Getting into Shape Essay Example for Free

Getting into Shape Essay Fitness is the quality or state of being fit. (Merriam-Webster, 2011) On September 26th, 2011 I took a physical fitness test. The fitness test measured four areas of my wellbeing, cardiovascular fitness, strength, flexibility, and body composition. After taking the test I was really interested in how I scored related to the standard set by other Men of my age. Cardiovascular fitness is the ability of the heart, lungs and circulatory system to supply oxygen and nutrients to working muscles efficiently. Having good cardio fitness allows you to enjoy life to the fullest. Cardio fitness reduces your risk of heart disease, lowers blood pressure, reduces cholesterol and helps you look and feel better. On the fitness test I scored a Maximum oxygen consumption of 58. This score placed me in the 95th percentile of males between the ages of 14-19 and at the low end of the very good category. Scoring high in this area did not surprise me since I do cardio for 3 hours a week. Yet, to improve my fitness and get in to the elite category I am going to incorporate more interval training in my cardio workouts. Strength is the second area that was tested during my fitness test. Muscular strength is the amount of force that your muscles can exert against resistance. (Healthy Flesh, 2011) To measure strength I was asked to bicep curl a bar for twenty seconds. At the end of the twenty seconds I scored 99 pounds and was in the upper end of the good category. If I would have curled 1 more pound I would have been in the excellent category. To get into that excellent category I am going to incorporate a new bicep regimen. The third test was the flexibility test. I knew going into the test that I wouldn’t do well since I do not stretch often. On the test I score 12. 4 inches. Compared with other males aged 14-19 I scored fair. To increase my flexibility I plan on stretching, by stretching after my warm-up, holding each stretch for 10-60 seconds and doing 2-6 repetitions per muscle group. (Liguori Carroll-Cobb, 2012) If I incorporate this stretching plan into my workout routine I should be able to get my flexibility level up to average for my age. The fourth and final test of my fitness was a body composition test. A three site skin fold test was used to determine my body composition for the test. The measurements were chest 3. 5mm, abdomen 12mm, and thigh 11mm. My body weight at the time of the test was 189 pounds. This combined with the skin fold measurements resulted in giving me a body fat percentage of 6. 5. The level of body fat I am at is low for men ages 14-19; it is also the optimal body weight for athletes. I plan on keeping my body fat percentage low by keeping up with my exercise routine and incorporating more cardio. The fitness test measured four areas of my wellbeing, cardiovascular fitness, strength, flexibility, and body composition. In the cardiovascular portion I scored very well. For strength I scored well, while in flexibility I scored fair. My body composition was 6. 5%. Overall, according to the fitness test, I am in excellent physical condition. I plan on continuing to work out, while improving on areas of flexibility and cardiovascular fitness. If I improve on those two areas while maintaining my strength and body composition, I shall live a long healthy life.