Lifestyle Makeover Challenge

Musculo-Skeletal Fitness: MSF and Flexibility

Muscular strength and  endurance are essential for living a healthy, strong, energetic life. Lean tissue (muscle) is metabolically active - that  is, it burns calories even while at rest, thus  increasing your  metabolic rate. Muscular strength also  improves the health of your skeletal system As your muscles become stronger, your  bones adapt by becoming stronger as well. Muscular strength helps you perform everyday tasks with ease. Flexibility refers to your muscles’ ability to move through full range of motion. It is important for completing daily tasks like bending and reaching and stretching.

 

Test Your Muscular Strength

Front-Side-Down Test:

This is a functional fitness test that measures your overall fitness level, with emphasis on muscular fitness. To complete the test, perform as many repetitions as possible within one minute. Begin the test by standing up with your hands on your head. On “GO” you are going to perform as many “burpees” as possible. For each repetition, you will release your hands from your head, then lower yourself down to the floor until your chest touches the ground, then stand back up and touch your head. (You don’t need to jump.) If you are strong enough you can put your hands on the ground, kick your legs out, touch your chest down, jump your feet back under you, and then stand up and touch your head. The only two rules are 1) stand up and touch your hands to your head in-between each repetition; and 2) touch your chest to the floor. Repeat. Write down your maximum number of completed reps in one minute here: _______________

 

Back-Side-Down Test:

This is part two of your functional fitness test. It is very similar to the test above, except this time you will be lying on your backside and touching your shoulder blades to the floor for every repetition. It doesn’t matter if your feet stay on the ground or come up off the ground when your shoulders are down. Get up any way you can. Your two rules: 1) stand up and touch your head with your hands between each repetition; and 2) touch your shoulder blades to the floor. Perform as many reps as possible in one minute. Write down your score here: ________________

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Up-Down Test Results: (average between BOTH tests)

1-5      YOU CAN DO IT

6-8      KEEP WORKING!

9-11    FAIRLY HEALTHY

12-14  HEALTHY

15-17   FIT

18-20   VERY FIT

21-23   SUPER FIT

24-26  ATHLETIC ANIMAL

27-29  ATHLETIC BEAST

30-33: ATHLETIC PHENOM!

*please note: if there is a difference greater than 2 between your front-side and back-side scores, this may indicate an imbalance in functional strength. 

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Test Your Flexibility

Functional Flexibility Test:

Lie on the ground on your back and reach your hands overhead. Roll yourself up and stretch forward as far as you can with your legs flat and straight in front of you about the same width apart as your hips. Roll back down and stretch long (legs down or bent), then roll up again and reach
towards and beyond your toes as much as possible. Keep your feet and knees pointing straight up to the sky. Try to get a deeper stretch with every repetition. Repeat up to five times, recording the furthest you can reach and hold for at least 3 seconds.

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How far could you go?

Fingertips to shin: KEEP WORKING! 

Fingertips to ankles: ALMOST THERE!

Fingertips to toes: LOOKING GOOD!

Knuckles to toes: VERY GOOD!

Wrists to toes: EXCELLENT!! 

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