There are a variety of ways you can test your fitness to establish what kind of shape you’re in – check out these simple tests and see how fit you are.
Some of you may like to throw yourselves into a 12-minute run fitness test, trying to cover as much distance as possible in the allotted time. Others may prefer to concentrate on their strength and mobility, gauging their fitness according to their ability to excel at muscular strength tests.
There’s no right answer when it comes to fitness testing by the way. The reality is that overall fitness is comprised of all of these elements, so perhaps the best indication of your abilities is to undertake a series of tests examining endurance, muscle strength, core strength, aerobic fitness levels and mobility/flexibility.
There are lots of fitness tests available which can be done at home or in the gym. And if you do come in at below average on any of the scores, don’t be too disappointed. These are just suggested tests to get you on the way. The hope is that whatever score you achieve, you will want to improve it with your own fitness campaign. And with that in mind, we’ve pulled together a selection of some of the potential options to give you a general idea of your overall fitness.
Run a mile (1.6km)
In terms of aerobic fitness, running a mile (1.6km) is a great test of your cardiovascular fitness, or ‘stamina’. How quickly you can complete the distance is a reflection of how efficiently your heart and lungs are working. If you want to improve your time then a combination of long runs, interval sessions, hill and tempo runs will help get your personal best (PB) down.
- Less than six minutes - Excellent
- Six to eight minutes - Good
- Eight to 10 minutes - Average
- More than 10 minutes - Poor
Rowing test
When we think of rowing we may tend to think Olympic athletes powering down a 2,000m straight. For the purposes of this test though you only need to row 500m to assess your overall body strength and fitness. Rowing requires co-ordination of the arms, legs, back and core, so it’s a fantastic calorie-burning exercise. Make sure you start every stroke with your legs fully extended and the handle pulled up to your body, leaning back slightly. Then bend your legs as you slide forward and drive backwards powerfully while you straighten your legs.
- Less than two minutes - Excellent
- Two to three minutes - Good
- Three to four minutes - Average
- More than four minutes - Poor
Three easy-to-do exercises to help assess fitness
In terms of core and muscular strength we have chosen three of the most popular, and hopefully easy to do exercises, to give you a general idea of fitness levels.
1. Press ups
This is a test of upper body strength, with a real focus on shoulders, chest and triceps. The aim is to keep your body in a straight line from head to toe whilst supporting your weight on your arms. Make sure your hands are no farther apart than shoulder width and keep the balls of your feet on the ground. Lower your chest gently until it touches the floor and then push yourself back up again. You need to try to do as many as you physically can.
- More than 40 - Excellent
- 30-39 - Good
- 20-29 - Average
- Below 20 - Poor
2. Abdominal Plank
The plank is a test of core strength. You need to draw in the abdominal muscles to keep your body stable, and in order to remain straight during the exercise, tighten the glutes, hips and buttocks. Unlike the press-up, where your weight is held by your locked arms, the plank relies on your elbows and the balls of your feet to support your weight. Make sure your feet are no further than waist-width apart. The idea is to hold this position for as long as you can.
- More than three minutes - Excellent
- Two minutes plus - Good
- One minute plus - Average
- Less than one minute - Poor
3. Bodyweight squat
This exercise is designed to examine the strength of your core, quads and hamstrings. Supporting your weight with your shoulders and arms, spread your feet shoulder-width apart and make sure they are in line with your knees. Bring your legs up to your chest and then pump them back to their starting position. Repeat this as many times as you can.
- 50 or more reps - Excellent
- 30 to 49 - Good
- 16 to 29 - Average
- Up to 15 - Poor
Remember there are a host of different exercises with different parameters you could try to see how your scores compare. The important thing is to get a general idea of how you’re doing and then work on any areas of weakness.