Fitness Test
How do we measure our fitness level, especially as we age? Fitness tests for 25-year-old athletes are not relevant. Here are 5 simple tests you can do to measure your fitness level.
One-Leg Wobble
As we round the hill over 50, our balance starts to suffer. To test your balance, stand on one leg for as long as you can. Do this near a table or a wall that you can use if you lose your balance.
Age Low Average Good
40—60 Under 25 25—45 Over 45
60—90 Under 15 15—30 Over 30
: One-Leg Wobble (time in seconds)
To improve your balance, do this test every day. Also, walking on trails, grass, and other uneven surfaces can help maintain balance. An advanced version of the test is to do it with your eyes closed. It is much more challenging. Be careful when doing it with your eyes closed. Have a solid chair or bed close by.
Chair Sit-Stand
Stand about one foot in front of a dining chair with your arms straight out in front. Slowly sit down until your butt touches the front of the chair, then stand up. Keep your arms stretched out in front.
Age Men Women
40—60 29 25
60—70 24 21
70—80 19 17
80—90 17 14
: Chair Sit-Stand (number in 60 seconds)
To keep your ability to sit and stand, do squats. See the squats article in this issue for more on this keystone exercise.
Floor Stand-Sit-Stand
Start standing and then sit down into a cross-legged position on the floor. A perfect score is 5. Subtract 1 point for every hand, forearm, elbow, knee, or leg side that touches the floor. If you use your hand and knee to get down, your score is 3. Then, stand up from cross-legged. Subtract 1 point for every hand, forearm, elbow, knee, or leg side that you use to stand up. If you stood up from sitting cross-legged with only your hand and the side of your leg, you would score 3 (5 -1 hand -1 side of a leg).
Age Low Average Good
40—60 Under 3 4—7 8—10
60—90 Under 2 3—6 7—10
: Floor Stand-Sit-Stand (points)
Yoga or tai-chi can help improve this mobility score.
Monkey-Bar Hang
Grab a monkey bar and hang down with your feet off the ground as long as possible. When you grab the bar, keep your palms facing forward. Don’t grab the bar with palms to the back.
Age Men Women
40—50 30 20
60—70 15 10
: Monkey-Bar Hang (target time in seconds)
To improve your score, do this hang every other day. You can buy a low-cost hanging bar that works in any doorway.
Pushups
For men, do a standard pushup. For women, do pushups with your knees on the ground. Do as many as you can without stopping to rest.
Sex & Age Low Average Good
Men 50s Under 7 10—12 20+
Men 60s Under 5 8—10 18+
Men 60+ Under 4 6—8 15+
Women 50s 1 7—10 20+
Women 60s 1 5—9 16+
Women 60+ 1 4—7 13+
: Pushups (count)
The easy way to improve your pushup score is to do pushups at least 2-3 times a week.
Walk a Mile
Walk a mile. Find a standard track and do 4 laps or use your phone or a treadmill. This measures your stamina. Can you sustain a good walking speed for a mile?
Age Low Average Good
40—60 17+ 14—17 Under 14
60+ 18+ 15—18 Under 15
: Walk a Mile (time in minutes)
There is only one way to improve your endurance: do it. Go for walks or bike rides.
Pass the Test
We all have areas of our fitness that we can improve, whether it’s balance, mobility, flexibility, strength, or endurance. The good news is, it’s never too late to improve our fitness. Getting active at any age helps. It doesn’t matter how you score on this test. What matters is how you improve your fitness level today. Aim to do more for your fitness today than you did yesterday.
