Fitness Test and Progress Tracking
Are you ready to start your fitness journey but unsure of where to begin? A fitness test can help you measure your initial performance and progress. By performing a fitness test, you can identify your strengths and weaknesses and have concrete results to measure your progress over time.
The first step in our 8-week online program is to perform a fitness test. You may be wondering why it’s important to perform a fitness test. The answer is simple: to monitor your progress. Sometimes, our primary goal may be weight loss, but we may experience an improvement in balance, strength, endurance, or energy. By recording our initial performance and tracking our progress over time, we can have tangible results of our progress with the program.
Additionally, a fitness test can help us identify areas of focus. It can highlight areas where we need to add more attention and effort to achieve our goals. You will perform this fitness test three times during the 8-week program – on the first day, halfway through the program, and at the end.
Tracking Your Fitness Journey Progress
The first step is to document your current physical state. Take a picture of yourself from the front, side, and back, while holding yourself naturally. Then, take measurements of your chest, waist, hips, thighs, calves, and biceps. If you’re unsure of where to take these measurements, watch our video to learn the proper techniques. Weigh yourself and record the date and time of the measurement. We recommend weighing yourself in the morning, preferably naked. If you have access to a tool to measure your body fat percentage, record that as well.
Exercises to Monitor Workout Progress
Now that you have documented your physical state, it’s time to start the physical component of the fitness test. Below are the exercises that you’ll need to perform. Watch our tutorial video to learn how to perform each movement safely.
- Wall Sit – Position your back against a wall and lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Your feet should be hip-width apart, and your knees should be aligned with your toes. Relax into the position, with your arms resting on either side of your body, and breathe normally. Try to hold this position for at least one minute, and up to a maximum of four minutes.
- Squat or Jump Squat – Place a chair behind you and lower your body until your butt touches the chair. This will help you maintain consistent depth with each repetition. Jump up to your maximum height for one minute. Be sure to stretch your quadriceps after the exercise.
- Plank – Take a picture of yourself in the plank position to assess your back alignment and form. Aim for a straight back and hold the position for as long as you can, up to a maximum of one minute. You can perform this exercise on your forearms, with straight arms, or kneeling on the floor if necessary.
- Lunge – Start by dropping one knee back to reach the floor, ensuring that you have three 90-degree angles at the front knee, front thigh & back thigh, and back knee. Place your feet hip-width apart, and imagine standing on a railroad track to improve balance while lunging. Count how many times you can come up and down in a minute, while touching your back knee to the ground (if possible). Keep the front knee slightly bent throughout the exercise.
- Hollow Body Position – Lie on your back and lift your legs straight up above your hips. Keep your lower back on the ground, and lift your head to look at your belly. You can support your head with your hand or keep your arms straight along your sides. Start lowering your legs and stop before your lower back arches.
Once you finish the test, make sure you keep your results somewhere safe, where you can use them again on week 4 and week 8 to monitor your progress. Then start reading Goal Setting. If you have any questions, just let me know. Have fun!
