How to Test Your Fitness at Home in 10 Minutes

Form guides · 2 min read

You don’t need a lab to see whether you are getting stronger. Three numbers, written down today and again in a few weeks, tell you plainly. This is the test from Day 1 and Day 21 of CaliStart 21.

The three tests

Warm up for two minutes first, and rest a couple of minutes between tests.

Form for each test

Start · Finish

Push-Up

1. Start in a high plank: hands under your shoulders, legs straight, feet together.
2. Brace your abs and keep your body in one straight line.
3. Lower your chest until it is just above the floor, elbows about 45° from your sides.
4. Push the floor away until your arms are straight.

Form cue: Chest and hips move together — no worming up.

Easier: Do the Incline Push-Up, or keep your knees on the floor.

Start · Finish

Bodyweight Squat

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned slightly out.
2. Push your hips back and bend your knees as if sitting into a chair.
3. Go as low as you can while your heels stay down and your chest stays up.
4. Drive through your whole foot to stand tall.

Form cue: Knees track over your toes; don’t let them cave in.

Easier: Squat down to a chair, touch it lightly and stand back up.

Start · Finish

Plank

1. Kneel, then place your forearms on the floor with elbows under your shoulders.
2. Step your feet back one at a time until your legs are straight.
3. Hold a straight line from head to heels and breathe normally.
4. Stop the hold as soon as your hips start to sag.

Form cue: Tuck your tailbone slightly and squeeze your glutes.

Easier: Keep your knees on the floor.

Rules that keep the numbers honest

• Only clean reps count. Stop when your form changes, not when you collapse.
• Same version both times. If you tested incline push-ups on a countertop, retest on the same countertop.
• Same conditions. Similar time of day, similar rest beforehand.

How to read the result

Compare yourself only with yourself. There is no score you should hit, and results vary from person to person. A few more reps or a few more seconds on the retest means the work is doing something. If a number has not moved, look at how many sessions you actually did before changing the plan.

When to retest

Every three weeks is often enough. Testing every few days mostly measures how tired you are.

General fitness information for healthy adults, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program, and stop if you feel pain, dizziness or chest discomfort. Results vary. The people in the photos are models.