P90X - Week 13 - Saturday - FIT TEST RESULTS

Well, Judgment Day has arrived. Today I did my Fit Test. I must make note of two things before I get to it. First, the instructions on the Fit Test say to use a wide, overhand grip for the pull ups. When I took my first test, I did not use a very wide grip because of the way the grips on my bar are positioned and the (lack of length) of my arms. I can't even reach the grips very well - if I had just a straight bar, I could have picked a more in-between distance. Alas, the pull ups on the Fit Tests are based on the same grip, just not the exact one specified. Second, the instructions for the bicep curls say not to go more than one second between reps. My husband told me that means I needed to do each rep within a second. NO. It means I can't pause longer than 1 second between reps. I can go as slow or as fast as I want. I could have done quite a few more reps in my initial test if I'd done it the right way. So the improvements in bicep curls may be skewed.

Here's how the Fit Test works. First, take your resting heart rate. With a heart rate monitor, just turn it on and lie still for 2 minutes. Record your heart rate. I left mine on for 3 minutes and took the average. If you don't have a heart rate monitor, rest for 2-3 minutes, then take your pulse from wrist or neck, counting beats for 30 seconds and multiplying by 2 for beats per minute.

Then, my resting heart rate was 58 bpm. Today, my resting heart rate was 58 bpm. So, no change there.

Pull ups: Warm up for 10 minutes with light cardio, until you build up a light sweat, then stretch lightly. Using wide grip & palms facing away, pull from hanging position until chin is above bar. Lower back to full hang. Repeat to failure.

Then, I was able to do 3/4 of a pull up. Today, I did 1, and really got some height to it! I did go for a second, but only made it about a quarter of the way up. Still, 1 is good for that particular grip.

Vertical Leap: Rest for 1 minute. Stand sideways with shoulder against the wall and raise arm straight overhead against wall. Record height. Then lower the arm and take one step back and jump straight up, trying to touch the highest point on the wall. Record height. Subtract second number from first number.

Then, my vertical leap was 10 inches. Today, my vertical leap was 11.75 inches.

Push ups: Rest for 4 minutes. Put pillow on floor to make contact with chest with each rep. Do normal or knee push ups to failure.

Then, I did 23 push ups on my toes. Today, I did 37 push ups on my toes.

Toe touch: Rest for 4 minutes. Sit on the floor with legs extended directly in front of you. Bend forward at the waist and extend arms over legs toward toes. Don't bend knees. See how close you can get fingertips to toes. If not able to reach, measure the distance between your fingertips and your toes (-). If able to reach beyond toes, measure how much further fingers reach beyond toes (+). Do not strain or force.

Then, my distance was +2.5 inches. Today, it was +5.0 inches.

Wall squat (the worst bitch of them all): Place back flat against wall and lower into seated chair position (knees over toes at 90 degrees). Start timer as soon as you are in this position. Stay in position until failure. Do not place hands on wall or "scoot" with shoulders. You can slide down but once butt touches floor, you're done.

Then, I was able to hold the squat for 79 seconds. Today, I held it for 129 seconds.

Bicep Curls: Rest for 4 minutes. Use 20 lbs minimum (male) or 8 lbs minimum (female). Extend arms straight down in front of body. Be sure that arms are fully extended in between each curl. Using both arms at the same time, perform as many curls as you can until failure. Don't rock or cheat and don't take longer than 1 second between reps.

Then, I did 13 reps at 15 pounds. Today, I did 23 reps at 15 pounds.

In & Outs: Rest for 3 minutes. Starting position: seated with hands on the floor at your sides, knees bent with feet on the floor. Raise feet off the ground and bring knees toward chest. Straighten legs back out and repeat the movement without touching the floor.

Then, I did 35 in & outs. Today, I did 70.

Heart rate maximizer: Rest for 4 minutes. Perform jumping jacks nonstop for 2 minutes at a quick and steady pace. During the final 30 seconds, go as fast as you can to maximize your heart rate. When you finish, be prepared to measure your heart rate over a span of 4 minutes.

This is where things got weird. Here are the (then) and [now] values for the four minutes:
immediately after jacks (161) [161]
after 1 minute (116) [115]
after 2 minutes (88) [90]
after 3 minutes (82) [80]
after 4 minutes (72) [81]

My heart rate actually went up as time went on today. I think it was because I was watching the numbers like a hawk and really anxious! So this is the ONLY area I did not show improvements. My heart rate normally drops pretty rapidly after a workout, so yeah, I'm going to blame it on nerves. For tomorrow, I'll have my final stats and pictures (which are already done), and hopefully the bonus fun numbers.