how fit is fit enough ?
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5-10 pullups is my next fitness goal. There's always going to be room for improvement in fitness.0
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Lots of very impressive accomplishments, but if you can't do a 2 minute plank your abs are weak.1
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That didn't start with Fox, but the answer is that not being able to do a two minute plank is an indication that your fitness plan is deficient. There are two reasons for not being able to do it; poor ab/core strength and/or you are obese. If you lift free weights, not sitting in a machine, the core strength deficiency is absolutely relative.
I can squat almost double my body weight. I can do more pull ups than half the guys in my gym. I can DL double my body weight.
I can still run a sub 10 min mile- and I spend 15-20 hours a week dancing as a professional performer.
Telling me again how my fitness is deficit because I can't hold still for 2 minutes with my face 2" from my cat hair covered carpet.
Can you back flip while drinking a beer though? Sounds like your triceps surae muscles are weak.
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Disagree. There are lots of people with decent core strength for what they intend to do. Being able to hold a 2 minute plank is more about MUSCULAR ENDURANCE than actual strength.That didn't start with Fox, but the answer is that not being able to do a two minute plank is an indication that your fitness plan is deficient. There are two reasons for not being able to do it; poor ab/core strength and/or you are obese. If you lift free weights, not sitting in a machine, the core strength deficiency is absolutely relative.
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It's a matter of core stability. You might be able to do some impressive squats and deadlifts but if you have weak abs you are an injury waiting to happen.
I'm an old man and not all that strong but I end my workouts with suitcase walks. I walk down the street with a weight in one hand until I can't stand it and walk back with it in the other. In addition to working grip which has to be worked on with age, it is amazingly helpful for core stability, like planks. Loaded carries are a terribly under rated exercise.
Just my opinion which probably isn't worth much to you but stabilizers are a big deal, bigger if you are old and/or lifting heavy. I'm not obsessive about planks. If you can do pushups (a moving plank) for two minutes you don't need stationary planks. If you can push a sled for a couple of minutes you have progressed beyond stationary planks. There's still the weak abs thing ;0)
Peace.0 -
If you can do pushups (a moving plank) for two minutes you don't need stationary planks.
This. Like the poster who complained of the planks, I'm not fond of them. In fact, I do not do planks as part of my fitness routine. I do, however, do 3 sets of 68 pushups each day. I always figured I got a little over a minute of a plank embedded in each set of pushups.
So I saw the test, and tested myself. Got down in the pushup position, tapped to start the stopwatch on my phone, and held the plank for two minutes. Gave it an extra 5 seconds to cover any sloppiness with starting the timer and getting back into position. Strength was not a problem, but that second minute was incredibly long and BORING.
I think I still won't be doing planks on a regular basis.
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Are we talking ninja warrior fit? Being a football player, an Olympic swimmer, cyclist or marathoner?
Not sure why 2 minute planks are some sort of precedence either! I plank each week, I lift weights and run. I think I am pretty darned fit for a 48 year old.
Personally I think we train for activities we love. I am a runner, ran two 1/2 marathons in the month of March, I think I am very running fit, but suck at being fit as a swimmer, football player and definitely not ninja warrior fit..
I can create some fitness milestones to reach, certainly fun to try and reach goals, but in short I think I am fit for what I do.
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That's exactly the point. Fitness is the ability to do a task. I think the problem comes when people associate that with good health.
In the late 70s/early 80s there was a running craze. We were all running. Many ended up with back and/or joint issues that resulted in loss of mobility and with pain - less healthy than before they ran.
General fitness may have an implicit "to perform a wide array of activities requiring strength, flexibility and mobility." That could be healthy if you don't get so fit to do something requiring one of those attributes that you lose the others.0 -
Which was my point to begin with. Plank is nice but holding a 2 min plane doesn't help me with my sport. Sure it's not "bad" but I can list a dozen exercises right now that would directly translate to my two sports.
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I'm not trying to say there are not other exercises more specific to various sports. Ab strength and the ability to stabilize your body under load is essential for every sport. You just might not realise it that deficiency leads to injury.
Interesting that the naysaying of the three standards are all directed at the plank. Not a peep about waist to height ratio or the ability to get up and down from the floor. It is human nature to think that standards we don't meet are unimportant and find rationalizations to support it.0 -
It's a matter of core stability. You might be able to do some impressive squats and deadlifts but if you have weak abs you are an injury waiting to happen.
I'm an old man and not all that strong but I end my workouts with suitcase walks. I walk down the street with a weight in one hand until I can't stand it and walk back with it in the other. In addition to working grip which has to be worked on with age, it is amazingly helpful for core stability, like planks. Loaded carries are a terribly under rated exercise.
Just my opinion which probably isn't worth much to you but stabilizers are a big deal, bigger if you are old and/or lifting heavy. I'm not obsessive about planks. If you can do pushups (a moving plank) for two minutes you don't need stationary planks. If you can push a sled for a couple of minutes you have progressed beyond stationary planks. There's still the weak abs thing ;0)
Peace.
But wait, since squats and DLs are compound lifts, wouldn't by definition, they work the core as efficiently as a 2 min plank?1 -
You need good core stability to avoid injury while doing deads and squats. Weak abs are a weak link that leads to injury. Washboard abs are about having low body fat to reveal them. abdominal strength is about function.
Planks are not just an exercise/test. The principle of being planked (stability under sustained load) is present in nearly everything that is not sitting on an exercise machine. Pushing a car or prowler has you planked under load for a sustained effort, a step up the ladder from a basic plank.
I usually end my workout doing a one sided loaded carry (70 LB kettlebell suitcase carry or 90 LB shouldered sandbag carry up and down the street. Do I feel it in my abs like doing a plank? Absolutely (a bit extra in the obliques), tension under load over time. The two minute plank is just a test, you can get it in other places. But if you can't hold a plank for two minutes you just might be kidding yourself about getting it elsewhere.
Food for thought https://spineuniverse.com/wellness/exercise/building-core-strength-reduce-back-pain0 -
I'm not trying to say there are not other exercises more specific to various sports. Ab strength and the ability to stabilize your body under load is essential for every sport. You just might not realise it that deficiency leads to injury.
Interesting that the naysaying of the three standards are all directed at the plank. Not a peep about waist to height ratio or the ability to get up and down from the floor. It is human nature to think that standards we don't meet are unimportant and find rationalizations to support it.
Since you bring it up, that test for getting up from the floor was designed for the elderly. It does a good job at predicting which have lost the balance and strength necessary for going about their daily lives without injuring themselves or becoming bedridden. It is not shown to be a useful predictor of anything for the younger population.
Before anyone asks, yes, I can get up without using my hands. I can plank for 2 min, too. Personally, I think those of us who have a short torso and longer limbs have an advantage here as I've never found planks hard.
As for WH ratio, I believe that has been shown to be more reliable than BMI as a predictor of heart risk - too lazy to verify.0 -
What you're talking about is a very subjective term. It's going to mean different things to different people. If you're talking about looking for Perfection it's something you're never going to be able to achieve yes you can always better yourself but there are limits that we have to learn how to accept.
Which would you rather be 65 years old and 15 or 20 pounds overweight but able to walk 5 to 10 miles a day or at the perfect weight with the perfect physique but have chronic conditions that prevent you from doing a lot of the things the overweight guy can do. Who has the better quality of life and fitness level
Personally speaking for myself I'll never be able to attain what I consider perfect. I have arthritis in both hips and arthritic knee and shoulder that needs to be replaced yet I'm in better shape than most people my age without the physical limitations I have. I try to push myself some days and I realize I can't do it so i have to learn to accept it. But I'm better off than if I didn't do anything period it's like anything else you do everything in moderation
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If you are under 50 and can't get up and down from the floor with a score of 10 you might not ever get to be elderly. It bothers me that I just tried it and scored a 9. I've always been able to score 10 in the past. Probably because I put a bit of weight back on (waist to height fail too) which is why I'm back using MFP.0
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Steve, I'm 67 so my goals are not the same as when I was younger and know what you mean. As Dan John says, i've got maybe one more big injury left, but probably don't have any more recoveries. As I write this I'm in pain because I think I just may have injured myself doing a bit too much. At this point I just have the modest goals of basic strength, mobility, flexibility and not carry too much excess weight. Did I just write modest? Actually it's a monumental struggle at this point. Karma of being a but too brutally abusive to myself in my youth.0
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I think I just may have injured myself doing a bit too much.
getting up off the floor without using your hands?
i like carries, personally. planks can be done, but they don't give me a lot of confidence that i'm getting better at anything except for holding a plank. there's something about the one-sided carries in particular though, that really cues my brain to link all those isolated strength zones together into an actively usable chain.
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I feel like I'm pretty fit. I run regularly. I'm not fast, but I'm not slow either. I'm currently training for a half marathon.
Running has definitely built up my endurance and it translates to my daily life.
I also feel a little accomplished that while I'm not super strong at my crossfit class I can run circles around the other girls when it comes to endurance workouts. Stuff like sprints, wall balls, box jumps, jump rope...
I hope I can keep running into my 70ies. I'm amazed and inspired by older runners. I want, will be out there too.
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canadianlbs wrote: »I think I just may have injured myself doing a bit too much.
getting up off the floor without using your hands?
LOL, no, standing on a step ladder cutting tree branches reaching up over my head. A citrus tree with sharp thorns that put me into some awkward positions. I'm not supposed to do that stuff at my age ;0)1 -
If you are under 50 and can't get up and down from the floor with a score of 10 you might not ever get to be elderly. It bothers me that I just tried it and scored a 9. I've always been able to score 10 in the past. Probably because I put a bit of weight back on (waist to height fail too) which is why I'm back using MFP.
I'm 61, and I never heard of the get up and down test before this thread. If I understand it correctly, you start with 10 points and deduct one point for each hand *or* knee touch getting up and down. I've experimented quite a bit, and I have not found a way to get down and back up with no hand or knee touches. I can go each direction with one hand touch, or with one knee touch. I can use either hand, or either knee. But I can't manage it without using one hand or one knee. So I figure my score is 8. If only hand touches are deducted, my score is 10; I can easily lunge down to one knee, sit all the way down, and reverse the process to get up.0 -
If you are under 50 and can't get up and down from the floor with a score of 10 you might not ever get to be elderly. It bothers me that I just tried it and scored a 9. I've always been able to score 10 in the past. Probably because I put a bit of weight back on (waist to height fail too) which is why I'm back using MFP.
You'd score a 10 if you did more planks.
I don't do planks because they're boring af and I can only handle staring at my grey carpet for so long before I decide to take a nap. Yes, I have "weak" abs. No, I can't get off the floor without using my hands (omg death coming for me!). I will never pass any fitness test.1 -
If you are under 50 and can't get up and down from the floor with a score of 10 you might not ever get to be elderly. It bothers me that I just tried it and scored a 9. I've always been able to score 10 in the past. Probably because I put a bit of weight back on (waist to height fail too) which is why I'm back using MFP.
I'm 61, and I never heard of the get up and down test before this thread. If I understand it correctly, you start with 10 points and deduct one point for each hand *or* knee touch getting up and down. I've experimented quite a bit, and I have not found a way to get down and back up with no hand or knee touches. I can go each direction with one hand touch, or with one knee touch. I can use either hand, or either knee. But I can't manage it without using one hand or one knee. So I figure my score is 8. If only hand touches are deducted, my score is 10; I can easily lunge down to one knee, sit all the way down, and reverse the process to get up.
Did you try doing it by crossing your legs? I cross my legs slightly with my right behind my left and sit to a cross-legged sit. Then with my feet about a foot apart and crossed I push up (weight is on the outsides of your feet at first) to a stand. I'm not sure how else I'd do it.1 -
I just did the get up and down thing...EZPZ.
I have little doubt that I could hold a 2 minute plank either but I'm not going to bother. I cycle and have to have a solid core to maintain my form on my bike and I can go for hours. I also squat, deadlift, clean and jerk, snatch, bench, OH press, etc...I think I'm all good.0 -
mburgess458 wrote: »If you are under 50 and can't get up and down from the floor with a score of 10 you might not ever get to be elderly. It bothers me that I just tried it and scored a 9. I've always been able to score 10 in the past. Probably because I put a bit of weight back on (waist to height fail too) which is why I'm back using MFP.
I'm 61, and I never heard of the get up and down test before this thread. If I understand it correctly, you start with 10 points and deduct one point for each hand *or* knee touch getting up and down. I've experimented quite a bit, and I have not found a way to get down and back up with no hand or knee touches. I can go each direction with one hand touch, or with one knee touch. I can use either hand, or either knee. But I can't manage it without using one hand or one knee. So I figure my score is 8. If only hand touches are deducted, my score is 10; I can easily lunge down to one knee, sit all the way down, and reverse the process to get up.
Did you try doing it by crossing your legs? I cross my legs slightly with my right behind my left and sit to a cross-legged sit. Then with my feet about a foot apart and crossed I push up (weight is on the outsides of your feet at first) to a stand. I'm not sure how else I'd do it.
I can get down that way with no touches, but there's an ungraceful thump for the last couple inches. Can't get up that way. Maybe I'm deficient in flexibility, but I can't seem to go from having my posterior on the floor to having my weight over the foot that will lift without touching a knee or a hand to the floor. Yes, I tried a dynamic sit-up; no problem going from flat on my back to seated with no hand touch, but I can't get enough momentum to shift my center of gravity over a foot that way.0
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