Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Testing Your Fitness .....................................................................................
In This Chapter
Reviewing your health history
Determining your heart rate and blood pressure
Surveying your heart and lungs
Scrutinizing your body fat
Measuring your strength and flexibility
W
e’ve never been fond of tests that you can’t study for. Nevertheless,
we think the first step toward getting in shape is having your fitness
evaluated. Don’t panic. This test isn’t like your driver’s license renewal exam:
You can’t flunk, and you don’t have to stand in line for three hours listening
to people rant and rave about government bureaucracy. A fitness test simply
gives you key information about your physical condition.We constantly hear people say, “I’m so out of shape. I need to lose weight.”
But that’s like telling a travel agent, “I’m in Europe. I need to go to Africa.”
Your travel agent needs to know the specifics: Are you in Rome? Berlin?
Moscow? Do you want to go to Cairo? Cape Town? The Kalahari Desert?
Before you embark on a fitness program, you need to know your starting
point with the same sort of precision. A fitness evaluation gives you impor-
tant departure information, such as your heart rate, body fat, strength, and
flexibility. Armed with these facts, you or your trainer can design an intelli-
gent plan to get you to your fitness destination. And when you get there,
you’ll have the numbers to prove just how far you’ve come.In this chapter, we describe what to expect when a professional tests your fit-
ness. We also explain how to test your fitness on your own. However, even if
you do most of the testing yourself, consider getting certain aspects of your
fitness evaluated at a sports medicine clinic or fitness center. As you com-
plete the various tests, record your results on the chart found at the end of
this chapter.