Spinning clutch by hand with alignment tool?

I’m in the process of cobbling together a custom clutch fork/pivot/throwout bearing setup for a classic Chevy with a reproduction clutch, but I’m having difficulty measuring the clutch pressure plate travel to ensure that the clutch is adjusted properly. Trying to measure the travel from the rear surface of the throwout bearing while someone else presses the clutch pedal results in different measurements depending on which part of the bearing I measure from, so I was hoping to test the clutch adjustment instead by inserting either the alignment tool or a spare transmission input shaft into the clutch disc, and checking that the clutch spins freely while a helper presses the pedal.

Is it typical to be able to spin the clutch pressure plate in this way by hand if the clutch pedal is pressed, or does it require more force than that even with a properly-adjusted clutch?