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How do you know if you are fit? Or at least sufficiently fit? And how can you tell if your condition is improving?
You have to test yourself. And while most people haven’t taken a fitness assessment since their Presidential Physical Fitness Test in high school, it’s good to check in on your progress every now and then.
“It’s really important to know that what you’re doing is working,” says Matt Fitzgerald, coach and author of “Run Like a Pro (Even if You’re Slow).” “Then you can of course correct it if what you are doing is not working.”
Some experts even say that testing yourself every three to six months can tell you more about your fitness than looking at day-to-day performance, which can vary significantly. While fitness can be measured (and expressed) in many ways, here are three tests designed to gauge strength and cardiovascular fitness that can be performed with little or no equipment.
Jump forward
• The Dead Hang for Grip Strength
• The Cooper Test for cardiovascular fitness
The Dead Hang
Greater grip strength is associated with lower rates of heart and respiratory disease, cancer, and reduced mortality from all causes. The correlation is so strong that a group of experts recently called for it to be considered a comprehensive link way to measure overall healthsuch as blood pressure or heart rate.
Not only is grip strength important for countless everyday tasks, like opening jars and carrying groceries, it’s also a good measure of your overall strength. “As you train and improve the rest of your muscle fitness, grip strength should evolve,” says Luke Baumgartner, an exercise testing expert at the University of Memphis.
To perform the test, all you need is a pull-up bar and a stopwatch.
How to interpret your results
For men, anything from zero to thirty seconds should be considered beginner level, says Mathias Sorensen, an exercise physiologist at the Human Performance Center at the University of California, San Francisco. Between 30 and 60 seconds can be considered intermediate, and more than 60 seconds can be considered advanced. For women, Mr. Sorensen said, zero to 20 seconds for beginners, up to 40 seconds for intermediates and more than 40 seconds for advanced.
How to improve your grip strength
If you can’t hang from a pull-up bar at all, or don’t have access to one, you can also test your grip strength with a farmer’s carry, in which you grab a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand and walk around. Start with what you can carry for 90 seconds — and increase the weight as you get stronger. A very good score, for men and women, Mr. Sorensen said, is carrying 70 percent of your body weight for 90 seconds.
Because your grip improves as you get stronger, you can also develop it by training with free weights, such as dumbbells, a barbell or kettlebells.
The Cooper Test
Aerobic fitness is correlated with longevity And lower levels of cardiovascular diseasemortality from all causes and cancer.
The best way to measure this is by testing your VO2 max, or how much oxygen your body uses during exercise. This generally involves going to a lab and training to exhaustion.
But you can get an idea of it on your own with the Cooper test.
How to interpret your results
Getting your VO2 max estimate requires a little math. Take your distance (in miles), multiply it by 35.97, and then subtract 11.29. This is your VO2 max estimate. You can also plug in your distance an online calculator And compare your results against those in your age group.
For example, running 1.5 miles in 12 minutes equates to a VO2 max of about 43. That would be an excellent score for a 65-year-old man, good at 45, and average at 25. For a woman, a score of 35 would be excellent at 65, good at 45, and average at 25.
If you want to know more about your own age group, look here.
How to Improve Your Cardiovascular Fitness
If you want to improve your score, Mr. Fitzgerald recommends slightly increasing what experts call your training volume, or the number of workouts in a typical week. For example, jog four times a week instead of three, but at a low intensity instead of moderate. Then step it up to a shorter, more intense run about once a week. Spending more training time at a slower pace gives your body time to fully recover before the next run, resulting in better overall performance, he said.
That way, when it comes time to pick up the pace, “you just have more to give and therefore get more out of that session,” Mr. Fitzgerald said.
The plank
A strong core can prevent injuries, reduce back pain and help you exercise better. One of the easiest ways to test your core strength is a simple plank pose with a time limit.
To perform the test, you only need a flat surface. However, a yoga mat can make it more comfortable.
How to interpret your results
A good goal for men and women of any age, Mr. Baumgartner said, is holding a plank at least a minute. More than three minutes is exceptional.
If you can’t hold a plank for even a minute, it’s a good idea to start training your core strength, says Mr. Baumgartner.
How to Improve Your Core Strength
To build your core, start by determining your maximum hold time. Then, perform two to three sets of planks a few times a week, adding 5 to 10 percent of that time each week until you’re consistently hitting a minute, Mr. Sorensen said. Then keep slowly increasing the time to continue to build your strength.
You can also incorporate squats, push-ups, and bridges into your workout two to three times a week to improve your core strength. Or try activities like biking, kayaking, dancing, barre classes, or swimming.
Whatever your result, it’s important not to get fixated on your score, Mr. Baumgartner said. It’s about testing yourself consistently to track improvements.
“The result is not a judgment on you,” he said, “it’s a snapshot.”
Hilary Achauer is a freelance writer who writes about health and fitness.
