3 Fitness Tests To Know If You’re Fit
When it comes to assessing fitness, there are countless tests and benchmarks available. But if you had to narrow it down to just three, which ones would provide the most comprehensive picture of your overall fitness? To answer that, let’s first define what fitness truly means.
Fitness is about balance—in physical skills, energy systems, and movement patterns. To be truly fit, you should excel across:
Physical Skills: Endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, and accuracy.
Energy Systems: Phosphagen (short bursts), glycolytic (moderate duration), and oxidative (longer efforts).
Functional Movements: Lunge, squat, hinge, push, pull, gait, and rotation.
Fitness matters because it’s directly tied to health. For example, a solid VO2 max often indicates good cardiovascular health, and strength in key lifts correlates with better bone density. While these aren’t absolutes, they’re strong indicators. Simply put: you can’t be healthy without being fit.
Here are the top three fitness tests to evaluate where you stand:
1. 800-Meter Run
Why it matters: This test blends speed, stamina, and endurance, while activating the glycolytic and oxidative energy systems. The primary movement pattern here is gait, making it a straightforward but highly effective assessment.
Target:
Aim for under 3 minutes for men and 3:30 for women as a baseline of good fitness.
Beginners can substitute this with a mile bike ride if running isn’t an option.
2. 1-Rep Max Squat Clean & Jerk
Why it matters: This Olympic lift challenges power, strength, and flexibility while demanding balance, coordination, accuracy, and agility. It primarily engages the phosphagen system and integrates hinge, pull, squat, and push movement patterns.
Tips:
If you’re new to this lift, practice the movement with a PVC pipe or light weights first.
Lacking flexibility? Spend time improving mobility before pushing for max weight.
Not ready for a barbell? Opt for dumbbells to simplify the movement while still testing similar capacities.
3. Max Reps Ring Muscle-Ups
Why it matters: This gymnastics movement emphasizes coordination, balance, accuracy, and power while requiring upper body strength and flexibility. It activates the glycolytic system and tests pull/push movement patterns.
Modifications:
Can’t do a muscle-up? Start with a max set of box-assisted kipping muscle-ups. Ensure reps are continuous and note box height for reference.
If you lack the strength for pull-ups, build a foundation with strict pull-ups first. Avoid attempting muscle-ups until you can perform at least five strict pull-ups safely.
Why These Tests?
Together, these three tests cover:
All 10 physical skills
All 3 energy systems
5 out of 7 functional movement patterns (Lunge and rotation are excluded but indirectly tested through squat and pull strength.)
How to Use These Results
Curious how your scores compare to others in your age group? Send me a message, and I’ll give you a breakdown.
If you struggle in one or more tests, don’t be discouraged. Gaps in your performance highlight areas for improvement. For example:
A slow 800m time? Improve stamina with interval training.
Difficulty with the clean and jerk? Focus on mobility and Olympic lifting progressions.
Can’t muscle-up? Build upper body strength and refine your kipping technique.
How to Improve Everything at Once
The best way to boost all these areas simultaneously is through a General Physical Preparedness (GPP) program. GPP training balances all physical skills, energy systems, and movement patterns to build well-rounded fitness.
Start today! Check out my daily workouts at Blog — Fit FC
Your Fitness Journey Starts Here
Fitness isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress. Use these tests as tools to measure where you are and where you’re headed. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or just starting out, there’s always room to grow.