10 Ways to Create Your Own Fitness Assessment
Tracking your fitness progress isn’t just about stepping on a scale or measuring your waistline. Performance-based assessments can provide a much clearer picture of how well your fitness program is working. By focusing on what your body can do—not just how it looks—you’ll gain better insight into your strength, endurance, flexibility, and conditioning. There are at least 10 ways to create your own fitness assessment using performance-based metrics.
10 Ways to Create Your Own Fitness Assessment Using Performance-Based Metrics
1) 1 Mile Walk/Run
Measure how long it takes to walk or run a mile. Watch for improvement over the weeks.
2) 500-Meter Row Time
Measure how long it ta
kes to row 500 meters to assess your cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance.
3) Push-Ups in 1 Minute
Test your upper-body strength by measuring how many pushups you can do in 1 minute.
4) Pull-Ups
Track how many reps you can do with good form and full range of motion without stopping. This will test your upper body strength.
5) Plank Hold Time
Test how long you can hold a plank. This is a solid gauge of core conditioning.
6) Chair Squats in 1 Minute
Evaluate your lower-body endurance and functional capacity by counting how many chair squats you can do in 1 minute.
7) Bike Distance in 15 Minutes
Measure how far you can cycle in 15 minutes to measure aerobic capacity and leg endurance.
8) Jump Rope 1 Minute
Count how many revolutions you can do in 1 minute to test coordination, rhythm, and cardio fitness.
9) Wall Sit Hold Time
Test how long you can hold a wall sit to measure leg endurance.
10) 1 Leg Balance
Measure how long you can hold your balance on each leg.
Consider testing yourself once per month to track tangible improvements and identify plateaus. You don’t have to perform all the assessments – just choose the ones that resonate with you and measure the variables relevant to your goals. You can choose to test one per day, a few or even all of them on one day for an advanced, solo decathlon. Unlike weight or measurements, performance metrics show how your body is functioning and adapting to your training. This can be more motivating and informative, helping ensure your program is effective and leading you toward real, lasting fitness.
Yours in health & fitness,
Sherri McMillan
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Sherri McMillan
Sherri McMillan, holds a master's degree in exercise physiology and has been inspiring the world to adopt a fitness lifestyle for more than 33 years. She has received numerous industry awards including 2010 CanFitPro International Presenter of the Year, 2006 IDEA Fitness Director of the Year, 1998 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, 1998 CanFitPro Fitness Presenter of the Year and 2005/2006 ACE Fitness Educator of the Year - Runner up. She is a fitness trainer, fitness columnist for various magazines and newspapers, author of five books and manuals including "Go For Fit - the Winning Way to Fat Loss" and "Fit over Forty" and the featured presenter in various fitness DVDs. She has presented hundreds of workshops to thousands of fitness leaders throughout Canada, Australia, Mexico, Jamaica, New Zealand, Germany, England, Spain, South America, Asia and the U.S. She is the owner of Northwest Personal Training in downtown Vancouver, the founder of WHY Racing Events & WHY Community, participates in various community fundraisers and can be found running, biking, or hiking around the community. Find more information at nwpersonaltraining.com.