SpineFITyoga
FitTest-3
Test, score, and track, total body strength,
stamina, and speed in 3 minutes.
(Not all at once)
Warning
If you’re out of shape:
While this test is for all levels of fitness. If you are very weak, injured, or well above ideal weight, the safe way of taking the test may be to NOT “physically” take the test. You still get a score, it’s just zero, for now.
So, if you look at the three parts below and have anxiety about taking the test, good enough, you took the test. You scored a zero. While that’s a bad score, it’s a good thing to know. If the challenge is accepted, it’s all up from here. If my experience as a physical therapist taught me anything, it’s that zero is not uncommon, nor is it all that hard to move up. And down from zero, while possible, isn’t cute.
The good news is that while the FitTest-3 is derived from Levels-2 and 3 of SpineFITyoga’s F5 program, the program has a Level-1 designed to safely and effectively get virtually everyone scoring positively. More good news is the “5” in F5 means it’s only 5 minutes. More info…
If you’re in reasonable shape:
If you are in at least modest shape, you’ve read the descriptions, watched the demos, and think you can safely take the test, I encourage you to try, but I would caution you to ease into it at first. You get as many tries as you want to work up a better score later. The FitTest-3 is NOT all or none. If you look at the three parts and think you can do some Lunges and/or Pushups, but maybe not Pullups, doing what you can will get you on the board, likely progressing to, or near mid tier before Pullups come into play. As you gain experience, fitness, and self-awareness with the exercises you should know when you can safely give it your all. Likewise as overall fitness improves the more difficult or impossible aspects will become easier/possible.
If you’re in this group and your score isn’t as high as you would like, becoming a member and doing F5 will almost certainly level up you up your build in the most efficient way possible. But by all means feel free to use the FitTest-3 to measure and compare progress with any other exercise program. Or even test your trainer, that’s always fun.
EVERYONE:
The L3-Lunges are harder than EVERYONE thinks. Knee-to-floor-jump-lunges to failure is taking things to an entirely different level from what most expect. Unlike the Pushups and Pullups they are not something most of us have prior experience with. Though faster than L2-Lunges, they are easily 3-4 times more difficult. Attempting L3-Lunges without having scored a >35 L2-Lunges in 1-minute first, makes it fairly likely you will strain something. I’ve witnessed people literally collapse, during or right after the exercise. You have been warned. That said, L2-Lunges are not fast enough to score at the top of the MuscleTest, and with proper preparation L3s are both safe and awesome.
The Test
- 3 parts, 60 seconds each, for a total of 3 minutes.
- Rest as long as you want (even days) in between parts.
Part 1: Lunges (record your number of reps in 1 minute)
- Score is the number of knee-to-floor lunges in one minute. Left knee plus right knee touching floor = 2 reps.
- Option: Choose either Level-2 or Level-3 (L2 or L3, respectively).
- L3-Lunges (aka Jump Lunges) are advanced and high risk if not prepared.
- Besides risk, most people will initially score better with L2.
- I suggest attempting L3-Lunges only if you are able to do about 35 L2-Lunges. Even though L3s are faster, they are about 3.5 times harder, causing most to fatigue that much quicker. You’ve been warned.
L2-Lunges (time: 1 minute)
L3-Lunges (time: 1 minute)
- If L2-Lunges are too difficult the F5 program has a Level-1, which are as easy as you want to make them, and will progress you to L2. Because L1s do not go knee to floor, they don’t give an objectiive measure of fitness.
Part 2: Regular Pushups (record your number of reps in 1 minute)
- Score is full reps in one minute
- Off feet
- CHEST TO FLOOR at bottom
- FULLY STRAIGHTEN ELBOWS at top
- Keep hips and core straight and rigid.
- Almost everybody cheats their pushups without knowing it. Sometimes I don’t even know it. Keep yourself honest by filming yourself or doing them beside a mirror.
L3-Pushups (time: 1 minute)
- If these L3-Pushups are too difficult the F5 program has and L1 and L2 version to work you up.
- Women thinking they can’t do pushups off of their feet is internalized misogyny (a term worth looking up), and has numerous health consequences.
Part 3: Pullups (record your number of reps in 1 minute)
- Count the number of FULL reps in 1 minute.
- You must remain hanging, if you let go, the set is over.
- Like pushups, we all tend to cheat these by not going all the way down or all the way up. Watching my own videos, I’m judging myself as marginal at best. Still a good exercise.
- Keep yourself honest by filming yourself or doing them beside a mirror. I’m frequently embarrased when I watch film of myself.
L3-Pullups (time: 1 minute)
- Attaining ideal weight, whether up or down helps with every exercise, but pullups especially. Intermittent fasting being my favorite way of attaining/maintaining ideal weight.
- Again, if these are too difficult, and they probably will be for most (male or female) adults, SpineFitYoga’s M5 program has L1 and L2 exercises to progress you.
- Women thinking they can’t do pullups is more internalized misogyny.