How Can I Tell If I Am Fit? Let's Measure Three Fitness Components

Q. I remember years ago something called the President's Test for Physical Fitness. School kids could take the test and get a patch if they passed. The number of Pull-ups, sit-ups, etc. you could do in a time period. Is there anything out there to gauge fitness levels beyond pulse rate and blood pressure?
 
A. A great question! There are a variety of assessment tools used by clubs, fitness facilities and/or trainers to determine a client's fitness level. The way I will answer this question is to describe three components of fitness - cardio respiratory fitness, muscular strength, and muscular endurance - with examples of some of the common tests along with ways you can test yourself.
 
It is always a good idea before starting any fitness regime to have a physical checkup with your physician. I will assume that you are in good health, but want to determine how fit you are and also what fitness components need work. I don't want to get too technical and dry, either, so I am going to remain relatively general with my answers.
 
Cardio Respiratory Fitness (CRF)

If you become winded easily by walking up a flight of steps or moving quickly, and find that there is no way you can dance and/or take part in an aerobics class - even moving at slower pace than others - you probably will rate low in this area. Different ways of assessing CRF are through resting heart rate. Take your pulse rate in the morning before getting out of bed (30 seconds to a minute). Do this on three or four different days. The more fit you are, the lower will be. Men average 70 to 75 bpm (beats per minute), while women average 75 to 80 bpm (beats per minute­).
 
Another common test given at the clubs is the step test where clients are given simple instructions to step up and down to a standardized cadence for 3 minutes. Immediately following the stepping, recovery heart rate is determined for a full minute. More fit persons recover more quickly than lesser fit persons following an equivalent bout of exercise. Test yourself by determining how long it takes you to recover after strenuous exercise.
 
Muscular Strength and Endurance

An important relationship exists between muscular strength and endurance - endurance depends upon strength. Muscular strength is defined as the maximum amount of force that a muscle can produce in a single effort. Muscular endurance is defined as the number of times a muscular force can be sustained. Testing these components consists of testing each muscle group - for example, triceps, hamstrings, biceps, quadriceps, pectorals - and is different for men and women.

 
One common example is the push-up test. The position for men is only hands and toes contacting the floor, while women use the modified position with hands and kneeling with lower legs on the floor. The score is the number of push-ups performed (rest is allowed in the up position only).
 
Another test for muscular strength and endurance focuses on the abdominals. This is the bent-knee curl-up using tape, a standard cadence (3 seconds per curl-up or 20 curl-ups per minute). Clients perform as many as possible without stopping or breaking the cadence with a maximum of 75. For men over 45, 40 curl-ups are considered excellent, and for women over 45, 30 curl-ups are considered excellent.

Chris King of Creative Keys is an A.C.E. (American Council on Exercise) Certified Group Fitness Instructor. She teaches twelve classes a week for all ages. She loves her "Portfolio Career" (many careers at the same time). For her Special Reports about fitness visit, http://www.creativekeys.net/specialreports.htm Or if you would like to find out if you could handle and love having a "Portfolio Career" visit

http://www.creativekeys.net/portfoliocareertest.htm

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