How fit are you for your age? Experts say how you perform in four simple exercises is the ultimate indicator… so where do you score?

You could make it to your weekly spin class, or lift super heavy weights, but does that mean you’re physically fit?

It’s crucial that you meet basic fitness recommendations for your age, because slightly substandard fitness can lead to a dramatic increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Now experts from the University of California Los Angeles and megagym Equinox have detailed the four science-backed exercises that best represent your fitness level.

Your performance on each of the movements – including push-ups and a mile run – measures how much your muscle mass, mobility and cardiovascular systems have decreased.

Fitness experts at Equinox have calculated a handy chart (below) that tells you exactly where you should be in terms of upper body strength for your age.

From the age of 30, you start to lose three to eight percent of your muscle mass per decade, according to endocrinologists the University of Southern California.

“Exercise is the closest thing we have to a magic pill to counteract the effects of aging,” says Linda P. Fried, dean of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Michael Crandall, a certified strength and conditioning specialist at the E by Equinox gym, shared Wall Street Journal that the four ‘test’ exercises monitor strength, cardiovascular efficiency and mobility.

VO2 max is traditionally calculated by measuring the amount of oxygen you take in while running at top speed for several minutes, as above.

To test your aerobic fitness, first identify your VO2 max, a measure of the maximum oxygen your body can absorb and use during cardio exercise. It measures the efficiency of the body’s cardiovascular system.

Traditionally, you would have to go to a laboratory under the supervision of an instructor to determine your VO2 max – and run on a treadmill with a mask over your nose or mouth to measure the amount of gas you blow in and out.

But physical therapists have developed two versions of this test that you can do at home. One implies run at top speed for twelve minutes and the others involve walking a mile at a brisk pace.

For an average American woman aged 25, a good score would equate to taking in 2544-2775 milliliters of oxygen per minute. A poor score would equate to taking 1773-2236 milliliters of oxygen per minute.

For the average male of the same age, a good score would be 3851-4168 milliliters of oxygen per minute, while a bad score would be 2990-3262 milliliters of oxygen per minute.

This is measured in a laboratory with a mask that can monitor the oxygen level, as well as the amount of CO2 you emit. At home, and without a special mask, the hallmark of sufficient VO2 max is that you can complete the exercises without stopping.

Push-ups are a great way to measure your upper body strength because it requires multiple muscles to complete the movement.

Second, the experts recommend push-ups to measure your upper body strength.

While this may seem like a simple exercise, it involves a wide range of muscles and is a good indication of how well your muscles can move your own body weight, said Equinox’s Crandall.

Place your hands under your chest, shoulder-width apart and your feet in a plank position, lower yourself to the floor until your arms are bent more than 90 degrees before pushing back up. If you can’t do this in the standard position, you can also start on your knees.

See how many you can do in a row. Your eligibility for the push-up test depends on your age group and gender.

According to Equinox, a good result for a 31-40 year old woman would be 15 push-ups in a row or more, a bad result would be 10 or less.

A good result for a 31-40 year old man would be 29 push-ups or more, and a bad result would be 15 or less.

Side planks give you an idea of ​​how stable your core is and how likely you are to maintain a good sense of balance later in life.

Third, Crandall recommends a side plank to gauge your core endurance and stability.

This involves placing your feet together and pressing your body off the ground while balancing on one arm.

If you can hold this position for more than 45 seconds, you are definitely fit, regardless of your age. But if you can’t hold the position for more than 20 seconds, you need to work on your core strength, Crandall said.

Core strength is incredibly important as you age for maintaining your posture and balance, and for preventing back and neck pain Harvard Men’s Health Watch.

Finally, the last test is important for measuring your mobility. This involves trying to get up from a sitting position without using your hands.

If you can drop to the ground, rotate your hips to sit down, and then reverse that path to get back up without using your hands, then you have passed the test. A ‘good’ score is a passing score, regardless of your age.

Suzi Schulman, a chiropractor from New Jersey, demonstrated this test in a TikTok clip (top).

This movement is something that is innate in children, but adults tend to practice less as they get older. according to research from Herlev-Gentofte University Hospital in Denmark. This means that in general, the older people get, the less muscle strength they have for these types of movements.

“A person’s ability to balance remains stable until the age of 40, but then gradually declines,” he said Kwon-Young Kanga physiotherapist from Wonkwang Health Science University in Korea.

So if you succeed, that’s probably a good sign for your longevity, Schulman said.