How do test progress? Do you pay attention to your strength, do you pay attention to your speed, do you pay attention to how your clothes fit or do you not really pay attention at all? After we have been on our fitness journey for awhile we can sometimes feel like we are in a rut or not pay attention close enough to the progress we are actually making. This is why, if knowing your progress is important to you then it is important to know how to test your physical fitness. Performing a few simple fitness tests can help you better understanding your physical and mental capabilities in order to determine which areas could use a little improvement.
4 Ways to Test Your Physical Fitness
2,000m Row
Rowing is the best way to test your body in a lot of different ways physically. It does a great job at testing lung capacity and one’s ability to keep a higher heart rate for a long duration of time. It pushes the body to work through lactic acid as it begins to build and uses about 85% of the muscles in the body. When you need an all around physical fitness test, doing this one is a no brainer.
Establish a baseline first, this will tell you where you are at now for when you test yourself later. If you are looking for a goal right away then try to aim for completing 500m every 2 minutes.
Sitting – Rising Test
We chatted about this type of test in “5 Tips to Keep Healthy as You Age” blog post. The test sounds exactly like it sounds. It times how long it takes you from sitting to standing without the use of anything else to help you up. It was first used in Brazil to test how long you will live. The older we get, the harder it becomes to keep our balance and stay nimble. If you can go from a sitting position to a standing position without using anything for additional balance, then essentially the test is saying you’re in good shape.
US Delta Force
If you really want to put yourself to the test this special operations force of the United States Army is no joke, and neither is the physical fitness test candidates are required to pass before joining it. Even if you can’t complete the tasks in the time listed, it is a great way to measure where you are now and see how you improve.
- 40m crab walk in under 25 secs
- 37 sit-ups in 1 min
- 32 push-ups in 1 min
- A run, dodge, jump course in under 24 secs
- 2-mile run in under 16:30 mins
- 100m swim (fully dressed, including jumpsuit)
Firefighter Test
According to the FDNY’s prep guide, there are eight tasks involved in the firefighter fitness test: a 75-pound weighted stair climb, hose drag, equipment carry, ladder raise and extension, forcible entry using a 10-pound sledgehammer, a search portion that involves crawling at least 70 feet, a rescue portion that involves dragging a 165-pound mannequin, and the ceiling breach and pull. All of these must be successfully completed in 10 minutes, 20 seconds, or less. Ready for a test like this?
So whether you are in a slump or want to know where you measure up physically, any one of these test will certainly test your limits and give you a great assessment of yourself physically and even mentally.
EBOOST was designed to help you power all the moments that matter. We recommend trying our SUPER FUEL for the added energy you need during your training. Our SUPER FUEL works when you do. A boost of energy and essential vitamins to keep you going and going (and going). And if carbonation doesn’t sound appealing to go running with in your stomach then we recommend its little sister, SUPER POWDER.
