Maintaining your enthusiasm for a long-term fitness goal is challenging for any exerciser. Whether you are hoping to run a marathon or do your first pull-up this year, you need a plan to get there. That means setting up a series of benchmarks, like how many push-ups you can do, with assessments along the way to track your progress.
“I like to think of a benchmark as a snapshot of your fitness at a specific time,” said Dr. Tamanna Singh, co-director of the Cleveland Clinic Sports Cardiology Center. “Having an objective measure of current strength and cardiovascular health is key to building a safe exercise program.”
But the first step is knowing and accepting your starting point, she said. It’s easy to overestimate.
Plan to track progress, and adjust accordingly. Albert Matheny, a strength and conditioning specialist and co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab in New York, said a good timeline to retest your benchmarks is every four to eight weeks.
How quickly you progress depends on your current fitness level and how often you work out, but it often takes six to 10 workouts to see lasting improvement, Mr. Matheny said. So if you train three times a week, you could see improvement in just two weeks.
It isn’t always a steady progression though; jumps and plateaus are normal. “It’s a waste of time if you aren’t pushing your body,” Dr. Singh said. “Discomfort is where we grow.”
If you’re new to exercising and have never used fitness benchmarks, below are three simple progressions, designed by Mr. Matheny.
If level one feels too easy, find one that feels challenging, but can still be performed with good form. When you can complete an exercise in the allotted time or do all of the reps without fatigue, move on to the next level.
Below are three sets of benchmarks, designed by Mr. Matheny, for lower and upper body strength, and cardiovascular fitness: a squat, push-up and running. Start at a level that feels just beyond your ability.
Lower Body Strength: Squat
Take the sit-to-stand test and count the number of repetitions you can do. If you can only do 10 in 30 seconds, or cannot get up out of the chair without using your hands, start at level 1.
Level 1: Start seated in a chair. Stand and then sit back down without using your hands. Perform 10 times in 30 seconds.
Level 2: Do a full body weight squat. Start with one round of 10 repetitions. Increase to three rounds of 10, with 60 to 90 seconds rest in between.
Level 3: Add weight — be it a dumbbell, kettlebell or backpack with books. Select a load where you can do five squats with good form. Work up to 15. Progress to three sets of 15 with a two-minute rest between sets.
Level 4: Increase by no more than 10 percent of the weight you had been lifting, Mr. Matheny said. Build up to three rounds of 15 reps, with two-minute rests.
Keep going: You can continue to increase the weight. Or try a sumo squat, where your stance is wider and toes are turned out, to target your glutes and inner thighs. Challenge your balance with single-leg variations like a split squat; build power by doing jump squats.
Upper Body: Plank to Push-Up
Level 1: Place your hands about shoulder-width apart on a table. The higher the surface, the easier it will be. Step your feet back until your arms are completely straight. Build up to holding for 30 seconds.
Level 2: Place your hands on the seat of a chair and hold for 30 seconds. Work up to 60 seconds.
Level 3: Hold a plank on the floor with straight arms for 30 seconds. Work up to three rounds of 60 seconds with 60 to 90 seconds rest in between sets.
Level 4: Start with three kneeling push-ups. Build up to three sets of 10 with 60 to 90 seconds rest in between sets.
Level 5: Aim to do three regular push-ups. Work up to three rounds of 10 reps with 60 to 90 seconds rest.
Keep going: Elevate your feet on a short stool, about one foot off the ground, then a chair and eventually a stability ball, which will challenge your core. Target your triceps with narrow, or diamond push-ups, where you hold your hands together with your thumbs and forefingers touching; add weight by wearing a weighted vest or placing a small weight on your back.
Cardiovascular Endurance: Walk to Run
Level 1: Progress to walking for 10 minutes with no rest. Continue until you can do this at a pace where you can hold a conversation without losing your breath.
Level 2: Continue adding walking increments of five minutes. Aim to walk continuously for 30 minutes.
Level 3: Maintain the same time or distance but add a weighted vest or backpack. Or walk hills or an incline on a treadmill.
Level 4: Walk-jog on a flat surface. Start with 30 seconds of jogging and one minute of walking. When you can do this at a conversational pace for five minutes, try jogging for one minute and walking for 30 seconds. Aim to do this at a conversational pace for 30 minutes.
Level 5: Jog for five minutes and walk for one and repeat four times. Add time or take out the walking.
Keep going: Challenge your fast-twitch muscle fibers by incorporating sprints. Try hills and stairs or running with a weighted pack.