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INTRODUCTION

The search for the fountain of youth to make us look and feel younger has always been the talk of the town. While optimum nutrition is vital, it nowhere comes close to what you are going to read next. The secret to a long life is in how much you move. It is an exercise. Strength, endurance and flexibility go hand in hand for a better quality of life. This is how you embody ‘being fit’ in its truest sense.

Now picture this. It’s been a couple of months of hitting the gym consistently, lifting weights and wondering how fit you have got. Well, you do not need state-of-the-art machines to test fitness levels. Here are a few simple science-based tests that can reveal how fit you are.

CARDIOVASCULAR ENDURANCE TESTS

With cardio being an accurate indicator of how efficiently your body utilises oxygen, cardiovascular fitness remains the foundation of all health and fitness. If each time you step out for a brisk walk takes your breath away, then improving cardiovascular fitness should be the primary goal of any fitness program. Eliud Kipchoge, the world record holder who runs a full marathon (42.2 km) in just over 2 hours, has a VO2 max estimated at 80 ml/kg/min. VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen the body can use during physical activity. It is the most accurate predictor of a person’s cardiovascular fitness. The different methods to test yourself are as follows:

VO2 Max Fitness Ratings for Men 

	Age (years)
Rating	18 – 25	26 – 35	36 – 45	46 – 55	56 – 65	65+
Excellent	> 60	> 56	> 51	> 45	> 41	> 37
Good	52 – 60	49 – 56	43 – 51	39 – 45	36 – 41	33 – 37
Above Average	47 – 51	43 – 48	39 – 42	36 – 38	32 – 35	29 – 32
Average	42 – 46	40 – 42	35 – 38	32 – 35	30 – 31	26 – 28
Below Average	37 – 41	35 – 39	31 – 34	29 – 31	26 – 29	22 – 25
Poor	30 – 36	30 – 34	26 – 30	25 – 28	22 – 25	20 – 21
Very Poor	< 30	< 30	< 26	< 25	< 22	< 20

VO2 Max Fitness Ratings for Women

	Age (years)
Rating	18 – 25	26 – 35	36 – 45	46 – 55	56 – 65	65+
Excellent	> 56	> 52	> 45	> 40	> 37	> 32
Good	47 – 52	45 – 52	38 – 45	34 – 40	32 – 37	28 – 32
Above Average	42 – 46	39 – 44	34 – 37	31 – 33	28 – 31	25 – 27
Average	38 – 41	35 – 38	31 – 33	28 – 30	25 – 27	22 – 24
Below Average	33 – 37	31 – 34	27 – 30	25 – 27	22 – 24	19 – 21
Poor	28 – 32	26 – 30	22 – 26	20 – 24	18 – 21	17 – 18
Very Poor	< 28	< 26	< 22	< 20	< 18	< 17

1. Multi-Stage Test

Commonly known as the beep test, it is used by schools, sports clubs, police and military forces to assess both aerobic capacity and cardiovascular endurance.

What You Will Need

• 20m of flat, straight, non-slip, runnable surface
• Beep Test audio file
• An assistant with recording sheets to keep track of the number of shuttles.

Test Procedure

• Participants must run back and forth along the 20m length in time with the beep.
• One foot must be placed on the 20m end or beyond in every shuttle.
• The time interval between each beep will shorten over time.
• If participants reach the end of the shuttle before the beep sounds, they must wait until the beep sounds and resume the shuttle.
• The test ends when the participant fails to reach the end line before the beep is sounded.
• The assistant records the number of shuttles completed by participants once they are withdrawn.

Standards for the Multistage (Beep) Fitness Test

This table exhibits the age-wise rating a participant’s Beep Test result falls into.

Each entry indicates Level/Shuttle (e.g., 3/3 = Level 3, Shuttle 3).
For Men

Age	Very Poor	Poor	Fair	Average	Good	Very Good	Excellent
12 – 13	< 3/3	3/3 – 5/1	5/2 – 6/4	6/5 – 7/5	7/6 – 8/8	8/9 – 10/9	> 10/9
14 – 15	< 4/7	4/7 – 6/1	6/2 – 7/4	7/5 – 8/9	8/10 – 9/8	9/9 – 12/2	> 12/2
16 – 17	< 5/1	5/1 – 6/8	6/9 – 8/2	8/3 – 9/9	9/10 – 11/3	11/4 – -13/7	> 13/7
18 – 25	< 5/2	5/2 – 7/1	7/2 – 8/5	8/6 – 10/1	10/2 – 11/5	11/6 – 13/10	> 13/10
26 – 35	< 5/2	5/2 – 6/5	6/6 – 7/9	7/10 – 8/9	8/10 – 10/6	10/7 – 12/9	> 12/9
36 – 45	< 3/8	3/8 – 5/3	5/4 – 6/4	6/5 – 7/7	7/8 – 8/9	8/10 – 11/3	> 11/3
46 – 55	< 3/6	3/6 – 4/6	4/7 – 5/5	5/6 – 6/6	6/7 – 7/7	7/8 – 9/5	> 9/5
56 – 65	< 2/7	2/7 – 3/6	3/7 – 4/8	4/9 – 5/6	5/7 – 6/8	6/9 – 8/4	> 8/4
> 65 yrs	< 2/2	2/2 – 2/5	2/6 – 3/7	3/8- 4/8	4/9 – 6/1	6/2 – 7/2	> 7/2

Women

Age	Very Poor	Poor	Fair	Average	Good	Very Good	Excellent
12 – 13	< 2/6	2/6 – 3/5	3/6 – 5/1	5/2 – 6/1	6/2 – 7/4	7/5 – 9/3	> 9/3
14 – 15	< 3/3	3/3 – 5/2	5/3 – 6/4	6/5 – 7/5	7/6 – 8/7	8/8 – 10/7	> 10/7
16 – 17	< 4/2	4/2 – 5/6	5/7 -7/1	7/2 – 8/4	8/5 – 9/7	9/8 – 11/10	> 11/10
18 – 25	< 4/5	4/5 – 5/7	5/8 – 7/2	7/3 – 8/6	8/7 – 10/1	10/2 – 12/7	>12/7
26 – 35	< 3/8	3/8 – 5/2	5/3 – 6/5	6/6 – 7/7	7/8 – 9/4	9/5 – 11/5	> 11/5
36 – 45	< 2/7	2/7 – 3/7	3/8 – 5/3	5/4 – 6/2	6/3 – 7/4	7/5 – 9/5	> 9/5
46 – 55	< 2/5	2/5 – 3/5	3/6 – 4/4	4/5 – 5/3	5/4 – 6/2	6/3 – 8/1	> 8/1
56 – 65	< 2/2	2/2 – 2/6	2/7 – 3/5	3/6 – 4/4	4/5 – 5/6	5/7 – 7/2	> 7/2
> 65 yrs	< 1/5	1/5 – 2/1	2/2 – 2/6	2/7 – 3/4	3/5 – 4/3	4/4 – 5/7	> 5/7

2. Cooper’s 12 Minute Run

Essential Requirements

1. 400 metre track
2. Stopwatch
3. Assistant
4. Whistle

Test Procedure

1. Start with a brief warm-up to prepare the body for the actual test.
2. Once the assistant sounds the whistle, the participant starts running as fast as possible to cover the longest distance.
3. The remaining time may be communicated to the participant by the assistant after every lap.
4. When 12 minutes have been completed, the run ends, and the assistant informs the participant of the total distance covered.

Standards For Men

Age	Excellent	Above Average	Average	Below Average	Poor
13 – 14	> 2700m	2400 – 2700m	2200 – 2399m	2100 – 2199m	< 2100m
15 – 16	> 2800m	2500 – 2800m	2300 – 2499m	2200 – 2299m	< 2200m
17 – 19	> 3000m	2700 – 3000m	2500 – 2699m	2300 – 2499m	< 2300m
20 – 29	> 2800m	2400 – 2800m	2200 – 2399m	1600 – 2199m	< 1600m
30 – 39	>2700m	2300 – 2700m	1900 – 2299m	1500 – 1999m	< 1500m
40-49	> 2500m	2100 – 2500m	1700 – 2099m	1400 – 1699m	< 1400m
> 50	> 2400m	2000 – 2400m	1600 – 1999m	1300 – 1599m	< 1300m

Standards for Women

Age	Excellent	Above Average	Average	Below Average	Poor
13 – 14	> 2000m	1900 – 2000m	1600 – 1899m	1500 – 1599m	< 1500m
15 – 16	> 2100m	2000 – 2100m	1700 – 1999m	1600 – 1699m	< 1600m
17 – 19	> 2300m	2100 – 2300m	1800 – 2099m	1700 – 1799m	< 1700m
20 – 29	> 2700m	2200 – 2700m	1800 – 2199m	1500 – 1799m	< 1500m
30 – 39	> 2500m	2000 – 2500m	1700 – 1999m	1400 – 1699m	< 1400m
40-49	> 2300m	1900 – 2300m	1500 – 1899m	1200 – 1499m	< 1200m
> 50	> 2200m	1700 – 2200m	1400 – 1699m	1100 – 1399m	< 1100m

3. YMCA 3-Minute Step Test

If going outdoors, finding a running track in your city, or relying on an assistant isn’t quite convenient for you, then the YMCA Step Test might just be the thing to test your cardiovascular fitness. With just 3 minutes to spare and a bench in your home, this test is quick and straightforward. The Bench Step Test measures Heart Rate Recovery (HRR) or how fast your heart and autonomic nervous system return to normal after an intense bout of exercise.

Essential Requirements

1. Find a bench or a box that is approximately 12 inches in height.
2. Stopwatch
3. A 96 beats per minute Metronome

Test Procedure

1. Position yourself facing the step.
2. Start the metronome at a loud enough volume to be audible.
3. Start the timer and step on and off the step in accordance with the metronome, with a cadence of up (left leg), up (right leg), down (left leg), down (right leg).
4. Keep doing so for a total of 3 minutes.
5. Stop at the end of 3 minutes and sit down on the step.
6. Manually check your pulse reading and count the number of beats for 1 minute.
7. Once the above step is done, find your score on the rating scale below.

Standards for Men Based on Age

Age	18 – 25	26 – 35	36 – 45	46 – 55	59 – 65	65+
Excellent	50 – 76	51 – 76	49 – 76	56 – 82	60 – 77	59 – 81
Good	79 – 84	79 – 85	80 – 88	87 – 93	86 – 94	87 – 92
Above Average	88 – 93	88 – 94	92 – 88	95 – 101	97 – 100	94 – 102
Average	95 – 100	96 – 102	100 – 105	103 – 111	103 – 109	104 – 110
Below Average	102 – 107	104 – 110	108- 113	113 – 119	111 – 117	114 – 118
Poor	111 – 119	114 – 121	116 – 124	121 – 126	119 – 128	121 – 126
Very Poor	124 – 157	126 – 161	130 – 163	131 – 159	131 – 154	130 – 151

Standards for Women Based on Age

Age	18 – 25	26 – 35	36 – 45	46 – 55	59 – 65	65+
Excellent	52 – 81	58 – 80	51 – 84	63 – 91	60 – 92	70 – 92
Good	85 – 93	85 – 92	89 – 96	95 – 101	97 – 103	96 – 101
Above Average	96 – 102	95 – 101	100 – 104	104 – 110	106 – 111	104 – 111
Average	104 – 110	104 – 110	107 – 112	113 – 118	113 – 118	116 – 121
Below Average	113 – 120	113 – 129	115 – 120	120 – 124	119 – 127	123 – 126
Poor	122 – 131	122 – 129	124 – 132	126 – 132	129 – 135	128 – 133
Very Poor	135 – 169	134 – 171	137 – 169	137 – 171	141 – 174	135 – 155

MUSCULOSKELETAL TESTS

These tests assess both the strength and flexibility of the muscular and skeletal systems. While these tests do not directly fit into many of the fitness assessments prevalent today, they still provide valuable insights to assist in goal setting and program design.

1. Sit and Reach Test

When was the last time you dropped something on the floor and you picked it up without bending your knees? As we age, we lose flexibility. One reason for this is the lack of activity. Muscles become stiff, and joint mobility suffers. Having flexible muscles has also been shown to reduce resting heart rate.

This test evaluates the flexibility of the lower back and hamstring muscles. 

Test Procedure

1. Sit on a flat surface, without footwear, with legs extended together in front of the body. Point the toes up and slightly apart with the soles flat on the base of a step or any flat surface. 
2. Place a ruler on the ground on the top of the step or between your feet.
3. Without bending the knees, place one hand over the other and reach forward slowly.
4. At the farthest point of reach, hold for a few seconds and measure it on the ruler for the distance covered beyond the base of your foot.
5. If you could not touch your toes, then measure how far away you were from your toes. This will be a negative score.

Sit and Reach Norms

	Men	Women
	cm	cm
Super	> +27	> +30
Excellent	+17 to +27	+21 to +30
Good	+6 to +16	+11 to +20
Average	0 to +5	+1 to +10
Fair	-8 to -1	-7 to 0
Poor	-20 to -9	-15 to -8
Very Poor	< -20	< -15

2. Push Up Test

Push-ups are among the first exercises one may have done at any age. Even to this day, this exercise remains part of numerous selection processes for military and law enforcement alike.

Test Procedure:

 Men should adopt the ‘military style’ push-up position, with the arms close to the sides of the chest. Only the hands and the toes will be in contact with the ground. Women can use the ‘bent knee’ position with the chest touching the ground or with the elbows at right angles to the floor.

1. The objective is to complete as many push-ups as possible until fatigue.
2. Note the number of push-ups done and use the chart below to assess the participant.

Men

	Age
Rating	17 – 19	20 – 29	30 – 39	40 – 49	50 – 59	60 – 65
Excellent	> 56	> 47	> 41	> 34	> 31	> 30
Good	47 – 56	39 – 47	34 – 41	28 -34	25 – 31	24 – 30
Above Average	35 – 46	30 – 39	25 – 33	21 – 28	18 – 24	17 – 23
Average	19 – 34	17 – 29	13 – 24	11 – 20	9 – 17	6 – 16
Below Average	11 – 18	10 – 16	8 – 12	6 – 10	5 – 8	3 – 5
Poor	4 – 10	4 – 9	2 – 7	1 – 5	1 – 4	1 – 2
Very Poor	< 4	< 4	< 2	0	0	0

Women

	Age
Rating	17 – 19	20 – 29	30 – 39	40 – 49	50 – 59	60 – 65
Excellent	> 35	> 36	> 37	> 31	> 25	> 23
Good	27 – 35	30 – 36	30 – 37	25 – 31	21 – 25	19 – 23
Above Average	21 – 27	23 – 29	22 – 30	18 – 24	15 – 20	13 – 18
Average	11 – 20	12 – 22	10 – 21	8 – 17	7 – 14	5 –
Below Average	6 – 10	7 – 11	5 – 9	4 – 7	3 – 6	2 – 4
Poor	2 – 5	2 – 6	1 – 4	1 – 3	1 – 2	1
Very Poor	1	1	0	0	0	0

3. Squat Test

To this day, the squat remains as one of the most functional exercises one can use to build a solid lower body. Targeting your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves in one go makes the squat a complete lower-body workout.  

Test Procedure:

1. Position yourself in front of a chair, facing away from it.
2. Feet must be shoulder-width apart.
3. Now squat down to touch the chair, then stand back up.
4. Repeat until exhaustion.
5. Record the number of squats completed.

Men

	Age
Rating	20 – 29	30 – 39	40 – 49	50 – 59	60+
Excellent	> 34	> 32	>29	> 26	> 23
Good	33 – 34	30 – 32	27 – 29	24 – 26	21 – 23
Above Average	30 – 32	27 – 29	24 – 26	21 – 23	18 – 20
Average	27 – 29	24 – 26	21 – 23	18 – 20	15 – 17
Below Average	24 – 26	21 – 23	18 – 20	15 – 17	12 – 14
Poor	21 – 23	18 – 20	15 – 17	12 – 14	9 – 11
Very Poor	< 21	< 18	< 15	< 12	< 9

Women

	Age(years)
Rating	20 – 29	30 – 39	40 – 49	50 – 59	60+
Excellent	> 29	> 26	> 23	> 20	> 17
Good	27 – 29	24 – 26	21 – 23	18 – 20	15 – 17
Above Average	24 – 26	21 – 23	18 – 20	15 – 17	12 – 14
Average	21 – 23	18 – 20	15 – 17	12 – 14	9 – 11
Below Average	18 – 20	15 – 17	12 – 14	9 – 11	6 – 8
Poor	15 – 17	12 – 14	9 – 11	6 – 8	3 – 5
Very Poor	< 15	< 12	< 9	< 6	< 3

KEY TAKEAWAY

As human beings who want to contribute to the well-being of our immediate loved ones, knowing where we are on our fitness journey is the first step toward building a healthier, upgraded version of ourselves. The numbers on these charts offer valuable insight into how your metabolic age can be influenced by lifestyle and everyday choices. Living a healthier lifestyle with a regular dose of exercise and proper nutrition is, in itself, the secret to having a lower metabolic age than your chronological age. Effort is the driver of all rewards. It promises to take you to destinations and a mentality that previously never existed in your reality. So quit procrastinating the obvious and take action to live a healthier, wealthier and wiser life.