4 Fitness Tests To Measure Your Physical Fitness

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Let’s consider how to conduct a fitness test to determine the level of physical fitness

Finding your fitness level is one of the most reliable ways to know if you are making progress in your workouts. And what is important: it is not at all necessary to contact the specialists of fitness centers for this or to use the complex equipment of gyms. Everyone can independently test muscle strength, determine the endurance and functionality of the cardiovascular system, and identify opportunities for flexibility. And today we will tell you what special methods can help with this.

To check the level of physical fitness of the muscles, respiratory system and circulatory system, so-called tests are usually used. Such fitness tests are a kind of indicator of those athletic maximums that your body is able to achieve in one way or another.

The most representative are the push-up test, the crunch test, the 3-minute heart rate test, and the aerobic endurance test after walking 1.5 km. Below we will consider in detail the essence of each of these loads and the system of results for men and women, which correspond to a particular level of physical fitness of a person (depending on his / her age).

However, first I would like to note that such test fitness loads should be carried out more or less regularly (for example, once every 2-4 weeks). If you progress on the test results, this will mean that the sports program you are currently working on is effective and conducive to physical development. If the test results remain unchanged or fall over time, then this should be a signal to make adjustments to the fitness plan.

Fitness Test № 1. Push ups

This type of load measures the strength and strength of the pectoral muscles, shoulders and triceps, as well as the endurance of these muscle groups. Equipment Needed: Timer to count down 1 minute per exercise.

Goal: Do as many push-ups from the floor as you can in a minute. Women can use a modified position – kneeling push-ups.

Scoring: The figures below are adjusted for age and sex based on the results of sports medicine research.

Results for Men

Age 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+
Excellent > 54 > 44 > 39 > 34 > 29
Okay 45-54 35-44 30-39 25-34 20-29
Average№ 35-44 24-34 20-29 15-24 10-19
Low rate 20-34 15-24 12-19 8-14 5-9
Very low rate <20 <15 <12 <8 <5

Results For Women

Age 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+
Excellent > 48 > 39 > 34 > 29 > 19
Okay 34-48 25-39 20-34 15-29 5-19
Average 17-33 12-24 8-19 6-14 3-4
Low rate 6-16 4-11 3-7 2-5 1-2
Very low rate <6 <4 <3 <2 <1

Improvement tip: If you are unable to complete your desired reps, you shouldn’t be discouraged. Try to gradually improve your score. To do this, focus on resistance exercises that target your chest, arms, and shoulders.

Fitness Test № 2. Twisting

This type of exercise helps measure the strength and endurance of the abdominal muscles. The advantage of this exercise is that it can be done anywhere. Equipment required: timer to count down one full minute.

Goal: Perform as many twists as possible in 1 minute.

Scoring: The figures below are adjusted for age and sex based on the results of sports medicine research.

Results for Men

Age <35 years old 35-44 years old > 45 years old
Excellent 60 fifty 40
Okay 45 40 25
Below the average thirty 25 fifteen
Very low rate fifteen 10 five

Results For Women

Age <35 years old 35-44 years old > 45 years old
Excellent fifty 40 thirty
Okay 40 25 fifteen
Below the average 25 fifteen 10
Very low rate 10 6 four

Improvement Tip: To improve your performance on this test, choose strength exercises that engage the core muscles of your abdominals and lower back. Then try to retest yourself after 2-4 weeks.

Fitness Test №3. Heart Rate Recovery

This sports test is aimed at revealing aerobic endurance, that is, the ability of the cardiovascular system to respond to stress. In this exercise, the challenge is to determine how quickly the heart rate returns to normal after exercise. The faster this happens, the more resilient the body is.

Objective: Step onto the platform for 3 minutes without stopping while maintaining a consistent pace, and then determine how quickly your heart rate will return to normal. To do this, after completing the test, sit on a bench and within 1 minute count your heart rate (on the wrist or neck). Relax for 1 minute and repeat the measurement. Then check the obtained result against the values ​​in the table.

Results for Men

Age 18-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 65+
Excellent 50-76 51-76 49-76 56-82 60-77 59-81
Okay 79-84 79-85 80-88 87-93 86-94 87-92
Above average 88-93 88-94 92-88 95-101 97-100 94-102
Average 95-100 96-102 100-105 103-111 103-109 104-110
Below the average 102-107 104-110 108-113 113-119 111-117 114-118
Low rate 111-119 114-121 116-124 121-126 119-128 121-126
Very low rate 124-157 126-161 130-163 131-159 131-154 130-151

Results For Women

 Age 18-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 65+
Excellent 52-81 58-80 51-84 63-91 60-92 70-92
Okay 85-93 85-92 89-96 95-101 97-103 96-101
Above average 96-102 95-101 100-104 104-110 106-111 104-111
Average 104-110 104-110 107-112 113-118 113-118 116-121
Below the average 113-120 113-119 115-120 120-124 119-127 123-126
Low rate 122-131 122-129 124-132 126-132 129-135 128-133
Very low rate 135-169 134-171 137-169 137-171 141-174 135-155

Improvement Tip: In order to improve your performance in this test, we recommend practicing regular cardio workouts, gradually increasing their intensity.

Fitness Test № 4. Aerobic Endurance After 1.5 km

This test measures your aerobic fitness level based on how fast you can walk 1.5 km at sub-maximum speed.

Equipment Needed: Comfortable clothing and sports shoes, stopwatch, stadium, playground, or flat road.

Goal: walk 1.5 km as quickly as possible, but at a steady pace. Do not perform this test on a treadmill as this will distort the results. Also, warm up for 3-5 minutes before starting the exercise.

Results for Men

 Age 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+
Excellent <11:54 <12:24 <12:54 <13:24 <14:06 <15:06
Okay 11: 54-13: 00 12: 24-13: 30 12: 54-14: 00 13: 24-14: 24 14: 06-15: 12 15: 06-15: 48
Average 13: 01-13: 42 13: 31-14: 12 14: 01-14: 42 14: 25-15: 12 15: 13-16: 18 15: 49-18: 48
Below the average 13: 43-14: 30 14: 13-15: 00 14: 43-15: 30 15: 13-16: 30 16: 19-17: 18 18: 49-20: 18
Low rate > 14:30 > 15:00 > 15:30 > 16:30 > 17:18 > 20:18

Results For Women

 Age 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+
Excellent <13:12 <13:42 <14:12 <14:42 <15:06 <18:18
Okay 13: 12-14: 06 13: 42-14: 36 14: 12-15: 06 14: 42-15: 36 15: 06-16: 18 18: 18-20: 00
Average 14: 07-15: 06 14: 37-15: 36 15: 07-16: 06 15: 37-17: 00 16: 19-17: 30 20: 01-21: 48
Below the average 15: 07-16: 30 15: 37-17: 00 16: 07-17: 30 17: 01-18: 06 17: 31-19: 12 21: 49-24: 06
Low rate > 16:30 > 17:00 > 17:30 > 18:06 > 19:12 > 24:06

Improvement tip: Do cardio or interval training regularly, gradually increasing the intensity and duration. As a result, the heart will function more efficiently, doing the same amount of work, but with less effort.

So, now you know which fitness exercises you can use in order to determine the degree of physical fitness of the body and identify lagging muscle groups or insufficiently developed skills that should be improved in further training.