My husband posted his results after completing the Men's Health Magazine Fitness Test from this month's issue. You can read about it here: Men's Fitness Test at Wisdom, Courage, Power if you want to see the difference between men's and women's assessment activities. I figured there must be a women's version out there to try instead of competing against the men's results.
Here's the link to the video that walks you through the 6 activities if you want to try them out: How Fit Are You?
I tried them at work in the 4x4 floor space between by u-shaped desk. These were my results:
Leg Matrix (squat, squat jump, lunge R then L, lunge jump)
Tests: endurance
Below Average - less than 10 sets
Single Leg Balance
Tests: balance
Good - 10 to 20 in 60 seconds (achieved on both legs)
3 Rep Single Leg Squat
Tests: lower body strength
Below Average - unable to complete the 1st of 3 reps (could not achieve on either leg) ...I got down, but couldn't get back up
The Thomas Test
Tests: hip flexor flexibility
Excellent - leg drops below hips
Walk Out
Tests: core stability
Good - thighs less than 45 degrees to the ground, but not nearly parallel to the ground
4 Point Touch
Tests: agility
Have not tested yet as I need more than 15 square feet of space to test, but I'm guessing Below Average, maybe Good (but just barely)
How did you do?
Hi Amber! Well, I always appreciate how fit Chris is. However, I always find fault with these kinds of tests.
ReplyDeleteThere are several reasons for why a person might not do well on a fitness test that don't have to deal with fitness. Such as, certain types of exercises make certain people dizzy. Dizziness does not mean they are out of shape. Other people have joint issues and really should/must avoid certain exercises, which does not make them unfit. Some people just aren't fast. They might still be strong and have endurance, but their body type was never about speed.
Even the weight of a person can change the results of an exercise. As an example, as I lost weight, my pushups got so much easier because I had less pounds to push up and down.
Another thing I found with yoga is that some people are not as flexible as others. A person in yoga might not think they are trying as hard (more "lazy") as another person, but the truth is that the other person is probably doing better because the pose is so much easier for them. As I got more flexible, I realized this.
So I do like that you are receptive to fitness, but I don't think these tests are very worthwhile. So don't worry if the results are varied. Whatever! Just do your best.
:-) Marion
Having done a chunck of my certification to be an aerobics instructor end of high school I too have issues with these tests. Nice for a baseline but they are flawed. Defo some stuff to work towards but don't kill yourself to fit textbook so to say...
ReplyDeletePriscilla