The 7-Step Test to Determine If You’re in Decent Physical Shape

The 7-Step Test to Determine If You’re in Decent Physical Shape

From EVER.COM

Who doesn’t get winded living in a fifth floor walk-up?
FITNESS / BRIANNA STEINHILBER / JANUARY 7, 2016

It’s a new year. Which means it’s time to take a long, hard look in the mirror and assess this situation.

And by situation we mean the slightly tighter jeans and the sneakers that haven’t seen the light of day in two months.

At any given time most of us fall somewhere in the broad spectrum of being able to jog a mile without passing out and running a half marathon. And after a season full of drinking, eating, and not being able to tell where your ass ends and the couch begins as you enter the ninth hour of your Making a Murderermarathon, it feels like your creeping closer to the former end of the spectrum.

But just how bad has it gotten? That shiny new gym membership came with a personal training session to determine just that.

“The major benchmark I use to assess someone’s physical shape is a fitness assessment that consists of: Blood pressure, heart rate, a cardio test (usually a one-mile walk on the treadmill or three-minute step test on a step up box), body fat measurements, circumference measurements, and an overhead squat assessment (to determine what muscles might be tight and/or weak),” said Maurice D. Williams, MS, NASM master trainer and owner of Move Well Fitness. “Once I get this information, in addition to what they tell me about their goals and health history, then I typically give them something of a broad rating like: Out of shape, In-Shape, Healthy, or Rockstar.”

Not looking forward to being rated “out of shape” by the chiseled trainer at the gym? That’s what we were thinking. So here’s an at-home assessment you can use to get an idea of where you’re at before you have abs of steel staring you in the face as you wheeze your way through a one-mile treadmill jog, cursing those sugar cookies with every step.

Once you’ve reached these benchmarks, it’s safe to schedule that free personal training session.

1. Physical exam.

Been putting off that annual check-up? Now might be a good time to give your doctor a call. “It’s best to start with a thorough physical exam where the first thing you’ll get checked is vital signs: blood pressure, heart rate, and repository rate,” said Len Horovitz, MD, internist at Lenox Hill Hospital. “Heart rate should be somewhere below 70 resting, and with any kind of exertion should come back to that level pretty quickly. A person in reasonably good shape will have their blood pressure go up with exercise, but it shouldn’t go up inordinately. Breathing rate will also increase, depending on the level of exercise, but shouldn’t be that they have to stop what they’re doing.”

2. BMI.

We know the pain of locating your weight and height on a BMI chart and seeing your results creep towards the “obese” category. And while there’s been debate on whether BMI is the best indicator of health, it can be an easy way to gauge the ballpark of where you’re falling on the fitness scale. “Very often physical fitness will relate to weight, so you need to try and get the scale moving down towards an ideal body weight—a BMI of 25,” said Horovitz. “If you can get it to 26, even 27, you don’t have that many more pounds to lose. The more weight you’re wearing, the more exercise you’re doing by just moving around in space.” Which may be why those stairs out of the train station have seemed ten times harder than you remember since returning from holiday break.

3. The mile.

Sorry to hash up bad memories from 6th grade gym class, but it’s time for the mile test. “If can you complete that mile in less than 10 minutes, you’re looking great!” said Taylor Ryan, NASM Certified Trainer (Weight Loss and Kettlebell Athletics Certified), RKC Coach, owner of two fitness studios, and blogger at Liftingrevolution.com. “Less than eight is awesome.”

4. Planks.

Planks are the new sit-up: “If you can hold a plank (on elbows) for 60 seconds or more, this is the sign of a strong core … not just abs, but strong lower back, shoulders, and butt,” said Ryan. “A score of over two minutes is great! If you can’t hold it for a minute, work up to it. Start with just holding it for 15 seconds, rest for 10 and repeat for four rounds. Then slowly add on five seconds each four to six days until after about three weeks you’re up to a minute,” said Ryan.

5. Pushups.

When was the last time you did a push-up? Last summer in your buddy’s backyard when (three pitchers deep) you challenged him to a duel? “I mean a real push-up, no knees allowed, and getting your chest close to the ground and elbows bent to a 90-degree angle!” said Ryan. “If you can do 10 or more in a row (without resting) then you’re doing great. 20 in a row? Impressive.”

6. Balance.

“Lunges are a great exercise for your core, legs and butt, but they are also great because they test your balance and work smaller stabilizer muscle,” said Ryan. “See if you can perform 20 walking lunges without tipping over, keeping your front knee over your ankle and lowering down so that same knee goes to a 90-degree angle. Also, do you have to bring your feet together in the middle between reps or can you move from one lunge to the next? If you find yourself wobbling around and having trouble, then it’s time to start practicing.”

7. Flexibility. 

We aren’t asking you to drop into a split here, but simply touching your toes can seem like an impossible feat for many (especially if you have some extra holiday chub hanging over your waistband.) “You might not think about flexibility, but it is an indicator of overall fitness,” said Ryan. “Because so many of us are stuck at a desk all day, a side effect is tight hips and poor flexibility that can lead to a weak core, poor posture and back pain.” If you can’t sit and touch your toes, it’s time to add a five- to 10-minute stretch session to your daily routine.

Didn’t pass with flying colors? It’s okay. In addition to working on the exercises above, here’s your plan of attack:

Practice the three cornerstones of good health. “Seven hours of sleep, good nutrition aimed at reaching and maintaining an ideal body weight (without any kind of craze diet), and of course exercise at least five times a week,” said Horovitz.

Get 10,000 steps a day. 

Yes, it sounds like the advice you’d give a 75 year-old grandmother who’s been packing on the pounds while watching too muchWheel of Fortune. But you’re the one who failed the fitness assessment, not us. Make sure your walking for at least 30 minutes a day (your commute counts!). “Every time you get up off the chair, take the stairs instead of the elevator, every little bit burns more calories and keeps metabolic activity at a steady state,” said Horovitz.

Change your diet.

“People say I can’t go to the gym; I can’t lose weight—that’s just not true. If you consume less food, and aren’t sitting completing stagnant all day, you’ll lose weight,” said Horovitz.