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Employee Fitness Assessment:
The Physical Tests
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To assess your current level of fitness, try the following tests:
> Sit and reach test
The easiest way to test for flexibility is to grab a yardstick and have a seat on your living room floor with your legs extended in front of you, allowing about 12 inches between your feet. Place the yardstick between your feet so that it points away from you. Line the soles of your feet up to the 15-inch mark on the yardstick. Then slowly bend forward with your arms extended, reaching as far past your ankles as you can.
Men:
17 inches: above average
15 inches: average
14 inches: below average
Women:
19 inches: above average
17 inches: average
15 inches: below average
> Strength
Muscular-skeletal fitness really matters. Muscle strength and endurance makes you more functional, and by improving body strength, you can reduce your chance of injury.
Strength testing is performed basically for testing both muscular strength and muscular endurance. Strength training builds and maintains muscle mass and strong bones.
> Crunch Test
The Crunch Test is a popular method of assessing your abdominal strength.
To perform: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet planted firmly on the floor. Press the small of your back down and then lift your upper body until your shoulder blades are off the floor.
You can tuck your hands behind your head for support, but make sure not to pull up with your arms – you can injure yourself seriously that way. Instead, focus on using your constricted abdominal and back muscles to complete the crunches. See how many you can do without resting.
Men:
Excellent: 25 (ages 20-69)
Good: 16-24 (ages 20-29); 15-24 (ages 30-39); 13-24 (ages 40-49); 11-24 (ages 50-69)
Fair: 11-15 (ages 20-29); 11-14 (ages 30-39); 6-12 (ages 40-49); 8-10 (ages 50-59); 6-10 (ages 60-69)
Needs improvement: 10 (ages 20-39); 5 (ages 40-49); 7 (ages 50-59); 5 (ages 60-69)
Women:
Excellent: 25 (ages 20-69)
Good: 14-24 (ages 20-29); 10-24 (ages 30-39); 11-24 (ages 40-49); 10-24 (ages 50-59); 8-24 (ages 60-69)
Fair: 5-13 (ages 20-29); 6-9 (ages 30-39); 4-10 (ages 40-49); 6-9 (ages 50-59); 3-7 (ages 60-69)
Needs improvement: 4 (20-29); 5 (ages 30-39); 3 (ages 40-49); 5 (ages 50-59); 2 (ages 60-69)
(Source: Adapted from American College of Sports Medicine Guidelines, 7th Edition and from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology)
> Push-up test
To test your upper-body strength, get down in a push-up position. Start from the “up” position with your arms almost fully extended, palms flat on the floor and a little more than shoulder-width apart, balancing on your toes with your feet together.
Movement: Bend your elbows at right angles to lower your body (without your stomach touching the floor), and then straighten your arms as you exhale, while raising your body. (If you can't do a standard push-up, put your knees on the floor instead of balancing on your toes.) Keep your back straight by tightening your abdominal muscles.
Your body should stay as stiff as possible during the whole movement – your arms should be the only body part moving. Keeping the pace slow and steady, see how many you can complete without stopping.
Men:
Excellent: 36 (ages 20-29); 30 (ages 30-39); 25 (ages 40-49); 21 (ages 50-59) 18 (ages 60-69)
Good: 22-35 (ages 20-29); 17--29 (ages 30-39); 13-24 (ages 40-49); 10-20 (ages 50-59) 8-17 (ages 60-69)
Fair: 17-21 (ages 20-29), 12-16 (ages 30-39); 10-12 (ages 40-49); 7-9 (ages 50-59); 5-7 (ages 60-69)
Below average: 16 (ages 20-29); 11 (ages 30-39); 9 (ages 40-49); 6 (ages 50-59) 4 (ages 60-69)
Women:
Excellent: 30 (ages 20-29); 27 (ages 30-39); 24 (ages 40-49); 21 (ages 50-59); 17 (ages 60-69)
Good: 15-29 (ages 20-29); 13-26 (ages 30-39); 11-23 (ages 40-49); 7-20 (ages 50-59) 5-16 (ages 60-69)
Fair: 10-14 (ages 20-29); 8-12 (ages 30-39); 5-10 (ages 40-49); 2-6 (ages 50-59); 2-4 (ages 60-69)
Below average: 9 (ages 20-29); 7 (ages 30-39); 4 (ages 40-49); 1 (ages 50-59); 1 (ages 60-69)
(Source: Adapted from American College of Sports Medicine Guidelines, 7th Edition and from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology)
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