Your fitness level will determine a lot of things – and not only how out of shape you are. A fitness level test will allow you to know where you should start on your physical fitness regime and how hard you should push yourself. If you have not worked out in a long time, your fitness level is no doubt pretty low and you should take it slow in the beginning. Luckily, there are a number of ways to determine how aerobically fit you are. Professional trainers and coaches use these methods regularly to determine where athletes should start on their workout regiments. Here is how to determine your level of fitness.
One of the most basic standards to determine your fitness level is to see how fast you can run. A mile and a half is the most common marker. It might seem like a long distance, but when you get to running, it will be much shorter than you originally thought, especially if you are moderately fit. If you can run a mile and a half in less than ten minutes, you are remarkably fit and your level of fitness is very high. If it takes you between fifteen and twenty minutes to run that distance, your fitness level is very low.
Next, how much can you lift with your leg and arm muscles? When you are in the gym, knowing how much you can bench or leg press is an important way to know where you stand on the fitness spectrum. If you can lift a few times more than your own body weight with your legs or your arms, you are ranking pretty high on the fitness spectrum. If you can only lift one or one and a half times more than your body weight with your legs or arms, you might need a little more work.
Another way to determine your fitness level is to see how far you can swim. In this case, 700 yards is usually the most common marker. First of all, if you don’t think you can swim 700 yards in the first place, you might have a very low fitness level. However, if you can swim more than 700 yards in about twelve minutes, chances are that you are very high on the fitness level. Yet, if you have trouble breaking fifteen to twenty minutes, you probably need to build up some strength and stamina.
Lastly, you want to use your own judgment to determine your fitness level. If you know that you have not been to a gym in a long time, perhaps it is time to head to the gym to see where you stand. Maybe you need to start out lifting a few weights and doing some light aerobic exercises. If you visit Fitness19.com, you might be able to find a gym in your area, so that you can test your own physical fitness level. Who knows, you might just need a personal trainer who can get you back on track, because when it comes down to it, physical exercise is a critical part of being well balanced and healthy.
