Go ahead, measure your current Parcourse prowess
In grade school, the Presidential Fitness Award rewarded fit kids with a nifty patch and year-long bragging rights. Alas, exercise achievement standards are not so clear-cut for adults, but baseline evaluations are still possible. We've provided some data below as fitness touchstones, loosely grouped by performance category: Olympian (Sydney 2000!),
Weekend Warrior (you look good in bike shorts), and Penitent Sloth (your treadmill's a drying rack). "The standards can be used to set goals for yourself and monitor your improvement as your training progresses," says David Nieman, a professor at Appalachian State University and the author of Exercise Testing and Prescription: A
Health Related Approach. Think of it as the Outside Parcourse Fitness Award. Sorry, we can't send you a patch, but bragging is strongly encouraged.
 |
| AGE |
OLYMPIAN |
WEEKEND WARRIOR |
PENITENT SLOTH |
|
| 26-35 |
M: 51-85
F: 58-92 |
M: 88-102
F: 95-110 |
M: 104-161
F: 113-171 |
| 36-45 |
M: 49-88
F: 51-96 |
M: 92-105
F: 100-112 |
M: 108-163
F: 115-169 |
| 46-55 |
M: 56-93
F: 63-101 |
M: 95-111
F: 104-118 |
M: 113-159
F: 120-171 |
| Measure pulse for one minute following three minutes of stepping at 24 steps/minute on a bench 12 inches off the ground. Each step is comprised of a four-count cycle: right foot up, left foot up, right foot down, left foot down. Compare your total beats-per-minute with the pulse-rate numbers above
to see where you fall. |
|
|
 |
| AGE |
OLYMPIAN |
WEEKEND WARRIOR |
PENITENT SLOTH |
|
| 20-29 |
M: >=36
F: >=30 |
M: 22-35
F: 15-29 |
M: <=21
F: <=14 |
| 30-39 |
M: >=30
F: >=27 |
M: 17-29
F: 13-26 |
M: <=16
F: <=12 |
| 40-49 |
M: >=22
F: >=24 |
M: 13-21
F: 11-23 |
M: <=12
F: <=10 |
| Men should follow instructions for push-ups on opposite page. Women's results are based on "knee up" push-ups. Place hands shoulder-width apart, back straight, head up, ankles crossed, knees on floor. Lower chest to the floor. Both groups should repeat to failure. Numbers above are total consecutive
number completed. |
|
|
 |
| AGE |
OLYMPIAN |
WEEKEND WARRIOR |
PENITENT SLOTH |
|
| 20-29 |
M: >=44
F: >=39 |
M: 35-43
F: 28-38 |
M: <=34
F: <=27 |
| 30-39 |
M: >=40
F: >=30 |
M: 31-39
F: 21-29 |
M: <=30
F: <=20 |
| 40-49 |
M: >=35
F: >=25 |
M: 26-34
F: 16-24 |
M: <=25
F: <=15 |
| Perform sit-ups per instructions for crunches on page 156. Do as many as possible in one minute, then compare your results with the numbers above. |
|
|
Mike Grudowski, a former Outside senior editor, is currently a Weekend Warrior striving to become an Olympian.
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