Lets come up with a test of basic fitness.

[traz]

[ QUOTE ]
MensHealth's List of Things a Fit Man Can Do:

1) Bench 1.5 times bodyweight
2) Run 1.5 miles in 10 minutes
3) Touch the rim on a basketball goal
4) Leg press 2.25 times bodyweight
5) Swim 700 yards in 12 minutes
6) Do 40 pushups
7) Run 300 yards in one minute
8) Touch toes
9) Through a basketball 75 feet (from knees)

[/ QUOTE ]

This list is garbage. How in the hell am I going to touch a basketball rim, when I'm 5'3? I also think benching 1.5x your weight is hard for anyone who hasn't worked out for awhile.

[dknightx]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
MensHealth's List of Things a Fit Man Can Do:

1) Bench 1.5 times bodyweight
2) Run 1.5 miles in 10 minutes
3) Touch the rim on a basketball goal
4) Leg press 2.25 times bodyweight
5) Swim 700 yards in 12 minutes
6) Do 40 pushups
7) Run 300 yards in one minute
8) Touch toes
9) Through a basketball 75 feet (from knees)

[/ QUOTE ]

This list is garbage. How in the hell am I going to touch a basketball rim, when I'm 5'3? I also think benching 1.5x your weight is hard for anyone who hasn't worked out for awhile.

[/ QUOTE ]

agreed, terrible list. (some items are decent though)

[rory]

Anything depending on your body weight is a bad metric. I have not worked out in over 10 years and I can do 10 pullups and maybe 30 pushups fairly easily.. but it is not because I am physically fit. It is because I only weigh 115 lbs. If I worked out for a few weeks I am pretty sure I could do 15 pullups and 60 pushups no problem.

[rory]

By the way, I hated those presidental tests of physical fitness. For a few years they did not have stretching in them, and I passed through them no problem. Then they added some silly have to stretch X itches past your toes requirement. I could never even touch my toes.

[Shadowrun]

[ QUOTE ]
MensHealth's List of Things a Fit Man Can Do:

1) Bench 1.5 times bodyweight
2) Run 1.5 miles in 10 minutes
3) Touch the rim on a basketball goal
4) Leg press 2.25 times bodyweight
5) Swim 700 yards in 12 minutes
6) Do 40 pushups
7) Run 300 yards in one minute
8) Touch toes
9) Through a basketball 75 feet (from knees)

[/ QUOTE ]

Oddly enough, the only one i can't do. Maybe its because im short.

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

reading some responses and thinking about it more, I think 5 is a little high, especially since most people never use those muscles really in day to day activities

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess it really depends on what we want to define as "basic" fitness. I would not feel confident in saying I was fit unless I could do at least 5 pullups.

[/ QUOTE ]

well its based on what an unfit person could accomplish in 3 months with moderate exersise. I betat the start that person could do maybe 1 pullup. So after 3 months I think 5 would be the upper end of what could be accomplished. And I dont think they could do more than that unless the spent time actually training that.


heh, we need an unfit non overweight person to go do some pullups and report back how many you can do...volunteers? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[cjmewett]

[ QUOTE ]
when I first started rock climbing I could do 2 pullups, after 2 months I could do 5. Which is why I figured that would be a good number. I was in better shape that average at the start but they also were semi fingertip pullups (it wasnt on a bar, so hand didnt wrap around) so I figure that would offset.

reading some responses and thinking about it more, I think 5 is a little high, especially since most people never use those muscles really in day to day activities

[/ QUOTE ]I guess I don't understand what it is you're trying to establish here. Are you wanting to figure out how much of _______ an average dude can do? Or to establish some sort of baseline fitness for a reasonably in-shape adult male? Because three pullups doesn't meet that standard.

[The Yugoslavian]

[ QUOTE ]
i think most 'fit' people, even those that don't work out, could do 30 pushups. 5 full-extension pullups would basically require being really skinny or lifting.

[/ QUOTE ]

I strongly disagree with this...I've never been able to do 30 pushups but I've been able to do over 10 full extension pullups with my palms facing out and way more with my palms facing in. I also could do a ton of situps....I've pretty much never been able to do many pushups...it may have something to do with my very loose ligaments but whatever, my joints just crack and snap and pop and I have to give up at about 20.

Yugoslav

[dknightx]

[ QUOTE ]
Anything depending on your body weight is a bad metric. I have not worked out in over 10 years and I can do 10 pullups and maybe 30 pushups fairly easily.. but it is not because I am physically fit. It is because I only weigh 115 lbs. If I worked out for a few weeks I am pretty sure I could do 15 pullups and 60 pushups no problem.

[/ QUOTE ]

if you can really do 10, palm outward facing, dead hang, pullups, then you are naturally physical fit, and would therefore pass this section easily. This test is not meant to determine if you are more fit beyond your natural ability, it is to determine a level which means you are FIT, whether you can naturally do it or not. I know people who can run 6 minute miles, who have never ran or trained in their life ... that doesn't mean we should make the standard a 5 minute mile.

[cjmewett]

[ QUOTE ]
well its based on what an unfit person could accomplish in 3 months with moderate exersise. I betat the start that person could do maybe 1 pullup. So after 3 months I think 5 would be the upper end of what could be accomplished. And I dont think they could do more than that unless the spent time actually training that.


heh, we need an unfit non overweight person to go do some pullups and report back how many you can do...volunteers? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]I'm 5'10", 170ish, 27 years old, and out of shape. I'm not fat at all, but have no muscle tone, definition, or upper body strength. I can't say for certain, but the last time I did pullups after not having worked out (even pushups or running) in quite a long time, I probably struggled to do 4. I would think that if I jumped on a bar right now, I might be able to knock out 3 solid ones.

EDIT: For the sake of comparison, the most I ever did on a PFT was 16. This was when I was 19 and doing several dozen pullups a day, but I was also considerably smaller (140ish) and probably not fully physically developed. I think that if I put in six solid months of training, I could get back to the high teens.