Here are six tests to find out your fitness levels.
PLANK
What it targets
Your core strength
How to do it
Hold your body in a straight line from head to heels. Keep your feet together and your elbows beneath your shoulders. Look straight down and brace for as long as you can. Focus on keeping your hips from sagging. When they do the test is over.
To improve
Perform the plank with your hands, feet or both on an unstable surface such as a gym ball. You won’t be able to hold it for long, but it’ll make doing this test on stable ground easier.
Time Level
More than 2min Excellent
75sec–2min Good
45–75sec Average
Less than 45sec Poor
BODYWEIGHT SQUAT
What it targets
Your core, quad and hamstring strength
How to do it
Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and toes turned out slightly. Brace your core and lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor and your knees are in line with your feet. Push back to the start through your heels. The test is over when you can’t maintain perfect form.
To improve
Perform walking lunges with light dumb-bells to build muscular strength in your glutes and legs.
Reps Level
50 or more Excellent
30–49 Good
16–29 Average
15 or fewer Poor
PRESS-UP
What it targets
Your chest, shoulder ?and triceps strength
How to do it
Keep your body in a straight line and your elbows pointing back, not to the sides. Lower until your chest is a fist’s height off the floor, then push back up. The test is over when you can’t maintain perfect form.
To improve
Complete a set to failure, rest for a few minutes and start again. This will overload the targeted muscles, making them grow stronger.
Reps Level
50 or more Excellent
25–49 Good
16–24 Average
15 or fewer Poor
1KM RUN
What it targets
Your cardiovascular system
How to do it
Set the treadmill elevation to one degree. Keep a constant pace.
To improve
Do sets of all-out sprints of between 500m and 800m to improve your ability to maintain a maximum speed for longer.
Time Level
3min or less Excellent
3min–3min 29sec Good
3min 30sec–4min 29sec Average
4min 30sec or more Poor
500M ROW
What it targets
Your cardiovascular system and muscle co-ordination between the upper and lower body
How to do it
On a Concept2 rowing machine, select level ten resistance. Sit upright with your shoulders back and core braced. Drive with your legs.
To improve
Perform sets of max-?effort 250m rows, separated by a ?few minutes of gentle rowing, to improve your endurance.
Time Level
1min 30 sec or less Excellent
1min 31sec–1min 44sec Good
1min 45sec–1min 59sec Average
2min or more Poor
PULL-UP
What it targets
Your upper back strength
How to do it
Grip the bar overhand, extend your arms fully and let your body hang. Pull up until your chin is over the bar, squeezing your lats. Lower again without swinging. The test is over when you can’t maintain perfect form.
To improve
Do a max set, rest for a few minutes and repeat. Try lat pull-downs on a machine to build back strength.
Reps Level
12 or more Excellent
8–11 Good
4–7 Average
3 or fewer Poor
(mensfitness.com)
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We do alot of manual work and walking chasing for money. that is enough exercise fr me.
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The frequency of these Keep-Fit articles is erratic. They should appear once a week on a specific day. At the moment, they are treated as if gap fillers when there is nothing exciting going on. Wealthy Zambians are shameful with their potbellies. Look at Liato or GBM. How often do these characters see their feet in a year?! Why do these characters have to carry their money around their bellies? Why don’t their emulate Bill Gates or Patrice Motsepe?
whoever wrote this article is retarded
ha ha ha ha, ask our Defence Minister to go through these routines!!! The chap will have clapped before he went through a quarter of a single press up.
am guessing u zambians are not fit
Good article for a change LT. I do this every other day…peice of cake. Pull-ups is my favorite…get fit bane, noti kulanwa fe ubwalwa moneni filufumo fyenu nomba kwati ba Liato?
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THis is great , i will start with squats and see how fit i am