Measuring fitness start point

[anonymous-user]

Hi

I have always been pretty active, generally football training few times a week and a game on a sat.

Because of work commitments this has not been possible and am lucky if I make one session a week, let alone a game.

I plan to change this in 2010, famous last words....and would like to know of a good way of measuring my fitness. Have thought about bleep test, does anyone have any thoughts on this or other suggestions.

If I go ahead with bleep test can anyone recommend a site to download it from? Used to have it on cd but can't find it now.

Thanks

p

[parapaul]

Time taken for your heart rate to return to its resting rate after exercise is one of the best indicators

[mrmr96]

Bleep test.
BMI (or weight).
% of body mass which is fat.
3d scan (at a posh gym).
Time to run set distance.

Loads of ways. What aspect of your fitness are you aiming to improve? If it's 'general' fitness then a combination will be best.

[Slagathore]

My initial thought was the bleep test. It's widely used, so should be a good indicator.

On the off chance you have an Iphone, there is a bleep test app you can download.

As mentioned, heart rate recovery is a good way. I can't remember exactly how you do it, but I think it's something like - run/cycle/row flat out for 5 mins, then stop completely, then measure how far it drops after 1 and then 2 minutes. The more, the better.

I read that after googling "recovering heart rate times", or something similar. One of the websites that came up explained how to test it.

There are a few running specific ones, but I'm posting from my phone, so don't have the links handy. I think one of them might be called the 'cooper test', which involves seeing how far you can run in 12 minutes. Or something similar to that.

[mybrainhurts]

I tend to employ the Wheeze test....

[dirty doug]

Bleep test! Boy can that be tough! 1st time I did it, I was wearing a heart rate monitor. Got up to level 14.4 age 34. Looked down at monitor - heart rate of 218bpm . I stopped pronto

[anonymous-user]

Good call on the iPhone app. Just downloaded one to try.

Now is it both legs over each line, or just one. Seems to be two schools of thought.

Oh and is the 20m one the 'standard' ? It also has a shorter 15m police version? Which do the fire brigade use?

And do you know what level they must get too?

P

[dirty doug]

MRSNEAK said:

Good call on the iPhone app. Just downloaded one to try.

Now is it both legs over each line, or just one. Seems to be two schools of thought.

Oh and is the 20m one the 'standard' ? It also has a shorter 15m police version? Which do the fire brigade use?

And do you know what level they must get too?

P

20m is the standard. When I used to do them, several of the people were doing it for Fire Brigade entry. iirc it's between level 9-10.

If you've never done it before though, trust me it's hard to get to the higher levels.

Edited by dirty doug on Monday 4th January 18:56

[anonymous-user]

I for to level 16 a few years ago. But that was when I was training and playing 4/5 times a week. Be happy with half that now. Will keep you posted.

Are there any heart rate rests I should do at the end given I will be fit to burst by then? I don't have any fancy gear, bur can certainly check my heart rate.