You’ve made the decision to get in shape, you’ve even found an exercise program you like, but where exactly do you start? One of the first things to do is find out what your current fitness level is. This is important, because you want to make sure you increase at a healthy rate to avoid injury. There are several ways to assess your fitness level.
upper body strength
A great way to test upper body strength is through the use of pushups. Men should use the traditional military push-up, while women can use the bent knees position. To perform the test, do as many push-ups as you can and count them as you go. The average number of pushups is listed below:
Women Men
Age 20-29: 17-33 Age 20-29: 35-44
Age 30-39: 12-24 Age 30-39: 24-34
Age 40-49: 8-19 Age 40-49: 20-29
Age 50-59: 6-14 Age 50-59: 15-24
Age 60+: 3-4 Age 60+: 10-19
aerobic activity
A great way to test your aerobic fitness level is the 12-minute test. To do this test, do a proper warm-up and then cover as much distance as you can in 12 minutes. You can walk, run or jog. When your 12 minutes are up, record your distance. Below are the average results for the number of miles driven:
Women Men
Age 20-29: 1.33 Age 20-29: 1.54
Age 30-39: 1.27 Age 30-39: 1.49
Age 40-49: 1.21 Age 40-49: 1.42
Age 50-59: 1.13 Age 50-59: 1.33
Age 60+: 1.07 Age 60+: 1.24
There are several other tests to check your fitness level, some of which may be done by a trainer or doctor. If your numbers are below the above averages, set your goal at average and work towards it. When you’ve reached that goal, move on to a higher one.