How do you measure fitness?

With my previous goals it was easy to measure how I was progressing:

• One of my original goals was to perform one unassisted pull up by a certain date. Easy to measure.
• When I was leaning out it was possible to measure reducing body fat and the gaining of weight and muscle definition.
• When I was bulking up it was all about measuring muscle growth.

My goals used to be very much aesthetic goals which are easily quantifiable, but my present programme is all about functional fitness. So how can we measure this?

Working with my PT, Ben Shills, we have come up with two measures to help me chart my progress.

Firstly we are using a functional movement screening test to measure balance, mobility, flexibility and stability through eight simple movements and exercises, including overhead squats, lunges, straight leg raises and push ups. Each of these movements are measured on a scale of 0 to 5, so that my progress can be measured over time.

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Secondly we are using the beep test. This is used by all sorts of organisations such as schools, the police and the armed forces. The test involves running between two markers placed 20 meters apart, in time to audio “beeps” which get progressively faster. The test ends when you can no longer keep pace with the beeps. It measures cardiovascular fitness and maximum oxygen uptake.

Again we keep a record of the level and shuffle I achieve so that we can measure improvements. There are calculators available on line to analyse the results by gender and age. And I am pleased to say that I achieved a rating of “good” for my age, which means I only have to improve by three more shuffles to get to a rating of “excellent”.

We are going to repeat both tests every 6-8 weeks so that we can keep a record of how my training is improving my fitness so that I can achieve the goals I have set myself for 2020.