Anybody want to take a simple fitness test to see how “in shape” you really are?
This short fitness assessment is a quick way to measure the quality of your baseline fitness as it relates to your ability to productively perform everyday tasks in a capable, powerful and pain free manner.
This is an uncomplicated, common sense assessment that can provide valuable information to the experienced/objective eye in order to get your training back on track and accelerate you to your fitness goals without wasting your precious time.
Unfortunately, so many in this industry equate complicated methods and over engineered gimmickry with value and results. Nothing could be further from the truth.
If your trainer insists on a 1001 point micromanaged and over complicated test where your body is held accountable to the millimeter, straps all kinds of gadgetry to you and parades you through a bank of over engineered “fitness” machines just to assess your fitness – run, don’t walk away!
This fitness assessment has real world application, not just how strong and capable you are in the artificial confines of a gym measuring yourself against low value over hyped fitness machinery for the most part.
It’s simple to understand, objective and gives you instant feedback as to what kind of fitness foundation you possess. Think of this assessment as a snapshot of your fitness that you should be able to perform and repeat on demand at any given time at a bare minimum as it relates to your overall fitness plan and goals.
I learned these movements from some great coaches over the years and they are a staple of my training program that keep me rooted, objective and humble.
Check out this video where I give you a clear demo of this supremely useful fitness assessment:
Here are the movements for this simple fitness assessment:
The Toe Touch
Stand tall with straight spine, feet pointed forward roughly your hips width apart and simply try to touch your toes or the ground without bending your knees on the way down.
The Overhead Squat
grab a stick ( I use a 5 foot length of 3/4 inch pvc pipe available at most hardware stores) and take roughly a shoulder width grip on it and keep it pressed over your head.
Your toes are pointed forward with your feet between shoulder and hip’s width distance.
Now simply sink down between your hips keeping your chest proud and out without your upper body folding forward driving through your heels on the way back up.
Get Down And Up From The Ground No Hands
Hold your arms out in front of you and go to the ground in the Indian sit position then come back to standing without using your hands.
That’s the three movements – let me know how you do!
Tips For Success
Make sure you don’t hold your breath performing any of these movements! Breathe people, breathe!
Kick off the shoes and train barefoot if the conditions are favorable or use minimum footwear such as Converse Chuck Taylors like me for maximum fitness benefit. I like the least barriers between your feet and the ground so as to not impede feedback to your brain when training these movement patterns.
You should not be experiencing pain performing these movements. If you do feel pain, you have other issues to address first, so seek out a medical professional who understands movement issues to get you back on track.
This fitness assessment will give me instant feedback on one’s core strength, balance, stability, range of motion quality and movement flow. I use this fitness assessment to easily determine if one’s training is advancing their fitness or sending it in wildly unproductive directions.
I will repeatedly use and stay connected to these fitness assessment movements as they are an incredibly useful indicator of fitness quality and a life marker for robust longevity and a pain free existence on this wonderful planet.
Open Up Your Closed Mind
If you can’t perform these three movements in this assessment, it is a glaring indicator that there are serious gaps in your training program. You can either address them and improve or stay stagnant and dysfunctional with whatever you are currently doing.
I have had a few frustrated folks who couldn’t do this test claim it’s a trick or some “old school” nonsense. Many trainees and trainers are so emotionally invested and closed minded about a particular training program they adopted that they will ignore the many counterproductive components in its design.
There are many out there who would rather train in a state of movement and muscular imbalance with limited range of motion often riddled with pain than address the reality of their fitness quality.
Please don’t be like these types – it’s not a sustainable course of action and your quality of life will suffer.
This fitness assessment is a direct, simple and often humbling indicator of how well your training program is designed.
This assessment is fitness feedback gold, friends. Use it wisely and advance your training.
I believe in simplifying the fitness training process – tossing out all the filler, hype and bullshit moves that get in the way of progress. Instead I will adopt and retain those movements and methods that don’t waste precious time, are sustainable, pay the highest fitness dividends, transfer well to daily life activities and will accelerate you to your goals in the most sane, safe and effective manner.
In other words, I look at fitness training through the eyes of a rational, experienced adult who has perspective with this topic.
Related: Why I Avoid Most People In The Fitness Industry
Related: No Pain No Gain Is Quite Insane
Stay Well! Take Action! Be Consistent! Train and Eat Smart! Get Rid of the Drains and Pains in Your Life! Value your loved ones and friends and get out and have some active, safe fun!
Your friend in fitness and a product of his own advice,
Mark Mellohusky (Mellow Husky) mellow as in laid back and husky like the dog
There’s a sparkle in my eyes and iron in my thighs!
Seven Stars Fitness