I’m a sucker for fitness tests. I know how pointless and/or meaningless many of them are and how limited they are in assessing true fitness but any time I come across a fitness test I just can’t help myself, particularly when this is the headline from Runner’s World:

8 True Tests of Your Overall Fitness

Just because you run doesn’t mean you’re in shape, as one Runner’s World editor discovered.

I have seen a lot of runners that aren’t too fit for things other than running so this caught my attention. I was a bit skeptical as always but interested nonetheless. After reading it, however, I was pleasantly surprised to see it was a pretty good overall fitness assessment. 

Basically it’s an adaptation of the 8 Tests of Overall Fitness from a book titled The Better Man Project by Bill Phillips. For the full scoop and much more detail, including the corresponding Men’s Health Fitness Standards, here’s the link.

Of course, I had to put myself through these to see how fit I am. Here are the tests and how I fared…

Check 1: Is Your Core Weak?
Test: Extended Prone Press Up
Standard: Keep body flat and hold 10 seconds
K2: Pass

Check 2: Lower Body Power
Test: Broad Jump
Standard: 8 feet
K2: 8 1/2 feet

Check 3: Anaerobic Endurance
Test: Squat, Curl & Push Press 30% BW
Standard: 20 reps in 1 minute
K2: 27 reps

Check 4: Mobility
Test: Wall Squat
Standard: Full depth squat
K2: Pass

Check 5: The Beep Test
Test: The Beep Test
Standard: 12 rounds
K2: 8 rounds

Check 6: Upper Body Power
Test: Clap Pushups
Standard: 10 reps
K2: 20 reps

Check 7: The “Go” Muscles
Test: Deadlift
Standard: 1.75 times bodyweight
K2: 1.91

Check 8: Flexibility
Test: Sit and Reach
Standard: 17″
K2: 18″

Overall, I passed 7 of 8. Not bad.

Looking at the tests I passed easily:
Core
Anaerobic Endurance
Upper Body Power

Passed by a little:
Lower Body Power
Go Muscles

Barely Passed:
Mobility
Flexibility

Failed:
Beep Test 

Probably could have predicted the results to be such. 

Overall a pretty good overall test. Now I know what I can work on a bit. I tested the Beep test again today and made it to level 9.2 so hopefully it won’t take long to master. 

Here’s a video of my efforts: