According to the recent test results, the positive development of the physical performance of schoolchildren and conscripts continues.
The endurance running fitness of conscripts is on the rise. Illustration picture. JAAKKO STENROOS / AOP
The 2025 conscript ran an average of 2,414 meters in Cooper’s test when he entered the service.
The last time such a good result was achieved ten years ago. A year ago, the average result was 16 meters lower than now.
The recent results also show that the proportion of those who ran more than 3,000 meters has increased by one, and those who ran 2,600–3,000 meters by five percentage points. The proportion of those who ran less than 2,200 meters has decreased by five percentage points since 2019.
If the table is not fully visible, you can see it from here.
A traditional test
Cooper is a traditional form of test where you run as far as possible in 12 minutes. Here you can see the age-specific assessment table.
In the defense forces, the test is performed within two weeks of starting service.
– We promote the voluntary movement of those of draft age and the development of their ability to function before starting military service with the Finland on the Move initiative coordinated by the Ministry of Defense, Minister of Defense Antti Häkkänen commented in the announcement.
– With the exercise counseling and guidance we offer, we support the conditions for performing military service and offer snacks for adopting an active lifestyle.
The fitness statistics of conscripts have been monitored for Cooper’s test since 1975. The best average is 2760 meters from 1979. Bottom contact was taken in 2019, when the average result was 2358 meters.
More detailed results of this year’s conscripts’ fitness tests will be published on the website of the Defense Forces on Thursday.
Move! results
Move! measures fifth and eighth graders. Illustration picture. PDO
The brand-new Move! results show that children’s and young people’s physical ability has improved.
– It is particularly gratifying that the moderate positive development has continued for the third year in a row, comments Iris Kolunsarkaan expert from the Faculty of Physical Education at the University of Jyväskylä.
– It shows that the physical activity of children and young people is going in the right direction.
How has the boom been brought about?
– There is no certain explanation, but the movement and physical performance of children and young people have received more attention than before in recent years, and awareness of the state of physical performance of children and young people and its development trends has increased, Kolunsarka answers.
– This has led to local, regional and national measures to promote movement and physical activity, the effects of which can now possibly begin to be seen in the Move! results.
Move! is a system used in schools to measure the physical performance of primary school-aged children. This fall’s tests targeted more than 110,000 fifth- and eighth-graders.
The six-part measurement examines endurance, muscle condition, mobility and motor skills. Parts of the test include, for example, a 20-meter line run, a push-up, and a slow bar jump.
Concerns
The weakest Move! results were seen in 2022. At that time, 39.7 percent of all fifth- and eighth-graders had “physical functioning at a level that could potentially consume or harm health and well-being.”
What had led to the worst Move! results ever?
– A certain single cause cannot be shown, but for example the corona period and its restrictions have probably had an effect. Research evidence shows that the movement of children and young people decreased during the pandemic, which may have weakened their physical capacity.
Despite the upswing that continues for the third year, there is no reason for too much jubilation.
– Still, a good third of children and young people have a level of physical functioning that is potentially harmful or exhausting to their health and well-being.
The exact percentage of this year’s measurement is 37.
Kolunsarka mentions large regional differences as another clear concern.
– In urban municipalities, the physical ability of children and young people is clearly better than in rural municipalities. This difference has remained in the same direction throughout the measurement history.
Iiris Kolunsarka is an expert on the national Move! system.