GETFIT Blog

 By Joli Guenther, MSSW, NASM-CPT

Working out on your home elliptical or treadmill can't be beat for the convenience it offers, but independent fitness routines can leave you wondering how much you've really gained. Remember the Presidential Fitness Challenge? This widely used test of physical fitness has been revamped for adults. Fitness assessments can provide a way for both experienced and novice exercisers to get an objective view of their progress. If you've been using your fitness equipment for a while, completing the assessment will give you an idea of your strengths and where you might want to focus your workouts. For newbies, the assessment can give you a starting point and later provide a mark of how far you've come. If you're curious about your fitness ranking, check out the website: http://www.adultfitnesstest.org/dataentry.aspx and enter your personal scores.

A few caveats…Be sure to read the instructions for each test first. The sit ups you're tested on might be a bit different than you remember from high school. Also, remember to use this as a way to measure your progress. The high scores represent the fittest members of the population. If you don't rank yourself among that elite group, don't expect to see scores in the highest percentiles; however, this test can still give you a great indicator of the impact of your workouts over time.