Time to retest baseline fitness! (It’s been a crazy couple of years so I did not have high expectations.) I used the tests outlined on The TopEnd Sports Page. These are tests that can be done at home with minimal or no equipment. The tests are designed to quickly gauge a person’s general fitness level and to act as a benchmark for future testing. After taking the test, you may wish to train for a few months. Then, take the test again and compare the results.
Although there are six tests, I did only the first three — Push ups, Sit ups and Squats.
- Push ups to test upper body strength.
- Sit ups to test abdominal or trunk strength.
- Squats to measure lower body strength.
- Vertical Jump to measure leg explosive power.
- Step test to measure aerobic endurance.
- Sit & Reach to measure flexibility.
Push Ups: I did the modified push up with a “bent knee” position. (To do this, kneel on the floor, hands on either side of the chest and keep your back straight. Lower the chest down towards the floor, always to the same level each time, either till your elbows are at right angles or your chest touches the ground.) I was able to complete 35 push ups vs the 25 expected for my age group. Woo Hoo!
Sit Ups: You must count the number of sit ups you can do within one minute. The sit ups required that you (a) squeeze your stomach, (b) push your back flat and (c) raise high enough for your hands to slide along your thighs to touch the tops of your knees. I was able to do 45 sit ups versus the 27 expected for my age group. Again, I was cooking with gas.
Squats: The test has you stand in front of a chair or bench with your feet at shoulder’s width apart, facing away from it. Placing your hands on your hips, you squat down and lightly touch the chair before standing back up. A good sized chair is one that makes your knees at right angles when you are sitting. You keep doing this until you’re fatigued. I was able to complete 20 squats which is the level appropriate for my age group but I have to admit that I was not lightly touching the chair before standing back up. My knees were making a racket as well. I will stay away from squats for the time being.
Listening to old episodes of Fat2Fit radio (still my favorite although they’ve stopped recording), I remembered that I have to do weight training so I get my metabolism at a higher rate. I think it’s great that I can do some light weight training at home or while traveling with little or no equipment. Good luck with your training everyone!
