Strength Testing
Strength testing provides an objective way to measure muscular force and physical capability.
It is widely used in occupational health, rehabilitation, professional fitness assessment, sports science, research and human performance testing.
Professional strength assessment can range from simple grip-strength measurement to more specialised back, leg and whole-body dynamometry.
Cartwright Fitness provides strength-testing equipment, assessment tools and professional guidance for organisations that need repeatable physical-performance measurements.
What Is Strength Testing?
Strength testing measures the amount of force an individual can produce during a defined movement or testing position.
Depending on the assessment, the result may be expressed in:
kilograms
newtons
kilogram-force
relative strength
percentile or reference classification
The value of the measurement depends on using a consistent protocol.
Testing position, equipment setup, participant effort and the type of dynamometer can all influence the result.
Why Measure Strength?
Strength is an important component of physical capability.
Professional strength assessment can help organisations:
- establish baseline physical performance
- compare results with reference data
- monitor changes over time
- support occupational fitness assessment
- assess rehabilitation progress
- identify asymmetry
- create repeatable participant records
- support sports and performance profiling
Strength testing should measure a capability that is relevant to the purpose of the assessment.
Grip Strength Testing
Grip strength is one of the most commonly used measures of muscular strength.
A handgrip dynamometer measures maximal force generated by the hand and forearm during a standardised grip test.
Grip strength is used across:
Occupational health
Healthcare
Ageing research
Rehabilitation
Sports science
Physical performance assessment
Because the test is quick and relatively simple to administer, it can form part of a wider professional assessment battery.
Grip Strength Assessment
A grip-strength result becomes more useful when it can be interpreted against appropriate reference data.
Factors such as:
age
sex
hand tested
testing position
equipment used
can affect interpretation.
Cartwright Fitness provides a free professional Grip Strength Calculator for recording handgrip dynamometer results and interpreting them against the reference data used by the tool. Standardise dynamometer position, handle setting, side tested and trial procedure before comparing results over time or between people.
Use the Grip Strength Calculator & protocol
Grip Strength Dynamometers
Professional grip-strength testing requires a suitable dynamometer and a repeatable testing procedure.
A testing protocol should define:
participant position
arm and elbow position
grip setting
number of attempts
rest between attempts
which result is recorded
Changing these conditions can make comparisons less meaningful.
Cartwright Fitness supplies professional dynamometers for health, occupational and performance assessment.
Relevant equipment
Professional strength testing equipment
Takei Hand Grip Dynamometer for standardised grip-strength measurement, and Takei Back and Leg Dynamometer for larger-muscle-group force assessment.
Back and Leg Strength Testing
Back and leg dynamometers provide another method for objectively assessing muscular force.
These systems can be used to measure strength generated through larger muscle groups during a defined testing position.
Applications include:
Occupational fitness assessment
Physical capability testing
Sports performance
Research
Strength monitoring
As with grip testing, results should only be compared when the test is administered consistently.
Back & Leg Strength Assessment
Cartwright Fitness provides a free Back & Leg Dynamometer Assessment tool for interpreting professional strength measurements.
The tool is designed to support structured assessment rather than simply record a raw number.
Try the Back & Leg Strength Assessment
Absolute vs Relative Strength
A raw strength result is known as absolute strength.
For example:
Grip strength = 48 kg
In some situations it may also be useful to consider strength relative to:
body mass
age
sex
reference population
The appropriate interpretation depends on the purpose of the assessment.
A heavier individual may produce a greater absolute force while another participant may demonstrate higher strength relative to body mass.
Professional reports should make clear which measure is being used.
Strength Testing for Occupational Fitness
Strength may be important in jobs that involve:
lifting
carrying
pushing
pulling
manual handling
repeated force production
An occupational-strength assessment should reflect the physical demands of the role.
A generic strength test should not automatically be treated as evidence that an individual can perform every job-specific physical task.
Instead, strength measurements may form one component of a wider occupational fitness assessment.
Explore Occupational Fitness Assessment
Strength Assessment Batteries
Professional physical assessment often combines several measurements.
For example:
Pre-assessment screening
→ Grip strength
→ Back & leg strength
→ Aerobic fitness
→ Body composition
→ Role-specific assessment
Combining tests into a repeatable assessment battery makes it easier to compare participants and track changes over time.
Standardising Strength Tests
Strength results are highly dependent on how the test is performed.
A professional protocol should define:
- equipment
- dynamometer settings
- participant position
- movement or testing position
- warm-up
- number of attempts
- rest periods
- encouragement
- result-selection method
The same method should be used for repeat testing wherever possible.
Maximal Effort and Participant Technique
Many strength assessments require a maximal voluntary effort.
Practitioners should therefore consider:
participant understanding
motivation
pain or injury
familiarisation
testing technique
A low result does not always mean low muscular capacity.
Poor technique, discomfort or lack of familiarity can influence performance.
Strength Testing Equipment
Cartwright Fitness supplies professional equipment for objective muscular-strength assessment.
This includes equipment for:
Grip strength
Back and leg strength
Professional dynamometry
Physical capability assessment
Professional dynamometers are designed to provide repeatable measurements that can be recorded and compared.
Explore Professional Fitness Testing Equipment
Takei Strength Testing Equipment
Takei is a recognised manufacturer of professional physical-performance measurement equipment.
Cartwright Fitness supplies Takei equipment for strength testing, including dynamometry used in professional health, research and performance environments.
Strength Testing in Health and Ageing
Strength measurements are also widely used in health and ageing research.
Grip strength in particular is commonly used as a simple indicator of muscular function.
When used for health assessment, results should be interpreted against an appropriate reference population rather than relying on arbitrary classifications.
Age, sex and testing methodology should all be considered.
Strength Testing in Sport
Sports-performance programmes may use strength testing to:
establish baseline performance
monitor training adaptation
identify differences between athletes
track rehabilitation
support return-to-performance decisions
The test should match the quality being assessed.
Grip strength, for example, may be highly relevant to some sports but less relevant to others.
Free Strength Assessment Tools
Cartwright Fitness provides free professional tools for interpreting strength measurements.
Current strength tools include:
Grip Strength Assessment
Back & Leg Strength Assessment
These sit within the wider Cartwright Professional Assessment Tools library alongside aerobic fitness, power, flexibility and body-composition assessments.
View All Professional Assessment Tools
Recording Strength Results
A dynamometer produces a measurement.
Professional organisations may also need to record:
participant details
testing protocol
equipment used
left and right results
previous measurements
reference interpretation
assessment date
professional reports
Managing this information in spreadsheets becomes increasingly difficult as testing programmes grow.
Cartwright Assess
Cartwright Assess is being developed to bring multiple professional physical assessments into one platform.
Strength assessments will sit alongside aerobic fitness, power, flexibility and body-composition measurements within the same participant record.
The intended workflow is:
Measure → Record → Interpret → Compare → Report
This will allow practitioners to move from an individual dynamometer measurement to a complete assessment history.
Evidence-Led Strength Assessment
A professional strength result should be supported by an appropriate methodology.
Where relevant, Cartwright Fitness assessment resources identify:
- what is being measured
- testing position
- equipment
- calculation method
- units
- reference population
- age and sex considerations
- limitations
- supporting evidence
This makes the result easier to interpret and more useful for professional assessment.
Professional Strength Testing
Evidence & reference sources
Grip-strength measurement is well supported, but protocol consistency matters. A systematic review and meta-analysis reported strong measurement properties across healthy and clinical populations, while later reviews highlight variation in position, repetitions and test procedure.
Hand-grip strength measurement properties: systematic review Grip-strength measurement protocols: systematic review
Cartwright Fitness provides the equipment, assessment tools and software infrastructure needed to support professional muscular-strength testing.
The starting point should always be:
What physical capability do you need to measure?
From there, practitioners can select an appropriate test, suitable equipment and a consistent assessment protocol.
The objective is not simply to produce the highest possible number.
It is to create a strength measurement that is repeatable, interpretable and useful for the purpose of the assessment.