Testing for Strength & Endurance

You may be flexible and trim, but if you don't have much strength and endurance, you aren't physically fit.  Try the following tests to see how you stack up.  The target scores are those used for 17-year-olds in the President's Challenge Fitness Awards program.  Being older, you may not be able to achieve them, but they're good goals for most adults to strive for.

If you find you're below par in an area, do exercises to strength train or build your endurance.  Build up your walking speed and distance, for example.  Or incorporate abdominal crunches or push-ups to increase strength in your abdomen or upper body.

Be sure to warm up with a slow to moderate six-minute walk before you attempt the elements of the test. Maintain proper form during each one.

1. Mile walk/run.
 (Cardiovascular endurance test)

Walk or run one mile as fast as you can.
Target score -- men: 7 minutes, women: 10 minutes
 

 

2. Stomach curls. (Abdominal strength and endurance test)

 
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.  Extend your arms, while placing your hands on your legs with your fingers pointing toward your knees. Curl up until your fingertips touch your knees.  Then smoothly roll down until your head touches the ground. No jerky movements. Do as many as you can in one minute.

Target score -- men: 55, women: 44
 

3. Pull-Ups   (Upper-body strength and endurance test)

Hang from a horizontal bar hung high enough that your feet clear the floor when your arms are fully extended. Pull your body up until your chin clears the bar. Don't swing or kick your legs to help raise yourself. Then lower yourself in a controlled manner until your arms are fully extended again. Do as many as possible.

Target score -- men: 13, women: 1

 

4. Push-Ups (Upper-body strength and endurance test)
 
Lie face down on the floor with your hands under your shoulders and your toes on the floor. Push up by straightening your arms, then lower yourself until your elbows are at a 90¡ angle. Keep your back and legs in a straight line as you perform the push-ups. Repeat. Do as many as possible in proper form and steady rhythm. An easier alternative if push-ups are difficult for you: Push up from your knees instead of from your toes.

Target score -- men: 53, women: 25



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