Back in the days of playing sports, partaking in challenges and competitions were a regular part of the routine. At practice, you raced teammates or duked it out in scrimmages. Even if you didn’t play sports, gym class still put your individual fitness to the test with staples like a one-mile run, broad jumps, and the infamous beeper test. There’s a case to be made that this kind of testing shouldn’t stop once we’re adults. Testing different physical capacities, like muscular strength and aerobic capacity, is just as valuable (if not even more so) as we age.
James DiNicolantonio, Pharm.D., a cardiovascular research scientist, recently shared several fitness tests to see whether you land in the top 1 percent. If you’re up for the challenge, allocate the exercises below across different days of the week and see how you fare.
P.S., if you can’t successfully pass all the tests on the first go around, don’t worry. These benchmarks are something you can build toward over time.
10 Pullups
- Hang from a bar with an overhand grip, hands just outside shoulder width.
- Pull your chest toward the bar until your chin clears it, then lower under control.
25 Pushups
- Start in a plank with hands under shoulders and body in a straight line.
- Lower your chest to the floor, then press back up without letting hips sag.
30 Crunches
- Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Brace your core and lift your shoulders off the ground, then slowly lower.
7-Minute Mile
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A 7-minute mile sounds quick, but the faster you run it, the faster it’s over. Build up to this through regular runs and interval training, gradually pushing your pace faster. Stay consistent, and that once-intimidating pace will start to to feel manageable for short distances.
1.25x Body Weight Bench Press
- Lie on a bench with feet planted and grip the bar slightly wider than shoulders.
- Lower the bar to your chest and press it up until arms are fully locked out.
1.5x Body Weight Squat
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and the bar resting across your upper back.
- Sit your hips down and back until thighs are at least parallel, then drive up to stand.
2+ Mile Run
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If running isn’t your forte, even a single mile can sound daunting. Being able to run two miles or more without stopping is a solid measure of cardiovascular endurance and aerobic fitness. It shows your heart, lungs, and muscles can work together efficiently during a sustained effort.
10-Second Sprints
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Find enough space to safely run, then sprint all-out for 10 seconds. Repeat this four to five times, taking brief rest periods in between to let your heart rate come down slightly before the next effort.
60-Minute Sport
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When was the last time you played a sport? Testing your athletic abilities, like rotating, sprinting, and jumping, is a good way to see how well your body moves and produces power.
