Related batteries

All test batteries