A fitness test this Marin athlete swears by

By Jen Murphy

Whether you are new to fitness or looking to break an exercise plateau, you need to test yourself occasionally.

Evaluating your baseline fitness might tell you that your right leg is stronger than your left, for example, or that your core is weaker than you thought, allowing you to tailor your workouts and improve.

Hiring a trainer to do a full assessment of your fitness is the best way to create a fully personalized plan. But there are some effective tests you can do on your own to get an idea of your strengths and weaknesses.

There are hundreds of fitness tests available on the internet — to find the ones that are worthwhile, we asked trainers and exercise experts to pick four tried-and-tested self-assessments for strength, balance and cardiovascular fitness.

“No test is the best test, but these oldies are goodies,” said Mark Murphy, a sports physical therapist at Mass General Brigham’s Center for Sports Performance Research in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

These tests aren’t meant to be pass-fail, Murphy added. You can compare your scores against data for your gender and age, but it’s more important to compete with yourself, he said. “Think of your scores as benchmarks for building better fitness.”

Cardio fitness test

Cardio fitness is such an important marker for longevity that the American Heart Association has argued it should be considered a vital sign that’s regularly measured by doctors, like your cholesterol.

The gold standard for measuring your aerobic capacity is VO2 max, which requires an extensive, supervised lab test, but it can be worth doing if you have the time and money. If you’re a consistent runner, the Cooper test (which entails running for 12 minutes) is another good option.

But the YMCA three-minute step test is lower intensity, requires little space and works for people of all ages and fitness levels, said Dr. Elizabeth Gardner, an orthopedic surgeon at Yale School of Medicine.

YMCA three-minute step test

What it tells you: This step test primarily measures your cardio fitness, but it also requires leg strength, hip mobility, balance and coordination.

“If you feel your quads start to fatigue before your lungs, that’s a sign you need to work on leg strength,” Murphy said.

Equipment: You will need a 12-inch block, such as an aerobic step or a tall step stool, if you want to compare your score to data for your age and gender. One staircase step is too short, but two is fairly close. You’ll also need a metronome app and a stopwatch.

The test: Set a metronome to 96 beats per minute to pace yourself. Step on and off the step 24 times per minute for three minutes. With each beat, move a foot: Up left, up right, down left, down right is one step, or four beats. Make sure your foot lands completely on the step. After you’ve completed three minutes, find your pulse in your wrist and count the number of beats in 60 seconds. You can use the YMCA standards chart to see how you stack up.

Modifications: If you feel tired after walking up a flight of stairs, consider starting with one minute and working your way up to three. If you’re concerned about your balance, perform the test near a railing or wall that you can use for support, Gardner said. If you have knee pain, you should avoid this test, she said.

Upper-body strength test

Both the Mayo Clinic and the U.S. Army rely on the good old fashioned pushup to assess upper-body strength and endurance.

Pushup test

What it tells you: Pushups work the chest, shoulders and arms and are a rough approximation of your upper-body endurance and pushing strength.

They also activate the core, which can offer a secondary test, Murphy said. “If you feel your hips sagging before your arms fatigue, it indicates that you need to train your core before you focus on building upper-body strength.”

Equipment: None.

The test: Perform as many pushups as you can until your form breaks or your muscles give out. You can compare your score with those listed by the American Council Exercise.

Modifications: If you can’t do a pushup, test yourself by holding a plank with good form for one minute. Once that feels easy, perform pushups from your knees.

Lower-body strength test

Squats are a classic measure of lower-body strength and power, but they can be challenging for people with knee pain or limited hip mobility. For an alternative test of lower-body fitness, try the single-leg calf raise test, said Kim Hébert-Losier, an associate professor of applied biomechanics at University of Waikato in New Zealand.

Single-leg calf raise test

What it tells you: Calf strength and endurance have long been linked to walking speed, balance and ankle stability. It can also help you determine if one of your legs is stronger than the other. Danny King, a trainer at Life Time Inc. in Minneapolis, said he uses this test to assess whether patients can begin playing sports like pickleball.

Equipment: None.

The test: Complete as many single-leg calf raises off a step with good form. You can lightly place a few fingers on a chair or wall for balance. Keep your knee straight, with your weight across the forefoot as you rise up and down. Your ankle should not roll in or out. Stop when you feel your form breaking down, especially in the ankle.

Research by Hébert-Losier and others suggests that 28 is a good score for men ages 40 to 49, and 24 is good for women of the same age group.

Modifications: Doing the test on flat ground can make it easier.

Balance test

Your balance begins to decline around age 50, which can lead to an increased risk of falls. As a starting point, try a simple 10-second test. But if that’s too easy, try the following one.

What it tells you: This test, developed by endurance coach Chris Hinshaw, is hard. It requires you to balance on one leg while performing a task that challenges your balance, Murphy said.

Juliet Starret, a fitness expert in Marin County and co-author of “Built to Move,” said it’s one of her favorite assessments because it’s a fun, functional and scalable way to test balance. She also uses it herself, as a measure of how she’s feeling on a particular day. If she can’t do it, she takes that as a sign to go easy.

“This is a good assessment for overall well-being and knowing when you might need to give your body a rest,” she said.

Equipment: A pair of shoes and socks.

The test: Begin barefoot, with a pair of socks and shoes on the floor in front of you. Balance on your right leg. Bend over, pick up one sock and put it on, all while balancing on one foot (hopping is OK). Bend over again and pick up your left shoe, put it on and tie the laces, all while balancing. Place your right foot on the ground and repeat on the left side.

Ideally, you shouldn’t have to touch the ground, though Starrett said that using the floor or something else for balance more than three times can be a sign your balance could use improvement. You can practice specific balance exercises or tweak your daily habits, like balancing on one foot while you brush your teeth, she said.

Modifications: You can make this test easier by using a slip-on shoe. If it’s still too challenging, simply try balancing on one leg for one minute. Work your way up to bending down to pick up a shoe.