Before you head to the gym and work out as hard as possible, you need to understand your current fitness level.
Adapting your exercise routine to your current level is essential for learning where you need to start, where you want to go, and the goals you need to set on your fitness journey.
At Fit Body Boot Camp, our personal trainers help members determine their fitness level and use workout modifiers to help them reach their goals.
If you’ve ever wondered how to determine your fitness level, structure a fitness program, and adapt your workout intensity, this is the guide for you!
How Do You Evaluate Your Fitness Level?
You can learn where you stand on the spectrum of physical fitness through simple at-home activities. According to the Mayo Clinic, three core areas to test include your:
- Aerobic fitness
- Muscle strength and endurance
- Body composition and BMI
Let’s quickly break down these areas and their tests to better understand how to adapt workouts to every fitness level.
The Aerobic Fitness Test
Your aerobic (or cardio) fitness measures how well your heart distributes oxygen throughout your body.
A great way to test this is to go for a 1.5-mile run (or jog) and log your time. The less time it takes to run that distance, the higher your cardio fitness level.
Women in their 40s with good cardio health should be able to run 1.5 miles in around 14 minutes, and men should be able to do the same run in around 12.
The Muscle Strength and Endurance Test
Your muscle strength and endurance show how hard and long your muscles can work before you reach muscular failure.
An easy way to evaluate muscle strength is pushups. Do as many pushups as you can without needing to take a break.
Fourteen is the target number for women in their 40s, while men should hit a couple more at 16.
Body Composition Tests
Another way to analyze your fitness level is by looking at your body composition and body mass index (BMI), or the ratio between your height, weight, and waist size.
The simplest way to determine your body composition is to measure the circumference around your hips and waist. If your waist circumference is greater than your hips, it’s an indicator that you carry more weight in your upper body than you should.
To measure BMI, we suggest using a tool like this BMI calculator to evaluate your body mass index. There is some debate over the accuracy of BMI because it doesn’t assess muscle mass, bone density, overall body composition, and sex or race.
These measurements are less accurate than high-tech equipment like a DXA scan, but they can give insight into whether you should exercise for weight loss.
How to Modify Workouts for Different Levels of Fitness
Once you have a baseline fitness level, it’s time for the exciting part —setting up your fitness routine!
Before you set up your routine, we recommend setting clear goals for your routine like:
- I want to lose five pounds in two months
- I want to increase muscle strength by lifting five more pounds in a month
- I want to run a mile 30 seconds faster by the end of this quarter
These goals give you a direction for your exercise and help you feel accomplished when you reach your goal.
Fitness Routines for Beginner Levels
If you fall below the target cardio and muscle endurance goals, you should plan a routine to help you ease into regular exercise.
Beginner routines should include basic bodyweight exercises like squats or pushups and light cardio like walking.
Try exercising at least 2-3 times a week for 20-30 minutes a session and incorporate more time and workouts into your routine as you get more comfortable with exercise.
Fitness Routines for Intermediate Levels
If you scored in the good range, your routine should help you level up your current health levels with more intense exercise.
At this fitness level, high-intensity interval training shines. These workouts blend cardio and weightlifting to give you the best of both worlds in your routine without spending too much time on either.
You’ll want to exercise around 3-5 times a week for 30-60 minutes, and be sure to incorporate active rest into your off days. Fitness Routines for Advanced Levels
Scoring higher than average on your fitness tests means you can modify your exercise routine to maintain that high fitness level.
Incorporating workout modifiers like heavier weights, more intense cardio, or increasing your workout’s length can push you to train more like an athlete.
To get the most out of your routine, you may want to try going to a gym or class 5-6 days a week and stretching your workout time to 60+ minutes.
Visit Fit Body Boot Camp for Your Personalized Routine
At Fit Body Boot Camp, our certified fitness coaches are here to tailor your workout routine to meet your goals and help you advance on your fitness journey.
We use workout modifiers like weights, rep counts, and movements to ensure each member gets the most out of their 30-minute afterburn sessions.
Ready to upgrade your fitness routine? Stop by a location near you to learn more!
