Is there any truth to the idea that you are as fit as you think? My two teenage sons think they are physically fit but I think their status as couch potatoes speaks for itself.

A survey of young men entering the marine corps asked four questions to assess physical fitness.

  • How many pull-ups can you do right now?
  • How would you rate your current physical fitness compared with others your age? Choose one: Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good, or Excellent.
  • Is your exercise geared toward competition (marathons, power lifting, body building)?
  • In your exercise or leisure activities how often do you "work up a good sweat?" Choose one: Never, Occasionally, Fairly often, Quite a lot, Most or all of the time.

    Over 1500 men filled out the survey and then entered boot camp. A month later they took a fitness test. The results showed that the young men were able to self-assess fairly accurately. The number of pull-ups they predicted and the number they could do were the best indicators of fitness.

    If you want to "test" your young men out, try this test from the Marine Corps:

    1) number of abdominal crunches in two minutes (one point each)

    2) number of pull-ups (five points each up to a maximum of 20 pull-ups/100 points)

    3) three-mile run in 18 minutes or less is worth 100 points

    The maximum score for the fitness test is 300 points. A recruit must earn at least 135 points to pass the fitness test.

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