Before engaging in any regular exercises (at home) by ourselves, you probably want to have a basic idea of what your general health conditions and fitness level are, so that you can better plan your training calendar according to your own needs or decide which challenge you would like to go for ( ie. 3 weeks Brand New Me Challenge or 28 Days Hot Girl Challenge ) :) !
[Example] Your will get something like this after the assessments:
Are you ready? Let's start the tests!
Different Tests
Here're some simple tests & normative values that you can take general references of:
1) Body Mass Index (BMI)
Formula = kg / m²
Normative value of BMI:
There have been a lot of controversies arouse regarding the accuracy of BMI in different ethnicities, mainly due to variations in body structure and fat distribution,
so if you are also Asian and are curious which percentile your measurements fall into, you might want to refer to this Table:
*Remarks: Add-ups may not be equal to total due to rounding.
Formula of WHR= waist circumference / hip circumference
*It is calculated by dividing your waist measurement by your hip measurement (the widest part of your buttocks) *
Normative values of waist Circumference (WC) and Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR):
Table 2a. WHO cut-off points and risk of metabolic complications [3]
Table 2b. International Diabetes Federation cut-off points for different ethnic groups [3]
Table 2c.Waist circumference distribution of adult Hong Kong population [4]
Scientifically, these physical indicators have a positive association with our health (and possibly fitness) condition.
Formula of WHR= waist circumference / hip circumference
*It is calculated by dividing your waist measurement by your hip measurement (the widest part of your buttocks) *
Normative values of waist Circumference (WC) and Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR):
Scientifically, these physical indicators have a positive association with our health (and possibly fitness) condition.
Now it's time to do some physical fitness tests:
3) Push-up Test
- Do as many push-ups as you can (in one go) and watch your posture:
- Your head should been line with your spine and remain neutral (don't look up)
- Your legs should be straight out behind you and your hands should be at chest level (45 degrees from your torso).
- Lower until your chest almost touch the floor, your arms should be bent in 90 degrees.
- Exhale as you push from your hands and heels, bringing your torso, chest, and thighs off the ground.
- Pause for a second in the plank position — keep your core engaged.
Normative values:
Table 3. Push Up Fitness Test Results [5]
4) YMCA 3-mins step test
- You need a sturdy box 12 inches high on which you can step up on down at a rate of 96 beats per minute
- Perform 24 steps per minute on a 12-inch step for a total of 3 minutes, roughly 96 steps total. Even tempo. (Each beat requires a step. Right foot up on beat one, left foot on beat two (now you're on the box) right foot down on three and left foot down on four. )
- Within 5 seconds of completing the exercise, measure your resting heart rate for a period of 60 seconds and record as recovery pulse (Number of heart beat in 60s immediately after the test)
- Locate the recovery pulse number in one of the following categories.
- Determine your cardiovascular activity:
*Noted that this step-test is a sub-maximal field test using recovery heart beat to estimate the maximal cardiovascular fitness, indicating that it only shows a general aerobic fitness result but not the maximal aerobic fitness (VO2max) [7]*
You now have a general idea of your approximate fitness level!
If you did not have a exercise routine / are relatively sedentary and want something easier to start with, you can try the '3 weeks Brand New Me Challenge', this full body workout plan starts with shorter workout durations (eg. 2 videos / day) and gradually proceed to longer exercise-time-per-day (eg. 4 videos / day), with less rest days as we progress, too.
While the '28 days Hot Girl Challenge' provides a consistent training plan, mainly for your core & abs (other body parts as well, but we'll focus on core more). There will be 3 videos / day and 1 rest day each week, perfect for people who are beginner - moderate level and crave some good fat burn off your belly & waist :)
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