Looking for Fitness Tests?
Over the many years that I’ve been an Austin personal trainer, I’ve had many people ask me if I thought they were in shape. My first response has always been to ask them, “in shape for what”? Are you going to run a marathon? Play football in the fall? Wrestle? Perhaps you’re asking me if you just plain look good? Everything is relative. If you truly want to know, take some simple fitness tests.
Fitness tests abound both formally, and informally. The police department has fitness tests for their officers, and even more stringent testing for those looking to join elite groups, such as the SWAT team, for example. They have to run a certain distance at a certain pace, be able to lift and carry a prescribed amount of weight, and so on. On the athletic side of things, all sports teams have certain criteria that needs to be met to ascertain fitness levels both on the amateur level, and also in the professional ranks. The NFL is a great example of that. One of the biggest fitness tests that is open to a lot of viewing and reported upon intensely, is the NFL combine. The prospective players are running through cones, doing standing vertical jumps, bench pressing 225 pounds for as many repetitions as they can, etc.
On the medical side of things, a stress test that a cardiologist would give you is yet another example of fitness tests. The purpose being to see how much of your heart is functioning properly, and to what degree. It has been the standard form of measurement of the heart muscle for many years. Other fitness tests abound that require no physical effort on your part. It’s ironically known as a physical. While obviously, this type of fitness test isn’t of much value if you want to see how many times you can bench press 225 pounds, but it certainly gives a baseline for many things. Blood pressure, heart rate, are among the basics, but plenty more fitness tests are involved such as liver function, testosterone levels, and so on.
Children are subjected to fitness tests throughout their childhood. There’s the informal ones of trying to see who can keep up with who on the ball field or playground, as well as the many fitness tests performed in physical education class. My kids have had many fitness tests requiring them to see how many pull ups, push ups, and sit ups they can perform in a set time period.
People wanting to know if they’re in shape or not can administer their own fitness tests as well. Simply set fitness goals and work towards them. For example, time yourself. If you find you are currently running a 10 minute mile, focus on your technique, stride, and breathing, and whittle that time down slowly but surely. The same would be for someone looking to get stronger. If you want to put on some muscle, or lose some weight, simply measure where you are currently at, and slowly but steadily work towards improvement. virtually anyone can be in better shape than they are now. As a longtime personal trainer in Austin, it’s been my job for over 20 years to identify those areas needing improvement and administer a plan to fix it. No matter if you’re a professional athlete, a weekend warrior, or a reforming couch potato, make a reasonable goal and work slowly and consistently to achieve it.
Ready to Get Started?
Andy
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