Most people think your fitness level is reflected in whether you have a six pack or how big your biceps are. While this certainly reflects an aspect of your fitness, such as and idea of body fat % and muscle mass, it doesn’t tell the full story. There are other components of fitness that give a fuller picture of fitness. These components included strength, endurance, flexibility and ability to recover quickly are all important. The good news is you can measure your fitness – these components of fitness – from home. You don’t need special equipment or a fitness trainer.
Try the following tests to determine your fitness level. Once you have a good understanding of your fitness, with these tests you have the ability to improve and to track your progress.
Resting Heart Rate – A Measure of Aerobic Health
An easy but basic way to measure your aerobic fitness is to measure your resting heart rate. This is the number of heart beats recorded in one minute while at rest. The lower the count, the stronger your aerobic fitness level. It means a stronger heart doesn’t need to pump often – it pumps more blood per beat. This reflects better heart health (your heart muscle is stronger) and more cardio endurance.
How to Test It
- Place two fingers on your wrist or neck (or use a high quality heart rate monitor). Be sure to not exert yourself prior to or during measurement.
- Count each beat for 60 seconds, starting at zero. An easier approach involves counting each beat to 10 seconds and multiply by 6 for a slightly less accurate measure
- The best time to check is first thing in the morning.
What Your Score Means
- 60 or less = Excellent
- 61–80 = Good
- Above 80 = Needs improvement
As you train more often, your resting heart rate should drop. By tracking this number you are able to get a clear indication of your fitness level and your progress over time.
12-Minute Walk/Run – A Test for Cardio Capacity
12-Minute Walk/Run – A Test for Cardio CapacityUsing the Cooper Test, a 12-minute walk/run test, is a great way to find out your cardio fitness and endurance. The test is simple – cover as much distance as possible in 12 minutes at a constant and steady pace. You can also use a stationary bike at high resistance if that is more convenient. This test reflects how well someone uses their heart, lungs and muscles in conjunction for a sustained effort.
How to Test It
- Do a gentle warm up for a few minutes to avoid strain or injury. Light jumping jacks or a slow walk will suffice.
- On a flat track, treadmill (at slight incline), run or walk as far as possible in 12 minutes. Be sure to measure out your route beforehand and wear a device which will track your distance, if possible.
- Keep a steady pace you can maintain the entire distance.
What Your Score Means
- 1.46 miles (2.35 km) or more = Excellent
- 1.33–1.45 miles (2.14–2.33 km) = Good
- 1.32 miles (2.12 km) or less = Needs improvement
This exercise gives you a great picture of your aerobic capacity, allowing you to baseline your future training progress.
Plank – A Measure of Core Stability and Muscle Endurance
A great measure of your fitness is your core strength. Your core supports your spine, defines how good your posture is, and is the basis for regular and irregular movement. Luckily we can measure core strength. And whatever we can measure, we can improve. Doing a plank, in proper form, measures how well your core muscles can hold tension over a period of time.
How to Test It
- Lie face down with your forearms supporting you on the floor, elbows under your shoulders and your toes supporting your legs.
- Lift your body so your head, back, and legs form a straight line.
- Hold this position as long as possible without sagging or arching.
What Your Score Means
- 2 minutes or more = Excellent core strength
- 1–2 minutes = Good
- Less than 1 minute = Needs improvement
Improving your ability to hold a plank position is a great indicator of core fitness that will help to improve posture and overall confidence, particularly as you begin to show a six pack after continuous practice. Planks are also a great way to burn calories.
Push-Ups – A Test of Upper-Body Endurance
Everyone has done a push up at some time in your life. If you’re around my age, it was a common thing we had to do during physed or gym class at school. The great thing about push ups are they are an excellent way to test upper body strength. When done regularly they focus on improving strength in the chest, shoulders, arms and core. Since the push up test measures how many you can do in a row, it is a great test of muscle endurance, not just strength.
How to Test It
- Position yourself as though you are going to do a plank with hands under your shoulders.
- Lower your body until your elbows reach about 90 degrees, then push back up.
- Repeat as many times as you can in a row.
What Your Score Means
- 30 or more = Excellent
- 20–29 = Good
- Below 20 = Needs improvement
Pushups are a great exercise as they require nothing more than your body weight. Training using this exercise will build strength and muscle endurance over time as you continually increase your count.
Wall Sit – A Measure of Leg Strength and Endurance
This isometric (muscle contraction without movement) exercise, similar to a plank, measures muscle strength and endurance as it works the quad, hamstring and glutes muscles. It involves holding a position to measure how long and how well your legs handle sustained contraction. It is a simple but effective measure of lower body fitness.
How to Test It
- Stand with your back against a wall.
- Slide down until your knees are bent at 90 degrees, like sitting on an invisible chair.
- Hold the position as long as possible while breathing steadily.
What Your Score Means
- 76 seconds or more = Excellent
- 45–75 seconds = Good
- Less than 45 seconds = Needs improvement
Another simple exercise and test. The longer you hold the position, reflects how strong your legs are and how much muscle stamina you have.
Vertical Jump – A Test of Explosive Power
The intent behind the vertical jump test is to measure how fast your leg muscles can produce force. It is a measure of explosive power, which is important for sprinting, jumping and lateral movement exercises. It is an excellent way to show how your body uses its muscles for quick, strong movement,
How to Test It
- Stand sideways next to a wall and reach up to mark your standing reach – a baseline mark.
- From a flat-footed position, jump as high as possible and touch the wall again.
- Subtract your standing reach from the height of your jump for your score.
What Your Score Means
- 51 cm or more = Excellent
- 41–50 cm = Good
- 40 cm or less = Needs improvement
A vertical jump is a matter of strength and speed to reach the highest someone can jump. Strength is a factor of muscle strength while speed is more a reflection of how fast your nervous system fires.
Waist-to-Hip Ratio – A measure of Body Fat Distribution
A high waist to hip ratio shows how your body stores fat. Having too much fat around your waist increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes. While storing it around your hips and thighs is considered less risky [x]. This measure is a great indicator of your body fat composition as well as a valuable marker of health and fitness.
How to Test It
- Measure your waist at its narrowest point.
- Measure your hips at the widest part of your butt.
- Divide your waist number by your hip number for your ratio.
What Your Score Means
- 0.9 or less (men) = Excellent
- 0.91–0.99 = Good
- 1.0 or higher = Needs improvement
Even small improvements in waist to hip ratio reflect positive improvements in your training and your diet. These improvements can end up making a huge difference in the mid to long term in your health and well being.
Conclusion: Measure Your Fitness to Improve It
Every time you update one or each of the fitness tests you get a new snapshot of your health – from your heart to strength, from stability and composition, to endurance. While it shouldn’t be your week to week goal to reach an excellent level for each test, you should instead focus on incremental and continuous improvement. Focusing on the end goal is unmotivating. Small improvements over time is movement in the right direction.
Check out 5 Components of Fitness: A Guide to Better Health.
