Firstly, don’t freak out at the word...test!
All a fitness test is, is a measure of your strengths, areas to improve on, and how your body responds to exercise. Basically how fit you are. Whether you can do 1 press-up or 20 press-up’s, it doesn’t matter, the first test you do is just a gauge of what you can do. Then you can set the goals you want to achieve by your next fitness test. It is a measure of success and a huge motivator to see how far you have come on your Strong Woman fitness journey.
I recommend fitness testing every 6 to 8 weeks, you will perform the exact same test in the same way, and keep a record of it so that you can see what you have achieved and how much fitter you are becoming!
Cardio test
Run/walk: Pick a course that will stay the same distance e.g. a track, school field, your driveway to the end of your road. Run or walk it as fast as you can and time yourself. How long does it take you? Record the time. When I fitness test my clients, I get them to run around the school field twice and time them.
Strength tests
Press-up’s: How many press-ups can you do without stopping? (Full or half)
Wall-sit: How long can you hold a wall sit for? (Remember keep your legs at 90 degrees)
Plank: How long can you hold a plank for? (Full or half with knees on the ground)
Be sure to record your results in a safe place and don’t forget to DATE IT so you know when you did it!
Other measures
Take photos of yourself: This way you can see the difference in your body shape over time
Body measurements: Bust (around nipple height), Waist (tummy button height), Hips/Bum (widest part) and recording these also.
Clothing: Choose a pair of pants that you want to fit into and try them on every few weeks.
Weigh-in: Jump on the scales and record it, but only if you must. Even if weight loss is your main priority, your focus should be on becoming more active and making exercise part of your daily life, not focusing on the scales. If you become more active and also make healthier food choices, the weight loss will follow. Focus on how you FEEL, more than that number. I dare you to throw your scales away, to be honest, they shouldn’t be your focus and you don’t need them!
Remember, it’s your journey. Your measures. That’s all that counts.
X
Sarah