Recommended: test your fitness level at any age
Do you have to test your fitness level or are you in such great shape that you don’t have to? Obviously if you’re working out regulary and at your ideal weight than this is something you don’t need but I would estimate 90% of people at all ages might well be advised to do this checkup and so I suggest you start by reading the article below:
A former personal trainer, Carol Nigut, 63, takes twice-weekly brisk walks, does strength training three times a week, keeps flexible with yoga and maintains an enviable body mass index.
Nigut doesn’t need to gauge her fitness level; she sees the results. “While friends are having joint replacements, I’m avoiding surgery,” said Nigut, of Oro Valley, Ariz. “I don’t need to take medications. And I’m able to try new ways to stay active. Bird-watching, dancing, whatever; I’ll try it.”
If training is not on your resume, though, how do you know if you’re fit? Google “How many sit-ups should a 30-year-old male do?” or “How long should it take for a 50-year-old female to run a mile?” and you get thousands of answers, mostly from random sources that have nothing to do with fitness.
Enter the gold standard, the Adult Fitness Test (www.presidentschallenge.org). It tells you if you are “normal” compared with a national, well-researched model. For muscular strength, it tells your percentile. If you’re in the 75th percentile, 75 percent of people of your age and gender are not as strong as you are. Many a gym uses a variation of this test — often for free, to get you in its doors — but uses the softer “assessment” instead of “test.”
How to stop procrastinating on your fitness goals
“Every trainer organization has its own assessment and we don’t advocate one over another,” said Joy Keller, of the IDEA Health and Fitness Association, which educates trainers through publications and conventions. “But we recommend using some assessment before you start a new exercise so you can track your progress. If you’re not assessin’, you’re guessin.'”..
