The Results Are In

Usually, I wouldn’t blog two days in a row, but with just one week to go until round 3 of the Michelle Bridges 12WBT challenge, it’s fitness test time.

The term ‘fitness test’ makes me cringe. I wondered what would be in store, how gruelling it would be – and if I’d even be able to walk by the time I’d finished.

Would it be like the fitness tests we used to in school with the beeps? Do you remember those? You’d have run from one end of the gymnasium to the other, and you had to do it within the time between the beeps. If you didn’t, you were out. I was always one of the kids out early – not because I wasn’t fit enough, but because I just could not be arsed. So there I would sit, on the sidelines with the rest of us who’d thrown in the towel, watching David and Paul battle it out for first place. It was always boys who lasted to the end.

As it turns out, 12WBT fitness not like that at all (phew!), and it appears that it’s not that difficult to gauge how fit you are.

The first task is a 1km run. If you can’t run, you walk it, if you can’t run or walk it, then you find an alternative and set yourself a benchmark, such as, row 2km or swim 500 meters – that sort of thing.

Here is the outline for the rest of the test;

Push Ups – how many can you do in a minute? And you MUST try to do some on your toes.

Wall Sit – Find a wall, bend your knees to right angles and lean back against the wall – hold it as long as you can.

Abdominal Strength – complete the series of different sit up movements – whichever one you get stuck on is the current limit to your core strength

Flexibility – how far past your toes can you reach?

If you had asked me six months ago ‘how fast can you run a kilometre?’, I probably would have laughed in your face and chortled something along the lines of ‘Me? Run? Don’t be stupid’.

These days I can run 1km in under 7 minutes – something I never thought I’d be able to do. Some days it feels comfortable, sometimes it’s a struggle – I’m yet to find the balance, but the point is, I can do it. 

Push ups on my knees have never come easily to me, but I have been practicing my plank, and hopefully my results will be better than I’m expecting.

So, how did I go? The results are in;

I was a little bit surprised that my flexibility was not great, but I was happy that it was at least able to reach my toes.

My core strength surprised me – I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get past the third move!

So there you have you it – my benchmark for the next 12 weeks.

But I’m curious (and admittedly a little competitive) so I’m keen to know how everyone else went, if you’re willing to share.