Tests of Fitness

Upon browsing the internet I came across a page that offered 6 tests of fitness. The idea is to complete the set exercises and a rating is given as to how well we complete each exercise. Now, I would not consider these rating accurate myself, the tests certainly give goals to aim for. For example, being able to only do 10 body-weight squats is not poor (despite these tests indicating so), it is an excellent exercise to build strength. Here are the tests though:

The Plank – get in the push up position but rest on the elbows and forearms. Keep the back straight. Hold the position for as long as possible. Here are the ratings for The Plank; if you can hold for 2 minutes or more then you get an excellent rating, 75secs to 2 minutes is good, 45 seconds to 75 seconds is average and anything less is poor!

Body-weight Squat – keep the feet shoulder width apart and lower the thighs slowly until they are parallel with the floor and slowly raise back up. The ratings for a body-weight squat are; 50 or more reps is excellent, 30-49 is good, 16-29 is average and 15 or less is considered poor.

Press-up – straight back, hands on the floor, bend the elbows lowering the chest to the floor, and raise again. The ratings for a press ups are; 50 or more reps is excellent, 30-49 is good, 16-29 is average and 15 or less is considered poor.

1km Run – simply run a kilometre. The ratings for this run are; 3 minutes or less gets an excellent rating, 3mins-3min 29 seconds is good, 3mins 30secs to 4mins 29 seconds is average and any longer is considered poor.

500m Row – obviously we require a rowing machine for this part of the test, and the idea is to complete a 500m row as fast as possible. The ratings are; 1min 30 sec or less is excellent, 1min 31sec–1min 44sec is good, 1min 45sec–1min 59sec is average and 2min or more is poor.

Pull up – the final test is pull ups, one of the hardest exercises out there. 12 or more reps is excellent, 8–11 reps is good, 4–7 reps is average and 3 or fewer is poor.

I would be careful not to take the ratings too seriously, as we all have different levels and I would say that these tests should be used to set goals for our self rather than put us down if we hit ‘poor’ in a rating. That being said, all these exercises are useful and can help improve our fitness and health levels. 

Police Fitness

I read an interesting article yesterday about fitness within the police force here in England. The article discusses the proposal of annual fitness tests being introduced in order to ensure that the police officers are in top shape. The current system in place means that only new recruits need to pass a fitness examination to prove they are fit enough to go on duty. This means that more experienced police officers can get out of shape without being checked on. This is quite a worrying idea in a sense. The police in England are unarmed and therefore, surely, they should be required to be in top shape to stop criminals and protect the public. I, personally, would certainly not want unfit officers protecting me.

According to the article, the current fitness test includes and endurance shuttle run, where officers must run back and forth on a 15 metre track in time to beeps. This lasts for three and a half minutes and is intended to mimic foot chases. The second stage involves chest presses and pulls to improve strength and power. It is these current tests that the annual tests would be modelled on.

However, the article goes on to state that the proposals could falter due to equality laws that are in place that make it illegal to discriminate against employees on the grounds of sex or age. To me this seems ridiculous. Given the nature of the job, and the responsibility that is involved, I would certainly encourage annual fitness tests, and possibly even more regular checks than that. Police officers should be at the height of fitness in this country.