General fitness, your definition?

Cato

Just want to get all your feedback on what your ideas of average fitness of a healthy person is maybe some bench marks along with it to get a better understanding of your opinion? thanks

fatal

Here are one definitions of phsyical fitness:

- Physical fitness is a set of attributes a person has in
regards to a person's ability to perform physical
activities that require aerobic fitness, endurance,
strength, or flexibility and is determined by a
combination of regular activity and genetically
inherited ability.

Cato

thanks but i was looking for more personalized opinions and some physical targets people set to this goal

BossArky

Ok you wanted random... these won't have you winning any comps but will have you ahead of the average Joe

• Run 5km in 30 mins
• Run 1.6 km (a mile) in 7 mins
• Have bodyfat < 12% male, <20%(??) female
• Bench, deadlift and squat at least your bodyweight.
• Manage 10 pull ups from a dead hang (... if it's good enough for Gladiators...)

I'm sure there are umpteen more random benchmarks you could come up with.

pvt.joker

BossArky wrote: »

Ok you wanted random... these won't have you winning any comps but will have you ahead of the average Joe

• Run 5km in 30 mins
• Run 1.6 km (a mile) in 7 mins
• Have bodyfat < 12% male, <20%(??) female
• Bench, deadlift and squat at least your bodyweight.
• Manage 10 pull ups from a dead hang (... if it's good enough for Gladiators...)

I'm sure there are umpteen more random benchmarks you could come up with.

Hmm thanks for that, ill give them all a try this evening :cool:

Well the first 2 anyway, BF im working on and is dropping.
Dont know how to do the last 2, but will learn soon

dv6

1 and 2 i can do. Rest, think id be WAY off, but working on it.

pvt.joker

Id add another in, 10 laps of a 25m swimming pool without pause.
Would be a decent sign of general fitness

pvt.joker

BossArky wrote: »

Ok you wanted random... these won't have you winning any comps but will have you ahead of the average Joe

• Run 5km in 30 mins
• Run 1.6 km (a mile) in 7 mins
• Have bodyfat < 12% male, <20%(??) female
• Bench, deadlift and squat at least your bodyweight.
• Manage 10 pull ups from a dead hang (... if it's good enough for Gladiators...)

I'm sure there are umpteen more random benchmarks you could come up with.

Do you tick all these yourself? :pac:
You probably do though, in which case

BossArky

pvt.joker wrote: »

Do you tick all these yourself? :pac:
You probably do though, in which case

Yeah, I was kinda basing them on my stats minus a bit. Some of them will be alot harder than others... probably the mile and pull ups are the hardest. 5km should be easy enough. Deadlift should be easier than squat, which in turn should be easier than bench. If you mange all those then your bodyfat will probably be less than 12%.

Run 5km in 30 mins --> ~24 outdoors, 21:48 threadmill
Run 1.6 km (a mile) in 7 mins --> 6 something
Have bodyfat < 12% male --> 9%
Bench, deadlift and squat at least your bodyweight --> 82.5, 120 and 95kg respectively at 74kg.
Manage 10 pull ups from a dead hang (... if it's good enough for Gladiators...) --> 12 or so.

tribulus

Bench 140 raw (a bit off it)
Squat 180 raw (could have done it at one stage but a fair bit off it now)
Pull 200 raw (185 x 3 is best so could probably do it if strength levels were back there)

1.5 miles in 10 minutes or less (close to it)
100 pressups (just for the laugh, did about 70 before)

Having two fully functional ears (yep, hoooraaay!)

KERPAL

Dunno guess im not fit!!

Weight:100kg
Bodyfat:??? (BMI:26.5)
Bench: 85
Deadlift: 130
Squat: 130
1.6KM: 5.58
5km: 26 mins
Pull-ups: 0

Pen1987

Dunno where you lot are getting your benchmarks from but jesus you are setting a high standard for 'General fitness'.

I'd say someone who is decently fit, (taking fit to be cardiovasculor fitness) if they could run a mile without pause in under 12 minutes.

General strength I'd set at benching 3/4 BW, being able to do five pull-ups from a dead hang and squatting or deadlift of 4/5 BW.

If someone could do these I would say they were generally fit, not particularly fit, but they wouldnt be over 27 BMI (although BMI is a sh!te method of measurement of fitness, but kinda decent measure of general health) if they could run the mile in 12 mins and they wouldnt be weak in comparison to their cardio stats because of the strength benchmarks. Overall, generally decent shape.

BossArky wrote:

Ok you wanted random... these won't have you winning any comps but will have you ahead of the average Joe
Run 5km in 30 mins
Run 1.6 km (a mile) in 7 mins
Have bodyfat < 12% male, <20%(??) female
Bench, deadlift and squat at least your bodyweight.
Manage 10 pull ups from a dead hang (... if it's good enough for Gladiators...)
I'm sure there are umpteen more random benchmarks you could come up with.

I ran 5KM in 24 minutes two years ago at 60KG prior to any strength training, I doubt I could run it in that time now but I'm much healthier and fitter in general. I could bench 30KG then, 65KG now, I could squeeze out ten kipping pull ups then, I could just about do ten from a dead hang now. So I'm not sure on the 5Km measurement would be good indicator. I'd say my BF is just around 12%, and was around 8%... I weigh 76KG now. I go to the gym 5times a week and would be considered to be in superb shape by most people I know.

Bossarky what do you weight? benching BW is a fair high aim IMO... I'm at it 2 years and am still 10KG off...

I'd say getting your BF at 18% would be a solid aim for the average joe.

KERPAL

BMI really doesnt make sense i was just thinking there.
Like the likes of Paul OConnel would be overweight if so.

tribulus

I thought it was for each individuals goal for "fitness" rather than what they thought fit should be for the average person, oops.

I think most people (male anyway) should be able to bench BW for a few reps - certainly in this case as everyone benches but not many squat/dl. For squat I think being able to squat 1.5x BW as a 1RM should be achievable and a few reps (even 3 lets say) at 1.5x BW for DL's. Assuming a few months of consistent training that is. A few chin ups too.

I think a mile in 9 minutes should be very achievable. I started in running in February after genuinely not having gone on a run for two years and could do an 8 minute mile within 5-6 weeks of training. Considering my complete lack of cardiovascular fitness and the fact I'm about 90kg then if I could do it I really think most people should be able to.

Pen1987

Kerpal wrote:

BMI really doesnt make sense i was just thinking there.
Like the likes of Paul OConnel would be overweight if so.

Aye, thats why I said its a crap indicator. It is a semi-decent indictator for the average joe who doesnt lift much weights. PO'C et al would be considered overweight because the majority of their weight would be muscle, that is not the case for the bloke on the street who doesnt train daily or watch their diet specifically.

BossArky

Pen1987 wrote: »

I'd say someone who is decently fit, (taking fit to be cardiovasculor fitness) if they could run a mile without pause in under 12 minutes.

Do you live in an old folks home? :pac: 10kmph will get you to 1.6km (i.e. a mile) in 9 minutes and a bit. 10kmph is pretty slow.

Obviously it is easier to run the mile and 5km if you are built like a Kenyan (i.e. scrawny). That is why you should take all the benchmarks into consideration if you want a "rounded" viewpoint of your fitness. It should be harder (and therefore you are probably fitter) if you can do the runs with the muscle as opposed to without it.

I did pick the benchmarks off the top of my head so don't get too upset about them.

xebec

BossArky wrote: »

Do you live in an old folks home? :pac:

10kmph will get you to 1.6km (i.e. a mile) in 9 minutes. 10kmph is pretty slow.

That's what I was wondering too... I could walk a mile in 12 minutes!

Oh, and it's a bit closer to 10 mins at 10kmph...

Pen1987

no, but I do know alot of average joes who wouldnt be considered out of shape by the non-fitness-enthusiastic area of society (underrepresented on this forum) who couldnt finish a mile without pause.

xebec

It's obviously very hard to decide what general fitness is. Everyone has different goals and trains for those, so while their fitness is at a good level there is bound to be some measure that they fall back on because they're not training for it... (Unless they're BossArky of course!)

BossArky

Pen1987 wrote: »

Bossarky what do you weight? benching BW is a fair high aim IMO... I'm at it 2 years and am still 10KG off...

74kg at the moment.

BrianD3

Bryce Lane has some strength benchmarks here
http://www.ironsports.tv/hwgdami.htm

I would say that a beginner should aim for the "nuthin to be ashamed of" level in the 3 big lifts plus a few others. These goals could be achieved within a year of starting training. Very few untrained people would would be able to do them. Maybe some manual workers woud be able to do them straight off without any barbell training.

I don't think I agree with his chin up standards though ,according to this table being able to do chinups "at all" is about as hard as deadlifting 1.5X your bodyweight or benching 1X BW. I would have said the deadlift and bench are harder.

@tribulus, did you get injured? last time I frequented this forum you were making great progress, deadlifting well over 200, competing etc.

tribulus

The most I've ever deadlifted was 215! 210 in competition.

I've still been training but had final year of college and other specific goals that involve more running!

Back into it now though.

BrianD3

Ah, final exams. I haven't had to worry about stuff like that for a good many years

gabgab

This a cool thread I think,

Having done limited lifting, crossfit for a few months and previously bull****ty weights that involved isolation exercises and bugger all structure. Here is my take on it,

I want to be in generally good shape, this for me involves cardio and weightlifting. I know a couple of guys that can cycle 60 km at a very decent pace in one sitting, other lads that can run 10km in under 40 minutes, and I know guys that can bench their own weight and make it look effortless,

My definition of fitness is going to be an ability to swim a km in a pool in 15 minutes, as it is a non impact and will help with physique gains ;-) HOPEFULLY
Along with gains in weight lifting in the big lifts:

Bench, Squat, Deadlift, Pullup or weighted pullup, Shoulder Press, Power Clean.

I am starting a 85 day countdown log to this soon after a triathlon on saturday. Hopefully doing a workout called Cindy asap, then at the end of the 85 days to see what I can do:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfzecA9ymHI

There is a clip of that workout, its 5 pulls, I think she is doing chins so I may be wrong, 10 pressups, 15 bodyweight squats. It appeals to me as it is a measure of fintess both strength, cardio and endurance.

I do fintess stuff to give me better health and feel a bit better, we all have different goals though and different intersets, each to their own and I respect all disciplines equally,

My 2 cents anyway,

thirtyfoot

A lot of these benchmarks are very much geared to the weights room. Most Joe Punters I'd imagine would regard the swimming/running/cycling marks as good fitness indicators . I'd say benching bodyweight would equate to a 5:30-6:00 min mile. Most people would regard Paula Radcliffe has "fit", and while she would rattle off 26 consecutive 5:30 min miles, I doubt she could bnech her bodyweight (although she does lift weights). Bossarkys benchmarks are closer to what I would say are decent fitness marks with maybe slightly faster runs and slightly lighter weights.

Roper

If we're not talking numbers, which are arbitrary and really only apply to the superstuds who post here:

Basically:
To be able to perform physical tasks without failure/overexertion. eg. Run for a bus, lift a child in/out of a car seat, run up a flight of stairs, jump over a puddle, lift a heavy potted plant from one end of the garden to the other, walk to work.
To maintain cardiovascular health to a level that aids the prevention of heart disease and other ailments.

At another level-
To be able to engage in athletic activities which can aid in stress relief and for enjoyment.

Next level-
To increase fitness so as to maximise performance in those same athletic activities.

Not everyone lives in a weights room and wants to deadlift and not everyone is in your demographic. If you want to see physically fit there's a senior citizen down the road from me who goes on long cycles and runs almost every day. I doubt he's got a squat day.