How Many of Them Can You Currently Succeed at?

By Adam Armstrong 

You may or may not know that Strength Training is one of my true PASSIONS. That being said, the Fitness Tests I’m about to share with you aren’t for serious Strength Enthusiasts…

They are, in fact, suitable for ALL men…

Meaning: if you’re a MAN, you should be able to pass all 8 – because they’ll make your life easier and more enjoyable (and, in some cases, safer).

Bottom line?

If you can’t pass all 8, you have some work to do!

Let’s check out the list…

1. Walk for An Hour On Hilly Terrain

Every healthy man (or woman) should be able to do this.

Go to the great outdoors, and walk, for an hour, at a moderate pace, without issue. Without feeling like you’re going to cough up a lung or have a heart attack.

And “YES,” this should still be the case even if the terrain is hilly.

If you can’t do it, incorporate more walking into your lifestyle!

The benefits of walking – even for just 10 minutes – are numerous…

Better posture, increased energy, improved digestion and more. The video below explains more of the benefits:

2. Breathe Diaphragmatically

If you breathe shallow, and your chest expands and your shoulders rise (yet your belly doesn’t move), then you have problems. 

Being a ‘chesty breather’ is not healthy. It can create all kinds of health issues.

The correct way to breathe – that improves energy, and makes you feel more RELAXED and CALM – is to be diaphragmatically.

Diaphragmatic breathing is where your belly expands and contracts with each breath. Sure, your chest expands and contracts too. But your shoulders do not rise and fall, and the belly is definitely what moves the most as you breathe.

Watch the video below to learn more about how to breathe correctly:

3. Do 10 Press Ups with Strict Technique

A press up is hardly a feat of strength.

But, being able to do 10 press ups with STRICT technique shows a reasonable level of upper body strength and mid-section control.

Here’s how Press Ups look when performed with strict technique:

4. Do 5 Pull Ups with Strict Technique

Slightly harder than 10 strict press ups – 5 strict pull ups (or chin ups) is another thing a MAN should be able to do.

If you fail the press up or pull up standards – you’re either WEAK or FAT (or both). Sorry, but it’s true.

Here’s acceptable form on the pull ups:

5. Do a 30 Yard Farmer’s Walk with 25kg DB’s

25kg Dumbbells aren’t particularly heavy (for reference, I’ve done over 100kg in each hand, at a bodyweight of about 80kg).

But, they’re respectable.

The Farmer’s Walk simply involves picking up a DB in each hand and going for a walk. 30 yards with the 25kg DBs is the standard for EVERY man.

This video demonstrates the DB Farmer’s Walk:

6. Perform 10 Goblet Squats with a 24kg Kettlebell

Again, 10 Squats with a 24kg Kettlebell (or Dumbell) is hardly a feat of strength. But, the squat is a key human movement pattern, and doing 10 reps with a 24kg kettlebell demonstrates reasonable (acceptable) lower body strength.

Here’s how it should look:

7. Baby Crawl for 5 Minutes Non-Stop

The Baby Crawl is one of the best movements you can ever do. Period.

If you’re untrained, it’ll build strength.

It’ll also improve:

• Coordination
• Balance
• Resilience
• Reflexive Strength

And so much more.

Doing 5 minutes Baby Crawl non-stop is a great ‘Fitness Test.’ 

No, it won’t prepare you to ride a stage of the Tour De France, play 90 minutes of Soccer, or Box 12 3’s… but, it will allow you to do all those things, and any other physical activity you care to name, better, and more safely (because of the things it builds… reflexive strength, balance, coordination, resilience, should stable shoulders and so on!)

Here’s how it looks:

8. Fall Backwards or Forwards without Banging Your Head on The Floor!

Years ago I did Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) for about 6 months. Honestly, I never really enjoyed it like I did Boxing, but it was valuable nonetheless.

While a lot of BJJ isn’t the best stuff to learn for self-defense, certain things can definitely be used. And may even save your life…

For instance:

HOW TO FALL.

If you fall backwards, or forwards, and BANG YOUR HEAD, that may be ‘all she wrote’ – it could be GAME OVER.

However, if you know how to break your fall, with your arms, and avoid having your head hit the ground – then falling backwards or forwards isn’t nearly so much of a problem!

Master the skills in this video to ‘break your falls’ (you never know when you might need to):

So, the BIG QUESTION is:

“How many of these 8 tests can you pass right now?”

The correct answer is…

8.

Any less is UNACCEPTABLE.

Like I said…

These aren’t 8 fitness tests worthy of an elite athlete – they’re just 8 simple tests any healthy MAN should be able to pass. Period.

If you can’t do all 8, get to work!

Got Questions?

Leave Them in The Comments Section Below and I’ll Get Back to You ASAP…