Fitness Check-Up

When I was in college, in order to make the soccer team, we had to

pass a fitness test that consisted of running three miles in less than

18 minutes. The test always took place at 5:00 am on the first day

of preseason training. The course was through a hilly neighbor-

hood in Des Moines, Iowa, next to the Drake University Campus.

Our coach made it clear: If you didn’t pass the test, you would

get cut from the team. I was a midfielder and my job was to run

all over the field, so running three miles in less than 18 minutes

wasn’t hard for me back then. But the goalkeepers, whose posi-

tions don’t require a lot of running, also had to run the course that

fast. I couldn’t help thinking that the coach should have different

time requirements based on position. After all, the data existed,

even back then, showing how much distance an average player in

each position covered in a game. If the coach’s goal was to ensure

that each player was fit enough to effectively do his job, he should

have looked into the standards for each position and tested us on

those. When I asked about the reason behind the 18 minutes, he

said, “It’s always been that way.” Similarly, industry fitness stan-

dards often are not applicable because they don’t take into account

age, gender, and where you, specifically, are right now with your

fitness. That’s where the fitness-Check-up comes in.

Regular fitness check-ups are just as important, if not more

important in terms of prevention, as regular medical check-ups. A

fitness check-up is a series of fitness assessments and the specific

standards that go along with them that will help you understand

how to compare yourself to others of your age and gender who are

healthy, strong, and fit. These assessments will give you insight

into your overall fitness capacity and also help you know where to

start your training and what the right progression is for you.

I’ve gathered the data so you can see how you stack up against

what is normal and healthy for someone your age and gender.

The key to creating fitness standards is finding the right data that

supports realistic performance and is representative of strong

correlations between fitness, longevity, and health. You will not

be comparing yourself to Olympic athletes 25 years younger than

you, nor will you be comparing yourself to hardcore fitness enthu-

siasts who live, breathe, and eat fitness—people like Paula Ivan,

a 60-year-old female who ran a 4:15 mile, or Carlton Williams, a

50-year-old man who did 2,220 push-ups in 60 minutes. Instead,

we will use standards that represent the best possible outcomes

attainable given your age, gender, and busy lifestyle.

The data I’ve based these fitness standards on comes from a

range of studies and real experiences with millions of participants.

I’ve selected five assessments that provide a wide range of cardio

and strength standards as well as mobility and stability standards.

These standards are relatable, well-researched, and designed to

help you take some simple steps to get closer to where you want

to be with your fitness. These assessments will give you insight

into your overall fitness capacity. After doing the tests and seeing

where you fit within the standards, you will have a Fit Score that

shows your overall fitness and will give you a clear starting place.

Note: these tests don’t define you. I know what it’s like to feel

stressed about doing fitness and health tests. When I am healthy,

fit, and thriving, I find myself excited about trying to beat my old

scores to make sure I’m getting better. But when I am not in a

good place with my fitness, it can be intimidating to see how far I

have fallen from my peak fitness. I have to remind myself that my

fitness check-up is a tool that will help me get unstuck and move

forward with my fitness goals again.

Each week I will release one of the five fitness tests for you to do. On week five, I’ll show you how to calcultate your overall Fit Score.

I’m looking forward to hearing how you do on each test, so please feel free to email me or comment on social.

Test 1 Longevity Predictor Sit to Rise Off the Floor

Why this test?

The Sit-to-Rise test is a creative way to gauge more than one aspect

of fitness. Range of motion, mobility around joints, and your ability

to have flexion, extension, and rotation in your body are what lay

the groundwork for developing a sustainable fitness and strength

practice. This assessment tests stability, balance, strength, and

mobility, all skills that can sometimes be overlooked when testing

for fitness capacity. These skills are necessary not only to develop

a deeper fitness level and prevent injury, but the research around

the ability to sit on the floor and stand up using no hands shows a

strong correlation to longevity.

Purpose:

Test strength, mobility, balance, and stability.

History and research:

In 2012, a Brazilian team of researchers led by Dr. Claudio Gil

Araujo published a Sit-to-Rise study in the European Journal of

Cardiovascular Prevention. In their study, 2,000 people ages 50–80

were asked to perform the Sit-to-Rise test. All participants were

followed for six years. 159 of the 2,000 participants died during

those six years, and out of those, only two had passed the Sit-to-

Rise test. From this study, we can draw a correlation between

longevity and the skill of sitting on the floor and rising without the

assistance of hands and other appendages and joints. If you can sit

and rise with no hands does not mean you will live to be 100, of

course, but I am convinced that this research adds a lot to your Fit

Score and the breadth and scope of how you need to start to look at

your fitness. This test requires more than a single element of fitness

and it’s functional because it is a way of getting up and down off the

ground, which becomes a very important skill as we age.

Pros:

Easy to understand. Any flat surface will work.

Cons:

More challenging than it seems.

Protocol:

Start standing and lower yourself to the ground in a crisscross

position. To score 5 points, you cannot use your hands, arms,

knees, or sides of your legs. Then, stand back up the same way for

another 5 points. You get a 1-point deduction for each appendage

or joint with which you touch the ground.

What to watch out for:

Please make sure you are warmed up before doing this test.

How to Score:

–

5 points for sitting without using hands, arms, knees, or the

side of your legs.

–

5 points for standing back up in the same way.

–

1 point deduction for each appendage or joint you touch the

ground with.

Alternative:

None

Good luck and I’ll see you in the gym,

Aaron Leventhal CSCS, ACSM- Cancer Specialist, PN1