It is difficult to come up with a more accessible and effective exercise than the plank. After all, all that is needed for its implementation is a flat surface, its own weight and endurance. With systematic implementation, the result will not keep you waiting: the muscles of the back and upper shoulder girdle will get stronger, the press, hips and even buttocks will strengthen.

At first glance, it may seem that the plank is a fairly simple component of a complex workout and it is easy to perform it correctly. But there are a number of common mistakes that can make your workout at least useless and, at the most, traumatic. Therefore, in order to achieve the greatest productivity and prevent complications, you first need to figure out how to do a static exercise correctly.

Classic technique

1. Place your shoulders over your elbows (forearm plank) or hands (on straight arms).
2. Make sure that the whole body is even: straighten your legs and keep your lower back. Avoid arching in the lower back, a dip in the shoulder blades and lifting the pelvis up.
3. Look down. Do not raise your head so as not to overload the cervical spine.
4. Maintain strong tension throughout the body. Squeeze your buttocks, tighten your stomach and twist your pelvis forward.

How long do you need to last?

Plank for beginners

If you have just started training, then the most optimal time in the bar is 30 seconds. But before moving on to numbers, remember that the main thing is still not time, but correct execution. Therefore, if you feel that already at the 20th second your body relaxes and there are gaps in the technique, rest and prepare for the next approach.

The goal of training for beginners is four sets of 30 seconds each. Once you feel that you are doing this task with ease, increase the time of each set by a few seconds.

Plank for advanced

There are studies on the basis of which it can be concluded that two minutes in the plank is considered a good and optimal result for training. This time shows that the core muscles are in excellent shape.

For example, at Linfield College in Oregon, an experiment was conducted with the participation of 168 students, among whom were both boys and girls. As a result of the study, it turned out that students hold the bar for an average of 1 minute and 46 seconds, and female students - 1 minute and 30 seconds.

Besides, Dr. Stuart McGill, professor of spinal biomechanics at the University of Waterloo in Canada, also claims that two minutes of plank per set will suffice for advanced workouts. According to the expert, if you cannot complete the task, then the reason is either poor technique or excess weight. Both verdicts only mean that you have something to pay close attention to and work on.

5 simple but effective exercises for perfect abs

Include them in your workout, and the cubes will not keep you waiting.

Plank for record holders

Upon reaching a 2-minute result, it is recommended to increase not the time, but the complexity of the technique. For example, perform a plank on one arm or with a raised leg, add weights or dynamics. Increasing the time is only worthwhile if your goal is to beat a personal record.

By the way, the current world record among men belongs to an athlete from China. Mao Weidong. In 2016, he was able to hold the bar for 8 hours and 1 minute in the confrontation with George Wood, who set a personal best of 7 hours and 4 minutes. And this year a new achievement among women was recorded - Canadian Dana Glovaka held the position for 4 hours and 20 minutes. She was able to surpass Maria Kalimera's record, which was the highest from 2015 to 2019, by 49 minutes.

April 13, 2016

Consider how to conduct a fitness test to determine the level of physical fitness

Determining your fitness level is one of the most reliable ways to know if you are progressing in your workouts. And what is important: it is not at all necessary to contact fitness center specialists or use sophisticated gym equipment for this. Everyone can independently test muscle strength, determine endurance and functionality of the cardiovascular system, and identify opportunities in flexibility. And today we will tell you what special methods can help with this.

To check the level of physical fitness of the muscles, the respiratory system and the circulatory system, so-called tests are usually resorted to. Such fitness tests are a kind of indicator of those sports maximums that your body is able to achieve in terms of certain indicators.

The most representative are the push-up test, the crunch test, the 3-minute heart rate test, and the aerobic endurance test after walking 1.5 km. Below we will consider in detail the essence of each of these loads and the system of results for men and women that correspond to one or another level of physical fitness of a person (depending on his / her age).

However, first I would like to note that such test fitness loads should be carried out more or less regularly (for example, once every 2-4 weeks). If you progress on the test, it will mean that the sports program that you are currently working on is effective and promotes physical development. If the test results remain unchanged over time or fall, then this should be a signal to make adjustments to the fitness plan.

Fitness Test #1. Push ups

This type of load allows you to measure the strength and strength of the pectoral muscles, shoulders and triceps, as well as the endurance of these muscle groups. Equipment needed: 1-minute timer to complete the exercise.

Goal: Do as many push-ups as you can in one minute. Women can use a modified position - kneeling push-ups.

Results for Men

Age	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60+
Excellent	> 54	> 44	> 39	> 34	> 29
Good	45-54	35-44	30-39	25-34	20-29
Medium	35-44	24-34	20-29	15-24	10-19
Low rate	20-34	15-24	12-19	8-14	5-9
Very low score	< 20	< 15	< 12	< 8	< 5

Results For Women

Age	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60+
Excellent	>48	>39	>34	>29	>19
Good	34-48	25-39	20-34	15-29	5-19
Medium	17-33	12-24	8-19	6-14	3-4
Low rate	6-16	4-11	3-7	2-5	1-2
Very low score	< 6	< 4	< 3	< 2	< 1

Improvement Tip: If you are unable to complete the desired number of repetitions, no need to get upset. Try to gradually improve your score. To do this, focus on weight-bearing exercises aimed at working out the muscles of the chest, arms and shoulders.

Fitness Test #2. Twisting

This type of load helps to measure the strength and endurance of the abdominal muscles. The advantage of this exercise is that it can be done anywhere. Equipment Needed: A timer to count one full minute.

Goal: Perform as many crunches as possible in 1 minute.

Outcome scoring: The figures below have been adjusted for age and gender based on findings from sports medicine research.

Results for Men

Age	< 35 лет	35-44 years old	> 45 years old
Excellent	60	50	40
Good	45	40	25
Below the average	30	25	15
Very low score	15	10	5

Results For Women

Age	< 35 лет	35-44 years old	> 45 years old
Excellent	50	40	30
Good	40	25	15
Below the average	25	15	10
Very low score	10	6	4

Better Score Tip: To improve your performance on this test, choose strength exercises that engage the core muscles of your abs and lower back. Then try to check yourself again in 2-4 weeks.

Fitness Test #3. Heart Rate Recovery

This sports test is aimed at identifying aerobic endurance, that is, the ability of the cardiovascular system to respond to stress. When performing this exercise, the task is to determine how quickly the heart rate returns to normal levels after a training load. The faster this happens, the more resilient the body.

Equipment needed: stopwatch, platform or box 30 cm high, metronome (to maintain a constant rhythm, 96 beats per minute). You can use the Metronome Online online metronome.

Goal: Step onto the platform for 3 minutes without stopping while maintaining a consistent pace, and then determine how quickly the heart rate returns to normal. To do this, after completing the test, sit on a bench and count your pulse for 1 minute (on the wrist or on the neck). Rest 1 minute and repeat the measurement. Then check the result with the values ​​in the table.

step order

Results for Men

Age	18-25	26-35	36-45	46-55	56-65	65+
Excellent	50-76	51-76	49-76	56-82	60-77	59-81
Good	79-84	79-85	80-88	87-93	86-94	87-92
Above average	88-93	88-94	92-88	95-101	97-100	94-102
Medium	95-100	96-102	100-105	103-111	103-109	104-110
Below the average	102-107	104-110	108-113	113-119	111-117	114-118
Low rate	111-119	114-121	116-124	121-126	119-128	121-126
Very low score	124-157	126-161	130-163	131-159	131-154	130-151

Results For Women

Age	18-25	26-35	36-45	46-55	56-65	65+
Excellent	52-81	58-80	51-84	63-91	60-92	70-92
Good	85-93	85-92	89-96	95-101	97-103	96-101
Above average	96-102	95-101	100-104	104-110	106-111	104-111
Medium	104-110	104-110	107-112	113-118	113-118	116-121
Below the average	113-120	113-119	115-120	120-124	119-127	123-126
Low rate	122-131	122-129	124-132	126-132	129-135	128-133
Very low score	135-169	134-171	137-169	137-171	141-174	135-155

Improvement tip: In order to improve your performance in this test, we recommend that you practice regular cardio workouts, gradually increasing their intensity.

Fitness Test #4. Aerobic Endurance After 1.5 km

This test measures your aerobic fitness level based on how fast you can walk 1.5 km at submaximal speed.

Required equipment: comfortable clothes and sports shoes, stopwatch, stadium, playground, or flat road.

Goal: Walk 1.5 km as fast as possible, but at a steady pace. Do not perform this test on a treadmill as it will skew the results. Also, before starting, do a warm-up for 3-5 minutes.

Results for Men

Age	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60-69	70+
Excellent	<11:54	<12:24	<12:54	<13:24	<14:06	<15:06
Good	11:54-13:00	12:24-13:30	12:54-14:00	13:24-14:24	14:06-15:12	15:06-15:48
Medium	13:01-13:42	13:31-14:12	14:01-14:42	14:25-15:12	15:13-16:18	15:49-18:48
Below the average	13:43-14:30	14:13-15:00	14:43-15:30	15:13-16:30	16:19-17:18	18:49-20:18
Low rate	>14:30	>15:00	>15:30	>16:30	>17:18	>20:18

Results For Women

Many fitness clubs have a new service - fitness testing. What is it, what is it for, and is it necessary at all? In order for training to benefit the body and maximize pleasure, they must be within the power of the trainee.

Fitness testing will help determine your level of endurance, flexibility and strength. These tests quickly enough and most importantly very accurately determine the level of physical fitness. This, in turn, allows you to create a safe and most effective training program, as well as objectively evaluate the results of training in dynamics.

Purpose of Fitness Testing

The main purpose of fitness testing is to determine the overall physical condition. Not every coach can correctly calculate the optimal load level, especially if classes are held in a group. As a rule, a general set of exercises is selected, they are performed in the same rhythm, and for some it turns out to be work at the limit of physical capabilities, while for others it is just a light warm-up. In order for classes to bring maximum benefit and not harm health, fitness testing is carried out.

There are two types of testing - primary and repeated.

You can go through a full medical examination with many different tests, or choose a rapid test, which takes ten minutes. The choice depends on what you want to get as a result - complete information about the state of health or a general idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe capabilities of your body and the level of permissible loads. As a rule, a complete examination is recommended if there are health problems or chronic diseases. If everything is in order with health, then it is enough to pass express testing.

Devices are ideal for express testing:, and. Express testing is carried out periodically: 1 time per week, or 1 time in 2 weeks. You don't need to purchase any equipment for this. It is enough to rent them for one day and use the whole family or a group of friends.

All results of both medical examination and rapid testing are recorded in a personal medical record. Based on the results obtained, a special computer program calculates the optimal physical activity. An individual training plan is drawn up, the duration and frequency of classes, exercises for a certain muscle group are selected, a diet is recommended (if necessary).

To pass the initial fitness testing, you must fill out a questionnaire in which you describe your state of health in detail; if you have any diseases, be sure to take your medical card with you. And of course, do not forget a simple recommendation - the last meal should be at least two hours before visiting a fitness testing specialist. Bring sportswear with you - in any type of testing you will have to do physical exercises.

Repeated fitness testing is performed some time after the start of classes - after a month, two or more. The purpose of retesting is somewhat different - to determine the effectiveness of training and make adjustments to the program.

Fitness testing at home

Julia Tvorzhinskaya offers to independently, at home, conduct basic tests that "tell you about you."

So, fitness testing consists of three parts.

Part one. Measurements of anthropometric indicators, such as: weight, chest, waist, hips. You will need: scales, centimeter tape, a table to fill out (make and print it yourself), paste the table into the food diary.

It is recommended to perform control measurements weekly at the same time, for example on Saturday morning, on an empty stomach and after the morning toilet. The dynamics of these indicators will allow you to evaluate the effectiveness of the training process, cheer up and inspire you to new feats and achievements. Do not take measurements every day, because weight loss is an undulating and completely unpredictable process. Therefore, daily measurements are not always objective and can sometimes only be frustrating.

These tests are best supplemented with objective indicators of home self-monitoring devices. Read more about using appliances.

Part two. functional tests. You will need: a stopwatch, and the ability to correctly measure the pulse. Functional tests will allow you to determine the state of functional systems: cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, respiratory. It uses an orthostatic test, a Stange test, a Genchi test, the body's reaction to the load (control of heart rate before and after performing 20 squats). The program of the training process must necessarily be built in accordance with the data received. This is very important so as not to harm yourself with excessive loads.

Part three. Tests to assess the level of physical fitness. You can make a special table where you list all the exercises below in a column, and write dates in subsequent columns. Perform intermediate measurements every 2-3 weeks of training and track the dynamics of the results. The following exercises are suggested, before performing which be sure to do a light exercise.

Exercises for women

Push ups

This test will measure the strength and endurance of your upper body muscles. Do not conduct it if you do not know the execution technique at all (although this exercise is advanced in the school curriculum). Goal: Do as many reps as you can without stopping.

Technique: lie on your stomach, legs together, back straight. The arms are bent at the elbows, and are placed in front of you at shoulder level. Push up from the floor by straightening your arms and keeping your back and body straight. It is correct to perform push-ups leaning on your hands and toes, but you can perform a simplified version - lean on your hands and knees. Return to the starting position, but do not touch the floor, bend your arms at the elbows to an angle = 90 degrees. Do push-ups without stopping as many as you can, counting the number of repetitions. There is no time limit here, stop the test when you are very tired or when you cannot keep your back straight.

Test norms: for women	20-30 years:	30-40 years old	40-50 years old
Perfect	30 (+) reps	27 (+) reps	24 (+) reps
Very well	29-21 reps	26-20 repetition	23-15 repetition
Good	20-15 reps	19-13 reps	14-11 reps
Acceptable	14-10 reps	12-8 reps	10-5 reps
Need to work	< 9 повторений	< 7 повторений.	< 4 повторений

Press

This exercise will determine the strength of the abdominal muscles. You will need a rug and a stopwatch.

Technique: take I.p. lying on your back, knees bent, hands behind your head. We perform a partial shoulder lift, so that the lower back remains firmly pressed to the floor, then you should return to I.p. We note the time of 30 seconds, perform the exercises and count the number of repetitions. Record the result in the table and check with the test standards.

Test norms:

Excellent - 30 or more
Very good - 29-25 reps
Good - 25-15
Acceptable - 15-10 reps
You need to work - less than 10 times.

Flexibility

Lean forward from a seated position. This test will determine the flexibility of the muscles in your lower back and legs.

Required equipment: school ruler. The task is to bend as far as possible, sitting on the floor, legs in front of you.

I.p. sit on a gymnastic rug (or carpet), heels on the edge of the rug. Place one hand on top of the other, palms down. Exhale and reach for the line (where the heels are) as far as you can without bending your legs. Place your palms on the floor and hold for 3 seconds. Measure the distance in cm that you managed to reach, counting "+" if it is behind the line (further than the heels), and "-" if it is to the line (not reaching the heels).

conclusions

Every fitness program should include assessment methods. Record the test results in tables. They are not at all difficult to compose and print (or draw by hand) on your own. Testing should preferably be done on a monthly basis. This will help evaluate the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of the training program and make timely adjustments. If the process goes well, then as a result of testing, irrefutable evidence is obtained that your efforts have led to excellent results!

We invite you to. Resilience is not an innate trait. You need to know that this is a skill acquired throughout a person's life. Therefore, the question of how to increase stress resistance is very important. This feature implies in general the beliefs, actions, train of thought of a person that he acquires in the process of his development.

Stress resistance is a combination of qualities that allow the body to calmly endure the action of stressors, without harmful outbursts of emotions that affect activity and others, and also that can cause mental disorders.

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Share with friends , teacher, senior methodologist of the training center "Fitness Academy - Ukraine"

In order to create an ideal training program, you need to take into account the individual characteristics of the client and his age.

The first step in compiling a program is an analysis of the level of physical condition. A comprehensive assessment includes several parameters:

• development of functional systems;
• physical status;
• multifunctional status;
• level of physical fitness;
• performance.

I use an express method called Contrex-2. It includes eleven indicators and is suitable for assessing people of the first and second mature age - these are 25-35 years and 35-45 years, respectively.

11 due diligence indicators

To conduct testing, you will need a few simple tools: medical scales, blood pressure monitor, ruler, stand.

So what do we measure and how?

1. Age.
2. The weight.

1. Arterial and venous pressure at rest.
2. Pulse at rest(measured in 1 minute).
3. Pulse recovery. After a five-minute rest, measure the pulse. Then the client does 20 deep squats and sits down again. After 2 minutes, the trainer again measures the pulse for 10 seconds.
4. Flexibility. To do this, you need to ask the client to stand on the cabinet and bend over without bending your knees. The coach measures with a ruler how low he has sunk.
5. Rapidity. This quality is characterized by reaction. The test is performed as follows: the client stands with his arm outstretched (right or left - the one that is stronger), fingers extended. The trainer takes a ruler (45 cm) and sets it parallel to the palm, 2 cm from it. The coach releases the ruler. The client is faced with the task of quickly clenching his fingers into a fist and holding her. Then the trainer measures the distance from the lower edge of the palm to the “0” mark.
6. Dynamic strength of the leg muscles.The client jumps in height from a place. He becomes sideways to the wall next to the measuring scale. He touches her with his hand raised up, without lifting his heels from the floor. Then he steps back 15-30 cm and jumps up, pushing off with both legs. He should touch the scale with his hands as high as possible. The difference between the first and second touch is the height of the jump.
7. Endurance (speed).The trainer considers the maximum frequency of raising straightened legs (up to 90 °) from a prone position. The test is done for speed. The client is given 20 seconds.
8. Endurance (speed-strength). It is measured by the maximum frequency of bending the arms in support for 30 seconds.
9. General Endurance. The client runs on a treadmill for 10 minutes.

For each test, the coach assigns points according to a certain scheme. The more points the client scores, the higher the level of his physical condition. If a person scored 50 or less points, then he has a low level of training. 51-90 points - below average. 91-160 points - average, 161-250 - above average. More than 250 points means a high level of training.

Testing makes it clear what load can be given to a person as part of training, what qualities need to be developed in him.

Low and below average

This is the level of 60% of clients who come to the fitness club. For them, loads with large weights, intense loads (for example, fast running), interval training are prohibited. Their body is not ready to perform difficult work. They need a low-intensity aerobic exercise aimed at strengthening the cardiovascular, respiratory systems, and increasing the adaptive properties of the body.

This period is called "preparing to achieve goals." We do not give free weights to such clients: dumbbells and barbells. They are not yet ready for such a load, the risk of injury is maximum. Instead, we give them a load with their own body weight, they are engaged in simulators. It is safer, because the planes are set on the simulator. During work, the load on the stabilizing muscles - which are always weak in beginners - is minimal. So we insure the client against the risk of injury during training. The number of repetitions for them will be 15-20. This will build strength endurance and increase aerobic capacity.

Average level

The task in this case is to improve the lagging qualities. Only then can we give a more intense load. Such clients can exercise both with simulators and with free weights. They are ready for this load.

Also, one of the important indicators when we talk about dosing the load in fitness istarget heart rate zone. How to define it? Very simple. There is such a formula: 220 - age = 100% of the allowable heart rate. For example, a person is 35 years old. 220 - 35 = 185. 185 in his case is the upper, maximum allowable pulse limit. Above this figure, he cannot “jump”, further - the “death zone”, as they say.

For clients whose level is low and below average, it is necessary to give loads in the pulse, on average, 50-60% of the maximum. In simple terms, this is approximately 110-125 beats per minute. Translating into exercise - it's brisk walking or slow running.

If the client has an average or above average training, then we can give him a more intense load: 70-80% of the maximum heart rate. This equates to 120-160 beats per minute - running at an average pace.

Natalya Govorova

Reading time: 4 minutes

A A

The term "sports training" implies the competent use of all knowledge, conditions and methods for a directed impact on the development of an athlete. Tests are called non-specific exercises with a numerical result obtained in the course of measurements. They are needed to understand your current state of health and determine your readiness for physical activity. So, we determine the level of sports training.

Endurance test (squats)

Put your feet wider than your shoulders and, straightening your back, take a breath and sit down. We go up on the exhale. Without stopping and resting, we do as many squats as we can. Next, we write the result and compare it with the table:

• Less than 17 times is the lowest level.
• 28-35 times - the average level.
• More than 41 times - a high level.

Shoulder Endurance/Strength Test

Men do push-ups from their socks, beautiful ladies from their knees. An important point - the press must be kept in tension, do not fall into the shoulder blades and lower back, keep the body in a level position (the hips with the body should be in line). When push-ups, we lower ourselves so that the head is 5 cm from the floor. We count the results:

• Less than 5 push-ups - weak level.
• 14-23 push-ups - the average level.
• More than 23 push-ups - high level.

Rufier index

We determine the reaction of the cardiovascular system. We measure our pulse in 15 seconds (1P). Next, we squat 30 times for 45 seconds (average pace). Having finished the exercises, we immediately begin to measure the pulse - first in 15 seconds (2P) and, after 45 seconds, again - in 15 seconds (3P).

The Rufier index itself is determined by the following formula:

IR \u003d (4 * (1P + 2P + 3P) -200) -200 / 10.

We consider the result:

• Index less than 0 is excellent.
• 0-3 - above average.
• 3-6 - satisfactory.
• 6-10 - below average.
• Above 10 is unsatisfactory.

In short, an excellent result is one in which the sum of heart beats is less than 50 for all three 15-second intervals.

The response of the autonomic nervous system to physical activity - an orthostatic test

The test is carried out as follows:

In the morning (before charging) or after 15 minutes (before eating), spent in a calm state and horizontal position, we measure the pulse in a horizontal position. The pulse is counted for 1 minute. Then we get up and rest in an upright position. Again, we count the pulse for 1 minute in an upright position. The difference in the values ​​obtained indicates the reaction of the heart to physical activity under the condition of a change in body position, thanks to which one can judge the fitness of the body and the “working” state of regulatory mechanisms.

Results:

• A difference of 0-10 strokes is a good result.
• A difference of 13-18 strokes is an indicator of a healthy untrained person. The rating is satisfactory.
• A difference of 18-25 strokes is unsatisfactory. Lack of physical fitness.
• Above 25 strokes is a sign of overwork or some kind of disease.

If the usual for you, the average difference in strokes is 8-10, then the body is able to quickly recover. With an increased difference, for example, up to 20 strokes, it is worth considering where you are overloading the body.

We estimate the energy potential of the body - the Robinson index

This value demonstrates the systolic activity of the main organ - the heart. The higher this indicator is at the height of the load, the higher the functional abilities of the heart muscles. According to the Robinson index, it is possible (of course, indirectly) to speak about the consumption of oxygen by the myocardium.

How is the test carried out?
We rest for 5 minutes and determine our pulse for 1 minute in an upright position (X1). Next, you should measure the pressure: the upper systolic value must be remembered (X2).

The Robinson index (the desired value) looks like the following formula:

IR \u003d X1 * X2 / 100.

We evaluate the results:

• IR is equal to 69 and below - the mark is "excellent". The working reserves of the cardiovascular system are in excellent shape.
• IR is 70-84 - good. The working reserves of the heart are normal.
• IR is 85-94 - the average result. Indicates a probable insufficiency of the reserve capacity of the heart.
• IR is 95-110 - the rating is "bad". The result signals a violation in the work of the heart.
• IR above 111 is very bad. Disturbed regulation of the heart.