Fort Bliss Monitor

A Test of fitness

Spc. Lewis M. Hilburn
Monitor Staff

How is the level of fitness determined?

Early Saturday morning Doug Briggs, strength and conditioning coordinator for Fort Bliss, and members of his staff conducted a fitness assessment, at Stout Gym here, for anyone interested in determining their level of fitness.

The evaluation tested different areas of a person’s health and physical fitness. Before participants could take part they had to complete a health history form and turn it back in. This helped the staff determine what cardio respiratory risk factors would be involved with each person according to family history and current lifestyle.

Heights and weights were taken of all the individuals participating in the assessment. These numbers were recorded on the individual’s assessment sheet and would later help determine their assessment. After heights and weights were taken Briggs and his staff took blood pressure readings and hooked the participants up to a machine that determined body fat composition.

After all this members were given energy bars to consume for the next portion of testing, a three-minute step test. The test had participants stepping up and down on a platform for three minutes. Once three minutes were up the staff took each participant’s pulse and recorded the beats per minute on his or her record sheet.

Afterwards they performed a flexibility test to determine their amount of flexibility. Participants were required to sit on the floor with their legs stretched out and their feet firmly planted on the box in front of them. They would then reach as far as they could while one of the staff members was holding a ruler on the box. They did this three times and the three measurements were recorded.

The next stage included a one-minute sit-up event. Like the sit-up event for the Army Physical Fitness Test, participants had to make sure they had correct form. Briggs and his staff member Annika Schmidt, physical fitness specialist, demonstrated the correct way to perform a sit-up and how sit-ups would be counted. Upon completion of the sit up event members went into the push-up event. As in the previous event, a demonstration was given on how to perform the correct push-up. The only thing different about this event was that females could do push-ups on their knees, unlike their male counterparts. The group was required to go three inches from the floor or until parallel with the floor. After every event participants were required to take their pulse and record it.

Briggs and his staff gave the group a few minutes to compose themselves then headed out to the track to do a one-mile assessment walk. Briggs encouraged the group to walk as fast as they could to obtain an optimal time for their records. With groups of three or four the staff started the assessment. The participants were given a heart rate monitor to show an accurate beat per minute and once the participants crossed the finish line they yelled out the beats per minute according to the monitor.

Immediately following the walk the group headed back inside and into the circuit training room. This would be their final test of fitness. They tested their one repetition maximum on the nautilus machine’s bench press. Once the repetition was completed the participants were done for the day. Unlike the Army Physical Fitness Test, the scores of each event aren’t added together. Each score and the age of the participant are checked according to a chart, which determines how fit he or she is. “We don’t add scores together because one person may have done well in the step exercise but they may not be very flexible. In the Army Physical Fitness Test you could max out on your push-ups and barely pass the run and according to the Army you are physically fit. We are going to put emphasis on the areas that need work and maintain those that do not,” Lind said.

Next Saturday the participants will come back and get the results of the test. The staff will then talk to them about what workout program would be in their best interest according to Schmidt. “They will come in and we will go over the test with them. Develop a fitness goal and sign contracts with themselves about achieving the goal. They can also sign a contract with us if they want a personal trainer to help them achieve their goal,” Schmidt said.

“The events helped determine the participants current level of fitness,” said Briggs. Studies done by the Cooper Institute determine what events accurately measure physical fitness. Schmidt said the tests helped determine what areas need to be focused on — whether it is in flexibility, cardio respiratory or muscular endurance. But the goal of the staff is to focus on all the aspects of a healthy lifestyle. Lind said they wanted the participants to have an understanding of the different components of physical fitness.

Schmidt said everyone was able to do all the events, which according to Briggs and Lind was great. This also gave them a chance to introduce Lind and Schmidt as the new personal trainers at Stout.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	July 22, 2004

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	A Test of fitness Spc. Lewis M. Hilburn Monitor Staff How is the level of fitness determined? Early Saturday morning Doug Briggs, strength and conditioning coordinator for Fort Bliss, and members of his staff conducted a fitness assessment, at Stout Gym here, for anyone interested in determining their level of fitness. The evaluation tested different areas of a person’s health and physical fitness. Before participants could take part they had to complete a health history form and turn it back in. This helped the staff determine what cardio respiratory risk factors would be involved with each person according to family history and current lifestyle. Heights and weights were taken of all the individuals participating in the assessment. These numbers were recorded on the individual’s assessment sheet and would later help determine their assessment. After heights and weights were taken Briggs and his staff took blood pressure readings and hooked the participants up to a machine that determined body fat composition. After all this members were given energy bars to consume for the next portion of testing, a three-minute step test. The test had participants stepping up and down on a platform for three minutes. Once three minutes were up the staff took each participant’s pulse and recorded the beats per minute on his or her record sheet. Afterwards they performed a flexibility test to determine their amount of flexibility. Participants were required to sit on the floor with their legs stretched out and their feet firmly planted on the box in front of them. They would then reach as far as they could while one of the staff members was holding a ruler on the box. They did this three times and the three measurements were recorded. The next stage included a one-minute sit-up event. Like the sit-up event for the Army Physical Fitness Test, participants had to make sure they had correct form. Briggs and his staff member Annika Schmidt, physical fitness specialist, demonstrated the correct way to perform a sit-up and how sit-ups would be counted. Upon completion of the sit up event members went into the push-up event. As in the previous event, a demonstration was given on how to perform the correct push-up. The only thing different about this event was that females could do push-ups on their knees, unlike their male counterparts. The group was required to go three inches from the floor or until parallel with the floor. After every event participants were required to take their pulse and record it. Briggs and his staff gave the group a few minutes to compose themselves then headed out to the track to do a one-mile assessment walk. Briggs encouraged the group to walk as fast as they could to obtain an optimal time for their records. With groups of three or four the staff started the assessment. The participants were given a heart rate monitor to show an accurate beat per minute and once the participants crossed the finish line they yelled out the beats per minute according to the monitor. Immediately following the walk the group headed back inside and into the circuit training room. This would be their final test of fitness. They tested their one repetition maximum on the nautilus machine’s bench press. Once the repetition was completed the participants were done for the day. Unlike the Army Physical Fitness Test, the scores of each event aren’t added together. Each score and the age of the participant are checked according to a chart, which determines how fit he or she is. “We don’t add scores together because one person may have done well in the step exercise but they may not be very flexible. In the Army Physical Fitness Test you could max out on your push-ups and barely pass the run and according to the Army you are physically fit. We are going to put emphasis on the areas that need work and maintain those that do not,” Lind said. Next Saturday the participants will come back and get the results of the test. The staff will then talk to them about what workout program would be in their best interest according to Schmidt. “They will come in and we will go over the test with them. Develop a fitness goal and sign contracts with themselves about achieving the goal. They can also sign a contract with us if they want a personal trainer to help them achieve their goal,” Schmidt said. “The events helped determine the participants current level of fitness,” said Briggs. Studies done by the Cooper Institute determine what events accurately measure physical fitness. Schmidt said the tests helped determine what areas need to be focused on — whether it is in flexibility, cardio respiratory or muscular endurance. But the goal of the staff is to focus on all the aspects of a healthy lifestyle. Lind said they wanted the participants to have an understanding of the different components of physical fitness. Schmidt said everyone was able to do all the events, which according to Briggs and Lind was great. This also gave them a chance to introduce Lind and Schmidt as the new personal trainers at Stout.