So you want to be fit and stay fit. Hundreds of different exercises and sports are available for you to choose from. But before venturing into a physical activity, you might want to consider knowing how physically fit you are to endure such challenging activity. Good thing, physical fitness is designed to do just that.

Our body has its own capabilities and limitations. You might think that you can do almost every sport and physical activity out there, but a physical fitness test is one thing that you must consider beforehand. Physical fitness tests give an idea of your body’s capability to endure physical stress and assess how you can progress into a physically demanding activity without having your body give up to the pressures. A physical fitness test provides guidance on how you can pace your progress with any kind of physical activity, and where you would most likely want to focus on. Here are some simple physical fitness tests:

Sit and Reach Test: The body must be flexible in order to perform physically demanding activities. One way to test your flexibility, particularly of the lower back is through the sit and reach test. Do this physical fitness test by sitting on a flat surface, legs opened and straight out. Breathe deeply while raising both arms above your head, then bend down trying to reach your toes and try holding on to the position for about 10 seconds. You can ask someone to mark the area touched by the tips of your fingers and measuring the distance of your reach in inches using a yardstick.

Sit-ups Test: This physical fitness test provides an idea on the endurance level of your abdominal muscles. While lying down on a flat floor, bend your legs and place your hands behind your head. Do as many sit-ups as you can in one minute and maintain a proper position to avoid hurting yourself. Record the number of times you can do a sit-up in one minute.

Push-ups Test: Through this kind of physical fitness test, the strength of the upper body, specifically the arm muscles, is determined. Do this while lying down on a flat surface facing the floor and palms firmly planted on the ground. Pull yourself up while bending your elbows, then go down again. Maintain proper posture by keeping a straight back. Record how many push-ups you can perform in one minute.

1.5 Mile Run: Running is physical fitness test which gives an idea on the status of your cardiovascular muscles and endurance. Run a 1.5 mile distance and record the time. The lower the running time is, the better is your stamina.

These are basic physical fitness tests you can adopt as a preliminary study of your body’s condition, or even your exercise routine. Physical fitness tests are important in order to know the condition of the body before venturing into a physically-demanding sport or activity. It determines your body’s capability, limitations, and avoids stressing the different muscle groups which consequently can lead to serious injuries.





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