Great-Workout Blog

The U.S. President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports has recently introduced an adult fitness test. The test, which is for adults over the age of 18, allows U.S. residents to measure their fitness against other adults of the same age.

The fitness test includes exercises from three main components: aerobic fitness, muscular strength and flexibility exercises.

Aerobic fitness is tested by either a 1-mile walk or a 1.5 mile run. The strength test is achieved with push-ups and half sit-ups. Flexibility is measured using the sit-and-reach exercise.

Here’s what the Adult Fitness Test website says about the three main components:

On aerobic fitness:

…relates to the heart, blood vessels, and lungs working together to deliver oxygen-rich blood to the muscles during exercise. A high level of aerobic fitness is associated with lower risks of several diseases, including high blood pressure and coronary heart disease

On Strength:

…critical to both your health and ability to carry out daily activities, such as performing household tasks (yard work, carrying groceries) or job-related tasks (lifting or moving heavy objects)

On Flexibility:

Being able to move all of your joints through their full range of motion is important for good joint function as well as being able to walk, lift, and step normally. For example, if your knees cannot extend all the way, walking with bent knees puts extra stress on the hip and low back…

The adult fitness test can be completed online. You simply enter in your scores from the above components, as well as entering some basic details such as age, gender, height, and weight.

As well as giving you a comparison against other adults, the results of the fitness test can provide you with a baseline for improvement. This could come in handy when planning and measuring the results of your own workout sessions.

To complete the adult fitness test, go to www.adultfitnesstest.org.