A DYI Assessment for Fitness Level
Pushups Assessment
Doing regular exercise isn’t enough to say that one is fit and healthy. Just like any undertaking, a person has to check if he is doing things the right way, and if he is doing enough. To measure one’s progress in the gym may be a little costly because of the required expenses on trained staff and the use of equipments. To avoid the extra cost, one can do the assessment right in the comfort of one’s home using the Pushup Test.
Muscular strength and endurance are tested in the Pushup test. It’s a check for the chest, shoulders and triceps. Unlike other strength test, the only equipment needed for it is a stopwatch which can measure a full minute. Also there’s no need to pay a professional instructor; a friend willing to time you for free would suffice but it’s optional. Basically, the goal is to do as much pushups as possible in a minute. The result can be assessed using the graph provided at the bottom of the page.
Proper execution should be observed. Men will have to do the traditional way, and females can do the modified pushup using their knees. It is done by bringing oneself down to about 3 inches away from the floor. The body should not be touching the floor. Then one has to bring the body up with arms fully extended. It should be repeated as many times as possible and using the “up” position for rest when needed.
The table below gauges one’s progress. It should be a challenge for everyone to attain excellence but one should go at the right pace and not be in too much hurry. What one should keep in mind is to have improvement focusing on the parts that need more attention. Retests should be done every 4-8 weeks.
Source: Guidelines published by American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
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