Project Fit

I recently signed up for the project fit marathon after gentle encouragement to do so from family. I was initially resistant because I didn’t feel particularly ‘fit’ but I jumped in it anyway and realigned my focus to measuring progress in my real life fitness project and answering the question "how do I objectively measure fitness?".

Resting heart rate
The heart is a muscle* and your resting heart rate is usually an indicator of how strong that muscle is. In general, the lower it is the better. You can use technology to get reading via a smart fitness watch or blood pressure machine, or you can manually estimate it placing two fingers between the bone and the tendon on an artery located on the thumb side of your wrist. When you feel your pulse, count the number of beats for one minute. ❗️Readings are best taken first thing in the morning before anyone has had an opportunity to frustrate you.

*The heart muscle of athletes is larger in size than that of ordinary, sedentary people due the physiological response it has to exercise.

Excellent Fitness Rating

• Males = anything less than 50 beats per minute (BPM).
• Females = anything less than 55 BPM.

Above Average Fitness Rating

• Males = anything between 50 and 59 BPM
• Females = anything between 55 and 65 BPM

Average Fitness Rating

• Males  = anything between 60 and 70 BPM
• Females = anything between 66 and 76 BPM

⚠️ If the reading obtained is less than what's outlined above then your fitness rating is poor.
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12 minute Cooper test
It’s simple - Run as hard as you can for 12 minutes on a measurable track or treadmill. Once done check the categories below for a fitness rating.

Excellent Fitness Rating

• Males aged 20 to 39  is anything > 2.8 Kilometers. ||| Males aged 40 to 49 is anything > 2.5 kilometers.
• Females aged 20 to 39 is anything > 2.7 kilometers ||| Females aged 40 to 49 is anything > 2.3 kilometers.

Above Average Fitness Rating

• Males aged 20 to 39  is anything >= 2.4 to 2.8 Kilometers. ||| Males aged 40 to 49 is anything between 2.1 to 2.5 kilometers.
• Females aged 20 to 39 is anything between 2.2 to 2.7 kilometers ||| Females aged 40 to 49 is between 1.9 to 2.3 kilometers.

Average Fitness Rating

• Males aged 20 to 39 is anything between 2.2 to 2.4 Kilometers. ||| Males aged 40 to 49 is anything between 1.7 to 2.09 kilometers.
• Females aged 20 to 39 is anything between 1.8 to 2.19 kilometers ||| Females aged 40 to 49 is anything between 1.5 to 1.89 kilometers.

⚠️ If the distance covered is less than what's outlined above then your fitness rating is poor.

2.4 kilometers test
In this test, individuals run a distance of 2.4 kilometers as fast as they can. The time taken to complete the run is used as an indicator of cardiovascular endurance.

Excellent Fitness Rating

• Males = 9 minutes or less.
• Females = 12 minutes or less.

Above Average Fitness Rating

• Males = Less than 10 minutes.
• Females = 13.5 minutes or less.

Average Fitness Rating

• Males  = 12 minutes or less.
• Females = anything between 13.5 and 15 minutes.

⚠️ If the time obtained for distance covered is less than what's outlined above then your fitness rating is poor.

VO2 max
VO2 max is a measure of the maximum amount of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute of activity your body can use. To measure it, you can either use technology in the form of a smart fitness watch to estimate this value or manually calculate it from running a predetermined distance. For simplicity purposes, If you perform the cooper test or the 2.4 kilometer tests outlined above then the following formulas are applicable:  VO2max = (22.351 x kilometers) - 11.288 for the cooper test, and VO2max = (483 / time) + 3.5 for the 2.4 kilometer test. The other albeit unrealistic option for the majority of my readership is a lab test.
❗️Quick tips to improve this metric are weight loss and high intensity interval training.

Excellent Fitness Rating

• Males aged 18 to 35  is anything > 60. ||| Males aged 36 to 55 is anything between 51 to 59.
• Females aged 18 to 35  is anything  > 56. ||| Females aged 36 to 55 is anything between 45 to 55.

Above Average Fitness Rating

• Males aged 18 to 35 is >= 52 to 59  ||| Males aged 36 to 55 is anything between 43 to 50.
• Females aged 18 to 35 is 47 to 56. ||| Females aged 36 to 55 is anything between 39 to 44.

Average Fitness Rating

• Males aged 18 to 35 is anything  >= 42 to 51  ||| Males aged 36 to 55 is anything between 35 to 42.
• Females aged 18 to 35 is is anything between 38 to 46. ||| Females aged 36 to 55 is anything between 34 to 38.

⚠️ If the rating obtained is less than what's outlined above then your fitness rating is poor.

The relevance of fitness testing is measuring your baseline so you can easily observe improvements or deterioration in fitness. Train, recover, eat and sleep well consistently and fitness takes care of itself. I personally use a Garmin 55 to tell me the truth about my cardiovascular fitness reality.