How Fit are You?
How Fit Are You? That may be a difficult question. For one, that is how long or how fast he / she can run. For the other it is how much weight he / she can lift and for yet another it can be a totally different parameter. Everyone experiences their level of fitness differently and these are difficult to compare.
Yet there are a few objective indicators with which you can easily estimate how Fit you are.
Your general fitness level can be assessed in four main areas:
- Aerobic fitness;
- Muscle strength;
- Flexibility;
- Body composition;
Below you will find 12 simple tests that allow you to see for yourself where you stand in each of these 4 domains.
Preparation
Before performing the various tests, I recommend that you download and print the scorecard. On this you can indicate your scores so that you have a complete overview of your fitness level and can immediately assess your strengths and possible working points.
Have you downloaded the scorecard? Then you can start the tests. You don’t have to do them all on the same day or in the suggested order. Good luck with it 🙂
1. Heart rate at rest
Your resting heart rate is a measure of your general health and the condition of your heart. It is a useful indicator of the progress you are making, as it will decrease as you get fitter.
Since a strong cardiovascular system causes your heart to pump more blood with each beat, a lower heart rate usually equates to a higher aerobic fitness.
How to measure your resting heart rate?
- Measure your heart rate in the morning, just after you wake up.
- You can measure your heart rate in two places, on the neck or on the wrist.
- To check your heart rate through the carotid artery, place your index and middle fingers in your neck next to your windpipe.
- To check your heart rate through your wrist, place your index and middle fingers between the bone and tendon over your radial artery, on the palm side of your wrist below the thumb.
- Count the number of strokes you feel in 60 seconds counting the first stroke as “zero”.
- Do this for three days and calculate the average.
What is your resting heart rate?
- 60 or less = Good
- 61 to 80 = Medium
- 81 to 100 = High but still acceptable
- 101 or more = Abnormally high (not good!)
2. The 3 minute step test
The most obvious tests to test your aerobic fitness (cardio) are based on walking or cycling efforts such as the Cooper test, the beep test, etc. Of course you need to find a place in your area to run or run. bicycles. Not everyone has this opportunity and in some cases the climatic conditions do not allow it. That’s why we have a test for you that measures your aerobic fitness, but which you can perform indoors.
The idea is to get up and down on and off a bench or stairs for 3 minutes, which will speed up your heart rate. Your aerobic fitness is then determined by your heart’s recovery rate, measured during the minute immediately after the step test exercise. The faster you get your heart rate down after exercise, the better your aerobic fitness is.
How to perform the 3 minute step test?
- Measure your resting heart rate. Normally you have already done that in the previous test.
- Provide a step that is 12 inches (30 cm) high. That can be a sofa or a step of a staircase.
- Get on and off the bench or step for 3 minutes.
- 1 cycle = step on the bench with one foot, bring the other foot next to it, put one foot back on the floor followed by the other foot.
- Maintain a sustained rhythm of 24 cycles (up-up-down-down) per minute for 3 minutes.
- After those 3 minutes of walking, sit down immediately.
- Immediately place your index and middle fingers on your wrist and try to find your heartbeat.
- Start counting your heart rate 5 seconds after you stop walking. So you have to act fast 🙂
- Measure your heart rate for 1 minute and see how you score in the table below.
How do you score on the 3 minute step test?
3. Broad jump test
Power is the speed at which you exert force. For example, this is what makes sprinters shoot out of the blocks. To make optimal use of your capacity, all your muscle fibers must be used together.
With the broad jump test from a standstill you can assess your explosive power.
How to perform the broad jump test?
- Before performing the broad jump test, it is important to warm up.
- Stand with both feet behind a marker on the ground. Place your feet slightly apart and your toes just behind the line.
- Jump forward as far as possible with both feet together.
- You can greatly increase your explosiveness by first slightly bending your knees and swinging your arms when you straighten up explosively.
- Make sure you don’t fall backwards on landing.
- Mark on the ground where both your feet landed and draw a line at the back of the foot.
- Measure the length of your jump between the two lines.
- You can repeat this test several times and use the score of your best jump.
- Compare your best result in the table below.
How far could you jump?
4. Push-up test
Push-ups are a good indication of the strength and endurance of the muscles in the upper body. Technically, this test measures muscle endurance rather than sheer strength as it is based on how many reps you can do in a row instead of how much weight you can lift, but it is still a good measure of the strength of the upper body.
Push-ups challenge the chest, shoulder and upper arm muscles and require good core stability.
How to perform the push-up test?
- Lie face down on the floor, with your elbows bent and your palms on the floor, just wider than shoulder width.
- Keep your back straight and push up with your arms until the elbows are fully extended.
- The body must always stay in a straight line when you push yourself up. Your shoulders, your head, your torso and your pelvis come up together.
- Avoid a hose motion where you straighten your arms first and then lift your torso. This is known as a snake movement and is very bad for your back.
- Then lower your body in a straight line until your chin and chest touch the floor.
- Keep your entire body in tension and push back on.
- Do as many push-ups as you can until you need to stop to rest.
How many push-ups could you do?
5. Sit-up test
The Sit-up test measures the strength and endurance of your abdominal muscles. In general, the stronger your abs are, the more they can support your torso and the less likely you are to have lower back pain.
Are you aiming for that so-called six-pack? That is of course a nice goal, but for that you need very strongly developed abdominal muscles in combination with very little belly fat. Some can do dozens of sit-ups but don’t always have the nicely defined muscles. This is because they are hidden behind a layer of belly fat that you can only get rid of by combining sports with a healthy diet.
How do you perform the sit-up test?
- Lie on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
- Raise your head, chest and shoulder and bring your hands to your knees. Your hands should touch the top of the knees.
- Come back down and repeat this exercise for one minute.
- Your score is the number of repetitions in a minute.
How much sit-up could you do in 1 minute?
6. Plank test
You’ve almost certainly heard of trunk stability. This is the strength and function of the deep stabilizing muscles to keep your torso stable.
With the “plank” test you can easily test your trunk stability.
How do you perform the plank test?
- Lie on your belly with your arms bent and the elbows directly under your shoulders on the floor.
- Your forearms are on the floor and your fists are pointed forward.
- Push your body up and tense your core muscles. These are all the muscles in your belly, thighs, lower back and your buttocks.
- Stretch your body. Your head, neck, back and legs should form a straight line like a plank.
- Hold this position for as long as possible.
How long could you stay in the plank?
7. Wall sit test
The Wall sit test is a great way to test the strength and endurance of your lower body.
You sit on an “invisible chair” against a wall until you can no longer hold it.
How to do the wall sit test?
- Find a free wall space.
- Lean your back against it and slide your feet forward.
- Slide your back down the wall until your knee and hip joints are at right angles.
- You should look like you are sitting in an invisible chair.
- Always maintain an angle of 90 ° in the knees and hips.
- Then start your stopwatch.
- Hold this position for as long as you can while breathing freely.
How long could you stay seated?
8. Neck mobility test
Testing your neck’s flexibility will tell you how many more stretches and mobilizing exercises to do to fully protect your neck from tightness.
The neck is the most mobile part of the spine, or at least it should be. Often times, the mobility of your neck on one side is more hindered than the other because this side is preferred when using the phone, carrying a bag and performing other daily tasks.
How to test your neck mobility?
- Sit up straight and look straight ahead.
- Turn your head to the right and judge how far back you can see.
- Do the same test to the left.
How is your neck mobility?
- If you find that you have more freedom of movement in one direction than the other, then you should perform stretching and mobilizing exercises to increase your flexibility.
9. Shoulder mobility test
Working hours on the computer, surfing the Internet, watching TV, driving, or simply sitting in a bad posture can cause the shoulders to tighten and the joints to lose mobility.
The shoulder mobility test assesses your shoulder mobility in all directions.
How is your shoulder mobility?
- Sit or stand with your right arm straight up and your left arm next to your body.
- Then bend your right forearm from the elbow and reach with your hand as low behind your back as possible between your shoulder blades.
- Then bend your left elbow and bring your left hand behind your back as high as possible.
- Try to bring the hands together as short as possible.
- Ask someone to measure how far you get. If you can’t touch your hands, you can hold a tape measure to measure the distance.
- Then do this exercise along the other side, left arm at the top and right arm at the bottom.
How is your shoulder mobility?
- You can link the fingers = very good shoulder mobility
- The fingers touch = good shoulder mobility
- Fingertips less than 5 cm apart = some extra mobility needed
- Opening more than 5 cm = work to be done!
If the test is easier to perform on one side than the other, it means that there is an imbalance between the right and left sides that should also be addressed.
10. Sit and reach test
One of the most common flexibility assessments is a “sit and reach test”. It’s an easy way to measure the flexibility of the back of your legs (the hamstrings), your hips, and your lower back.
Good flexibility in this region can help avoid low back pain.
How do you perform the sit and reach test?
- Before you start the sit and reach test, it is important to warm up well for about five minutes.
- Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out and without shoes.
- Place the soles of your feet flat against a vertical plane. This can be a chest, a strong box or the bottom step of a staircase.
- Bend forward from your hips by engaging your lower back muscles and keep your legs straight at all times. Bending forward should be one smooth movement, without bouncing.
- Come forward as far as possible with your fingertips.
- Try to touch your toes or come forward even further by placing your hands on the box, chest, or step. Write down where your fingertips got.
- Repeat this exercise three times and record your best performance.
- The result is the number of inches that your fingertips are past (hopefully) the soles of your feet.
- If you don’t get that far, you measure the distance from your fingertips to the vertical wall of the box, chest or step that your feet rest against.
How far could you reach?
11. Waist-to-hip ratio test
The waist to hip ratio test is an assessment of the proportion of fat stored around your waist compared to the hip circumference. Having an apple shape (excess fat around the stomach) is worse for your health than a pear shape (carrying excess baggage around your hips or thighs) as it is associated with heart disease and diabetes.
The simplest assessment is simply standing in front of the mirror and assessing which silhouette your body composition most resembles.
How to calculate your waist to hip ratio?”
- Measure the circumference of your hips at the fullest part of your buttocks.
- Measure the circumference of your waist at the narrowest point.
- Hold the tape measure firmly but do not pull it on while taking the measurements.
- Repeat the measurements three times and take the average.
- To determine the ratio, divide the waist circumference by your hip circumference.
How is your waist-to-hip ratio?
- For women, a healthy waist-to-hip ratio is less than 0.8
- A healthy waist-to-hip ratio for men is less than 0.9
12. Body Mass Index
Your Body Mass Index or BMI is a good measure of whether you are within a healthy weight range, taking into account your gender, height and weight.
It is not a sanctifying formula because it does not take into account the composition of your skeleton or your body’s genetic predisposition to retain water. Still, your BMI immediately gives you an idea of how your body weight is doing.
If you have doubts or if you want more detailed information about your body composition, fat percentages or percentage of lean body mass, it is advisable to have this assessed by a specialist.
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You have now completed 12 tests to check your general fitness level. Assess yourself how you score and start setting goals.
It is generally accepted by health authorities that you should combine at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week with strength training twice a week for all major muscle groups.
If you don’t have the time to join a sports club or go to the gym, you can follow the training schedule of Functional Home Training. Every day we program a series of exercises, in video format, that you can perform at home. In total you are only busy 4 to 8 minutes a day. You need little space or material for it. The programming is different every day and will always contain one or more elements of strength and aerobic endurance exercises.
I challenge you to follow our program for 6 weeks. After those 6 weeks, you perform the Fit test again and assess your progress. I can already tell you with certainty that the results will be amazing !
Carine
Coach
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