WEEK SEVENTY-SEVEN :: How Can You Test Yourself?

[webmaster]

* Note: How can I win? 1. Answer all questions in the order that they are asked. 2. Go over reviews (located at the bottom of each TOTW article) and see what was said about those that did not win. Good Luck!
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TOPIC: How Can You Test Yourself?

For the week of: May 18th - May 24th
Wednesday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut (Mountain Time, US & Canada).

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We train like animals and grow like animals. But to make sure that we are making proper progress we need to test our fitness abilities.

What are some ways we can test our physical fitness?

How can we test our strength, stamina, flexibility, balance, etc?

What test scores are below average, average, and above average for each test?

How often should one test themselves?

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Don't discuss any other topic in this section. ONLY discuss the question above.

The best response will get $75 in credit to use in our online store! The other good responses will be used in an article on the main Bodybuilding.com site, with the poster's forum name listed by it. Become famous!

Thanks,
Will
Webmaster
Bodybuilding.com

[Doblin]

By joining the United States Marine Core-simple and sweet!-Semper FI

[Dallas68]

^^ agreed and this is an awesome topic thanks :) ^^

[jdiritto]

We train like animals and grow like animals. But to make sure that we are making proper progress we need to test our fitness abilities.

What are some ways we can test our physical fitness?

Testing physical fitness is something that is highly overlooked in the exercise regime. One is not only encouraged to test their fitness, but also track their progress frequently. In the follow I will briefly detail simple ways to do this.

First off; Testing fitness. This one is easy.

-- If your lifting weights, you can max test (see how much weight you can lift for one repetition fully – make sure you have a spotter available to prevent injury-). Other methods of weight testing is to test your 5 rep,10rep, or 20 rep maxes (each is a different barometer of muscle strength/endurance).

-- If your doing cardiovascular exercise, test your speed for a certain period of time (ie: the 40yd, 1mile, or maybe 5miles if your into biking). Another possible way to test this is through intensity, though you would need to use a treadmill or stationary bicycle for this. In doing this, you do a proper warm-up, than run/pedal as fast as possible for a given period of time. This is your PR for intensity. The same can be done for endurance, just test the maximum distance you can complete until your body can take no more.

It doesn’t end with just simply testing your fitness, the true benefits come in when you test and TRACK your personal fitness. This can be done easily through writing a log/journal on bodybuilding.com in the appropriate section, or simply keep a journal/log on paper for your own reference. Than, periodically throughout the year you can max test, endurance test, intensity test yourself and see if you have made solid gains, or lost ground in your physical fitness. This not only allows for accurate measuring, but may help you stay motivated and focused on your overall goals! A two for one deal!

How can we test our strength, stamina, flexibility, balance, etc?

As mentioned above, testing strength can be easily done with repetition maxes on various exercises, and testing stamina can be done through high repetition weight lifts (ex. 20 rep max lifts) or through the mentioned cardiovascular tests (mainly endurance). Testing flexibility and balance are a little bit more complicated.

One could truly test their flexibility through measures of static stretches and holds. For example, perform a stretch, and see how long you can hold the position, or how far you can stretch. While this is an excellent barometer of flexibility testing, I am not so sure it is required! There is a chance of over-stretching and possible pulling a muscle, causing injury! From my personal experience with athletics, flexibility is something that you more or less feel and know, rather than have to test. We all have a general idea of what it feels like when our muscles are tight and loose, and if one is engaging in active stretching routines, they will clearly feel an overall loosen in their body, something which is very valuable as we put ourselves through the wear and tear of physical exercise! I highly recommend you begin stretching daily if you do not, it will help overall with the longevity of your physical body, as well as increasing the results we strive for inside and outside of the gymnasium,

What test scores are below average, average, and above average for each test?

This is a very difficult part of fitness to gage. While it could easily be said it is average to bench press your bodyweight, or run a 7.5minute mile, who is to say what average is?! And even if we are gauging ourselves on average, not everyone has the same goals in mind, and may not desire to be above average, or even average!

We all have a desire to achieve a certain goal, though we may not have focused in on it yet, it is there! The best scores you can achieve are ones that show progression towards your main goal! Who cares if you are below average or above average in certain aspects, if you feel you are cheating yourself; you are cheating yourself. A large part of exercising and staying fit is you must leave your ego at the door. Lets face it, not all of us are going to look like Arnold in is prime; or get those Brad Pitt abs (though we all would love too!). That is what makes physical fitness so much fun, the true test is against yourself. You can’t step in the gym one day and expect to do better than your last, unless your consistently stepping in the gym with that dementia. In my opinion, before you outline your overall goal, you should set down your averages based on what you think they are.

For example, my ideal averages would be;
Bench press: over 315
Squats : over 375
Deadlifts: over 400
Cardio : 7minute mile
Bodyweight: 190-215 (depending on cutting or bulking phases)

As of now, I can te;ll you I am below average in my deadlifts and cardiovascular exercises, and fairly above average in my bodyweight. But that’s why these are just ideal averages, I am not going to kick myself in the head over them, it is a very situational sport. In my example, I just ended a bulking period in the spring, in which case I performed very little cardio (mainly due to NE climate – collldddd!!) and was eating a lot more calories to increase body mass. As I progress into my summer cutting period, I hope to reach the 7minute mile mark I’ve set, and hopefully even break below 200 pounds bodyweight! If I can come close to these average goals I have set for myself, I will stay be very happy.


How often should one test themselves?

I recommend a quarterly testing schedule. This way we can ensure there is sufficient time between testings to accurately show progression or regression. If you test weekly or bi-weekly, results will be minimal, though over time they will show changes. For example, my weight lifting I one rep max test every January, march, august, and early December. This is convient for me because it coincides with my college schedule (jan = beginning of spring semester/march = end of spring semester – August = beginning of fall semester/December = end of fall semester). For cardiovascular exercises, you could test certain aspects more often, not solely to test them parsay, but also to push yourself even more in hopes of progressing more towards your goals (ie. perform 40yd sprints weekly if your goal is a 4.5 40; or run a 5K weekly/biweekly if your goal is to complete a 5K at a record time).

All in all, this is a great hobby to be in. Yet it can also be the worse at t he same time. Your best friend can be your body; while your worst enemy can also be your body. With the right attitude, and motivation, you will in time progress towards your goals, and the results will be noticeable to everyone you come in contact with! My closing words of wisedom; go into every workout like your out to prove something.

& Goodluck hittin your goals!

-- sorry the format is dull, ive never wrote an article for this forum.. i see some people use word and just attach it, I'll do that in the future :D

[NoNameNecessary]

Great article, jd. That is going to be a tough one to beat. Good luck to all of the entries!

[Kane22]

We train like animals and grow like animals. But to make sure that we are making proper progress we need to test our fitness abilities.



What are some ways we can test our physical fitness?

Physical fitness is an attribute that every individual desires, yet unfortunately, this attribute isn’t obtained overnight, it takes years of dedication toward exercises that test both our mind and body. However, many of us lack one important detail while reaching this goal to obtain a physically fit body, testing his/her own abilities.
What is meant by testing ones abilities? Its simple, testing ones ability is pushing ones body to its full potential during everyday exercises and then improving upon the results with each day. This will not only show how one progresses throughout days of rigorous training, but it also allows our mind to become mentally tougher.

How can we test our strength, stamina, flexibility, balance, etc?

As stated above, testing ones abilities is a must for those who wish to obtain a physically fit body, but many of us do not know how to test individual exercises. Here I will show ways in which many of us can test our physical and mental capabilities:

Testing cardio: For those who are just beginning a cardio regime, they should begin by trying to increase the distances they can walk/jog too with each go, or at least until they can go no longer. For the more experienced runners, they should start by timing there self during a plotted run (i.e. one mile run, 50 yard dash, etc.) and then try beating that speed on there next go. Both of these cardio testing exercises are great for picking up ones intensity and training ones mind to ignore the pain and push harder.

Testing Strength: For the beginning weightlifter, he/she should start out by recording his/her everyday lifts and trying to increase the weight as time goes on (this is more of a moral booster, for which it will show the individual the benefit of consistent strength exercising.) For the more experience weightlifter, he/she may do a one rep max on a daily basis, and try beating it with each day or he/she may also try to do as many reps as they can with a smaller weight on a daily basis, and try to increase the reps each day (warning: a spotter should be used in both these exercises). All of these strength testing exercises are a terrific way to boost the moral of an individual and push them to go harder in the weight room.

Testing flexibility: To test ones flexibility is quite the same for anyone. Begin by recording how far and how long each and every stretch can be taken, then increase the time and distance of each stretch on a daily basis.

Testing the mind: For most people, testing ones mind is the single hardest thing to do, how do you test your mind? It is simple, because we test our minds with each and every workout! How? Easy, when our bodies begin to give out during a workout, we feel like we can’t go on, but it is our mental strength that pushes us to go on and to accomplish our goals. The best way to insure we are testing our minds with each workout is to pick up ones intensity with each and every workout, and never give in to the desire to quit.


What test scores are below average, average, and above average for each test?

This is a hard question to answer, for with most individuals they would like to know where they stand in physical capabilities, yet to tell someone there average, below average, etc., is to grade someone according to the mean of most other individual results; which can be unfair to some, and may also discourage many from testing his/herself.
I believe that the score of each test should be determined not by the popular mean of most other individual results, but rather determined by how hard the individual has pushed his/herself with that test, and how much improvement is gained. If the individual has improved much, then it is an above average score, but if improvement has gone down it is below average and etc., This way the individual may push harder with each test so he/she will gain a better score.

How often should one test themselves?

I can’t stress this enough, but one should test his/herself EVERYDAY! With everyday comes a chance to improve upon ones capabilities and the chance to become increasingly more physically fit. The key to a physically fit body is consistency, and that leaves no room for missed days.



I hope you all have enjoyed reading my article as I hope it may encourage you to attempt to test yourself with each and every workout. GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

~Kane~

[bitterplacebo]

This one took quite a bit of research. I hope it's found to be useful.

[jdiritto]

The best response will get $75 in credit to use in our online store! The other good responses will be used in an article on the main Bodybuilding.com site, with the poster's forum name listed by it. Become famous!


only 1 person wins? awl i thought it was top 3 got a lil dough.

o welll :D good articles you two

[Kane22]

The best response will get $75 in credit to use in our online store! The other good responses will be used in an article on the main Bodybuilding.com site, with the poster's forum name listed by it. Become famous!

Thanks,
Will
Webmaster
Bodybuilding.com

Ah man, I hope this isn't right..all of us deserve a little credit :P.. Great articles everyone!

[RippedJordanian]

good luck

[Kane22]

good luck

good article..but unfortunately ya missed the deadline :P

[jdiritto]

when do they say who won?