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Ask 10 experts for their definition of fitness, and you’ll hear 10 different answers. That’s because how you define the word depends on the type of performance you expect. Some athletes need to develop a particular type of fitness over all others—powerlifters at one extreme, marathoners at another—but most of us are at our best when we achieve balanced fitness. In other words, we’re good at everything a healthy, active man needs to be able to do. On these points the experts agree: You need core stability. You need lower-body strength and power to run, jump, and lift heavy objects off the ground. You need torso strength to lift your own body weight in repeated challenges. And you need enough endurance to run a mile without stopping for defibrillation. That’s why we asked our experts to create seven fitness tests that will help you assess the shape you’re in. Start with the three challenges below, which measure core and upper-body strength—areas guys generally care about most. (You can see all 7 fitness tests in Are You MH Fit?) But don't just do these exercises once; make them part of your regular workout and you'll quickly broaden your shoulders, build your biceps, and chisel your torso. And become as fit as you've ever been. Try the fitness challenge to find out how strong you are. And don’t aim for average. Keep working at these exercises until you're not just fit, but Men’s Health Fit. Let the games begin. Fitness Test #1: Core Stability Fitness begins in the middle of your body. That’s also where it ends, if your core isn’t strong and stable. Not only do the muscles in your torso defend your spine against unwanted movements—the twists and jolts that produce injuries—but they also enable the movements you do want. They’re the linchpins that allow coordinated actions of your upper- and lower-body muscles. So we’ll start with the plank, a fundamental test of core stability and endurance. The average guy should be able to hold a basic plank for 60 seconds, says strength coach Nick Tumminello. If you aspire to be Men's Health Fit, you should be able to do a more challenging version for the same amount of time. You’ll need something long, solid, light, and straight, like a broom handle or dowel. Assume a basic plank position, with your weight resting on your forearms and toes. Your body should form a straight line from neck to ankles. You want your feet hip-width apart and your elbows directly below your shoulders. Have a friend set the dowel along your back. It should make contact at three points: the back of your head, between your shoulder blades, and your tailbone. Hold that position. Stop if your body loses contact with the dowel at one of these three points. If you can hold your position for 60 seconds, stop and rest for two minutes. Then do the plank with your feet on a bench. (You won’t be able to use the dowel, because it will slide off.) Nailed it? Rest two minutes and try this version: With your feet back on the floor, move your arms forward so your elbows are beneath your eyes instead of your shoulders. If you can hold this one for 60 seconds, congratulations: You’re Men's Health Fit. Planks are a big part of the 2012 Spartacus Workout, which readers are calling their favorite workout ever. The best part is its simplicity—all you need are dumbbells, a stopwatch, and some serious grit. Are you tough enough to try it? THE SCORECARD Below average: You can’t hold a basic plank 60 seconds Average: You go 60 seconds Above average: You can hold a plank 60 seconds with your feet elevated on a bench Men's Health Fit: You can hold a plank with your arms extended for 60 seconds How to push past a fitness plateau. Fitness Test #2: Pushups The bench press is the best size- and strength-building exercise for your chest. And yet the lowly ground-based pushup actually works more muscles, even if it doesn’t allow you to hit certain ones with maximum intensity. Like the bench press, the pushup works your chest, shoulders, and triceps to exhaustion. It’s also a core exercise, forcing muscles in your abdomen, hips, and lower back to work hard to keep your spine in a safe position. But the biggest benefit of the pushup may be the way it forces the web of muscles surrounding your shoulder blades to man up and support your shoulder joints, which can become dysfunctional on a steady diet of bench presses. This test, courtesy of Martin Rooney, one of the world's top strength and conditioning coaches, may be humbling for you, particularly if you’re at your best with your back on a bench and a barbell in your hands. Assume a pushup position with your hands directly below your shoulders, your feet hip-width apart, your weight resting on your hands and toes, and your body in a straight line from neck to ankles. Lower your body until your chest is about an inch above the floor, pause for 1 second (this is essential), and then return to the starting position. Complete as many consecutive pushups as you can while maintaining strict form. THE SCORECARD Below average: Fewer than 15 pushups Average: 16 to 29 pushups Above average: 30 to 44 pushups Men's Health Fit: 45+ pushups Fitness Test #3: Chinups Just as the bench press has replaced the pushup in many exercise programs, so has the lat pulldown replaced the chinup. And that’s a shame. Both exercises hit the featured muscles in the upper and middle back—the lats, lower trapezius, and rear deltoids—but the chinup goes lower and deeper. Because you’re hanging from a bar rather than sitting on a padded seat, you force muscles in your middle back to work with the muscles in your hips and lower back to keep your spine in a safe position. “Chinups are a great test of upper-body strength and endurance, core stability, and spinal stabilization,” says Men’s Health advisor Alwyn Cosgrove, C.S.C.S., coauthor of The New Rules of Lifting for Abs. Pulldowns are certainly easier, but as with so many things in life, limited effort produces limited rewards. Grab a chinup bar using a shoulder-width, underhand grip. Hang at arm’s length. Pull your chest up to the bar, pause for 1 second, and then slowly lower your body back to the starting position and repeat. A repetition counts only if you start from a dead hang with your arms straight. THE SCORECARD Below average: Fewer than 3 chinups Average: 3 to 7 chinups Above average: 8 to 10 chinups Men's Health Fit: More than 10 chinups

Planks--- i hit the "men's health" level no problem
Pushups--- Im at 50
Pullups--- only 2 :puzzled:

lol thats how i know i need to lose some weight, im strong, but i cant lift my tubby a$$ over a bar

Drew, Im with you on the excess lard!
Planks- mens health no problem (do them every week with the trainer)
Pushups- Above average 35-40
Pullups- 2 & 1/2 that means too much gut
Scott

Well today on Fit4Life I will try to see what I can do.

On a Scale of one to ten...I can pick up one scale..then I need a nap!

:roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll::roll:

Nowhere around here to do pull-ups - Japanese houses are built to last only about 20 years so if I started hanging off things, it'd fall down. I kid you not...

ok after my fit for life stuff and bashing the beep out of my knee on a rock wall i was climbing..

plank passed with flying colors. painful i might add after the above mentioned bashing

pushups did 50 but stopped to catch my breath twice and letting my knee bend. so im going to say 25 on this one.

pullups waited a couple hours and was able to do 6 before i got winded. look no knee problems here.

i must say when i was in high school 3 pullups was awesome.(my score was 1 and a little effort towards a second) so now that i rockclimb and can do 6 i have definaly gotten better. who can do 10+. if you can you are a beast.

I need someplace to try this. All my doorways are 6'6" and I'm 6'3" And only 7 foot ceilings.
Hey how come theres a a hole in the ceiling by every doorway in your house?:dunno:

Plank- Above average. I can do the bench arms extended for only 45 sec however
Pushups- 25
Pullups- 12 :dunno: does this mean I need to gain?...

A note on pullups if you have a garage with open rafters hang a bar off them.

No garage dude and the car-port would break y'all don't know how lucky you are...!

Um --- I give up

yep looks like i need to add pull-ups into my morning burpees :Ange09:

Like Kami said a while back, the best way to improve your bottom end in kiteboarding, is to lose your own ( something to that effect anyway)