Braxton Taylor
After watching Jason Kelce challenge veterans to a push-up contest during ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown”, I had the idea to find four more fitness tests you can do to assess your fitness level quickly.
These are not high-level fitness tests but basic tests you can do with little to no equipment, and many military and law enforcement groups use these testing events as part of their initial assessments.
The fitness spectrum below ranges from basic to a moderate-high level of fitness in these events. I’ve also included the world record for these events to show you how incredible our human potential can be, even with these basic fitness tests.
1. One-Minute Push-Up Test
This will test upper-body strength and muscle stamina. Doing your first push-up shows you have the strength to lift your body off the floor, but getting 50-90 repetitions (not strict) in one minute shows the range of muscle stamina that can be achieved by those who practice push-ups regularly.
The FBI uses a similar push-up test (maximum push-ups without stopping). Doing one minute’s worth of push-ups and scoring over 50 reps is above average while scores under 20 reps are average to below average, depending on age. The world record is 84 perfect chest-to-ground push-ups in one minute.
2. Vertical Jump
The classic jump is another simple test that assesses your ability to generate vertical power. Stand next to a wall, reach as high as possible and mark that spot. Then, standing on both feet, jump as high as possible and mark the place on the wall you reach. Measure the distance between both marks, and you have your vertical jump score.
While jumping a few inches means you have the power to break the bonds of the Earth’s gravitational pull, jumping more than two feet is a level of power not many people have. The world record is 50-plus inches!
3. Three-Minute Step Test
The step test measures your cardio conditioning and endurance using the heart rate as the source of information to assess after doing three minutes of step-ups. Step up and down on a 12-inch step for three minutes at a set pace, then immediately sit down and measure your heart rate for one minute after the exercise. A lower heart rate after the test indicates better cardiovascular fitness.
This is not an “at your own pace” drill. You need to go at a pace using the 96-beats-per-minute metronome, and the cadence you need is up-up-down-down. Start with your left foot at the first 1:30 and then start with your right foot at the last 1:30. When done doing the step test, measure your heart rate using a monitor or sit and take your pulse for 15 seconds. Multiply by four to get your total beats per minute.
The lower the heart rate, the better the score. A heart rate in the low 70s is excellent, and anything over 130 is poor. Under 100 bpm is considered above average, and any above 100 bpm is average to below average. The world record is 48 bpm!
4. Plank Pose
The plank pose test is a classic core strength, stability and mental toughness test. If you have done plank poses, you will agree that time seems to stand still while in them. This isometric flex is an actual strength test of the core and the entire body because the neck, shoulders, hips and legs are challenged while flexing this pose. This exercise test requires practice to improve the initial strength to perform a proper plank, but the muscle stamina/endurance to hold for several minutes requires some grit, too.
The military recently replaced sit-ups and crunches with the plank pose. If you can hold the plank for a minute, you are flirting with the minimum standards in the military. However, you are in the above-average zone (among military tests) if you can do 4-5 minutes. The world record is 9.5 hours!
5. Grip Test
A quick test of grip strength is to see how long you can hang on a pull-up bar. If you can hang for a minute, that is good. Anything over two to three minutes is considered advanced for most athletes. This takes practice to improve, and it helps to be lighter in body weight. The world record is more than 80 minutes!
Strength Options
Pull-ups, push-ups and dips are a certain kind of strength testing, but if you want to measure true strength, how much weight you can lift one time is the way to do it. If you lift regularly, you know that there are several more options for testing your strength. Any one-rep maximum weight lifted in deadlifts, squats, bench presses or overhead presses is a classic strength and power lift.
If one-rep max lifting is not your style, consider how many repetitions you can do at your body weight on the bar. A body-weight bench press or squat for maximum reps is more challenging than calisthenics but more manageable than finding a heavy weight to lift only once.
You can add similar tests to this list, including pull-ups and the maximum distance achieved in 12 minutes of running, swimming, biking or rowing. How many flights of stairs can you climb in one minute? If you are creative, you can find dozens more fun and effective ways to test your fitness abilities.
For more ideas on exercise challenges, weighted events you can add and other military-style fitness tests you can start adding to your fitness assessment, check out the Military.com Fitness Section. You will find hundreds of articles to help you with your journey.
Want to Learn More About Military Life?
Whether you’re thinking of joining the military, looking for fitness and basic training tips, or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to Military.com to have military news, updates and resources delivered directly to your inbox.
Story Continues
Read the full article here